Written questions by Coghlan.

How the proposed earned settlement system will apply to Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders and their families; and whether new income, compliance or conduct requirements could extend the qualifying period or make some of those visa holders ineligible for settlement, particularly those with low or no taxable earnings, prior use of public funds or minor immigration breaches.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK. BN(O) visa holders will attract a five-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after five years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.As part of the earned settlement model, we are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement and we will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers.Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following the close of that consultation. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Further to 2 January 2026 written questions 102231: Crossrail 2 Line and 102232: Crossrail 2 Line, if she will use the analysis of the lessons learned from the success of the Elizabeth Line to assess other rail infrastructure projects, such as reassessing Crossrail 2.

Yes – I can confirm that every effort is made to learn lessons from other projects, including from the Elizabeth Line, when assessing plans and proposals.

Whether she plans to support low-income earners with transport to and from London following (a) the introduction of pay as you go ticketing in Dorking and Horley constituency and