Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2026 to question 103968 on High Speed 2 Line: Compulsory Purchase, how many of the 1,723 properties managed were acquired via compulsory purchase.

The majority of land and property that is acquired by compulsory purchase is not held in management or let but is utilised for the construction of the railway. Within HS2 Ltd’s managed portfolio, there are 73 properties (inclusive of residential, commercial and agricultural and forestry land) that were acquired via compulsory purchase. Further to this, there are 732 properties that were acquired via Statutory Blight, which can be considered to be under the umbrella of compulsory purchase, as this is a statutory provision whereby the issuing of a blight notice by the property owner compels the Secretary of State to acquire the property under the same terms as if a Notice to Treat had been served.

How much is received annually in rental income from the 782 properties purchased along the route of HS2.

In financial year 2024/25, a total of 1,723 properties were managed within the HS2 Managed Property Portfolio along the route of HS2 Phase 1 and the former Phase 2. This included residential, commercial, agricultural, forestry and wayleave interests, which collectively generated an annual rental income of £24 million. This income was fully used to offset the costs of managing properties acquired for HS2. Annual rental income naturally fluctuates as the proportion of tenanted properties changes over time.

What assessment has she made of the potential vulnerability to being disabled of Chinese-origin buses that are reliant upon sim connection for software upgrades.

The Government takes national security seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. The Department works closely with the transport sector and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities for all transport modes.

What discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the potential impact of the cost of the Piccadilly Line renovation on TfL's finances.

Government announced a £2.2bn investment over the next four years for TfL at the Spending Review. This multi-year settlement marks the largest Government capital contribution to London's transport infrastructure in over a decade and is in addition to £485m delivered at the Budget in 2024. As transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, it is for him and TfL to assess the merits and financial impacts of capital projects and make decisions on investment including upgrades to the Piccadilly Line.

How many Chinese BYD electric buses are in service across the UK by franchise operator.

My Department does not hold this information. For information on how many electric BYD buses have been licensed overall, please see the DVLA statistics – table VEH0133. (Vehicle licensing statistics data tables – GOV.UK)

What assessment she has made of the feasibility of new terminals for the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport being built and operated in competition with those run by the airport.

Information about terminals and other airport infrastructure would be provided as part of a development consent order application.

What the deadline is for the submission of a development consent application for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

It will be for scheme promoters to decide when to submit a development consent order application for a third runway scheme.

By what date she plans to complete the review into airport funding.

There is no current review into airport funding.

What is the projected total cost of a third runway at Heathrow, including the consultation process; and who will be responsible for funding the planning and construction.

The Government has been clear that any expansion at Heathrow must be affordable and firmly in the interests of passengers. The costs of the scheme, should be kept to a minimum and met through private funding, including any associated surface-transport requirements.Whilst we have set out our ambition to move at pace, decisions on construction and operational costs are ultimately a matter for the scheme promoter. Scheme promoters are responsible for any consultation in relation to their DCO application in accordance with Planning Act 2008 requirements.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact on airline ticket prices from Heathrow Airport of the need to fund the public consultation process for the proposed third runway.

The Government is committed to delivering a third runway at Heathrow in a cost-effective way. The Civil Aviation Authority have launched a consultation on their working paper of regulatory options in their role as the independent economic regulator for the aviation industry. They propose several criteria for assessing future regulatory models, including how effective these options are in keeping costs for the travelling public low. Aviation operates predominantly in the private sector, with ticket prices determined by many factors including competition between airlines.

What assessment she has made of the National security risk posed by (a) ownership and (b) investment by Chinese companies in Heathrow Airport.

The Government takes its responsibility for national security extremely seriously and balances this with its continued commitment to welcome inward investment in a way that provides investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK. We work across government to conduct due diligence and other assessments and ensure that any potential national security risk to the UK is handled appropriately. For any new qualifying investments in sensitive sectors, which include transport, we will use the powers in the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise transactions and intervene if necessary to protect national security.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of the Chinese market share of the electric vehicle market on risks to national security.

The Government is closely monitoring China's role in the automotive industry and UK electric vehicle (EV) market, including potential risks to national security.

What assessment she has made of the impact of (a) ownership and (b) investment in Heathrow Airport by Chinese companies.

The Government takes its responsibility for national security extremely seriously and balances this with its continued commitment to welcome inward investment in a way that provides investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK. We work across government to conduct due diligence and other assessments and ensure that any potential national security risk to the UK is handled appropriately. For any new qualifying investments in sensitive sectors, which include transport, we will use the powers in the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise transactions and intervene if necessary to protect national security.

What discussions are held between UK Search and Rescue Aviation and Magpas Air Ambulance in Cambridgeshire on precedence of responses.

There have been no direct discussions with Magpas Air Ambulance and HM Coastguard search and rescue aviation. On request from an authorised authority for search and rescue air assistance the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Aeronautical Rescue will assess the request to ensure that it is appropriate, achievable and compliant and will deconflict every incident. Search and rescue aircraft are prioritised on the risk to life.

What progress has she made in re-baselining East-West Rail Connection State 2 and 3.

In the Spending Review in June, the Government announced £2.5bn of funding to progress the delivery of East West Rail (EWR). The Government has committed to accelerating work to deliver EWR benefits early where possible and is reviewing what can be done to bring higher frequency services to Bedford ahead of route completion. In assessing the best way to sequence the programme as a whole, East West Railway Company is looking at alternative ways to deliver more passenger services and new stations earlier to unlock benefits for local people and businesses. Work is continuing over the coming months, and more information will be provided in a more detailed plan next year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79742 on Railways: Mobile Broadband, by what date mainline trains will be fitted with Low Earth Orbit satellite technology.

Funding for LEO satellite technology becomes available in the new financial year 2026, at which point my officials will begin the implementation of this on trains.The objective will be to complete all installations within 5 years from 2026/2027, and this is based on our experience of fitting all GB trains with on-train wifi between 2016 and 2020.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2025 to Question 79364 on Defence Safety Authority, what recent progress the Maritime and Coastguard Authority has made on the development of its own maritime autonomy programme.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have developed multiple workstreams to support the UK’s maritime autonomy industry. This includes marine guidance notices and the third edition of the UK’s Workboat Code, which provide a regulatory framework within which autonomous vessels can operate. In addition, the recently developed Remote Operator Training and Certification Pilot Framework provides a voluntary scheme for training and certification of Remote Operators, which will lead to an experienced and qualified workforce. The existing provisions under the Merchant Shipping Act have been maximised to support various sizes and types of vessels, and as parliamentary time allows, we will go further to enable emerging use cases.

What power capacity upgrades will take place in Huntingdon constituency via the Rapid Charging Fund.

A reliable, accessible public charging network to support EV drivers on long journeys is essential to support the EV transition. The market has changed significantly since the Rapid Charging Fund was announced, with now over 6,000 open-access, rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints within one mile of the Strategic Road Network – more than quadrupling in the last three years (July 2022 – July 2025, Zapmap). No grant funding was awarded via the Rapid Charging Fund to Huntingdon. We are adapting our approach to meet the needs of industry today. The recent Spending Review announced £400m for charging infrastructure, including to support charging on the Strategic Road Network. We will use lessons from the Rapid Charging Fund pilot and continue working with industry to target financial support where it is needed most.

What progress she has made on delivering the 2nd generation UK search and rescue aviation programme.

The Second Generation UK Search and Rescue Aviation Programme is now 12 months into its Transition phase. It remains on track for the full capability to be delivered by 01 January 2027.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on E10 petrol production following the closure of the Vivergo bioethanol plant.

On 15 August 2025 Vivergo announced the closure of its UK bioethanol production plant in Hull, which at full capacity could produce 420 million litres of bioethanol per year from wheat for blending with petrol.Whilst the UK retains bioethanol production capacity elsewhere, the closure of Vivergo represents a significant loss.  However, it is not considered likely to impact the production or supply of E10 petrol in the UK. It is expected that the supply of bioethanol for petrol suppliers will continue to be met by both bioethanol produced at the remaining UK plants and by imports.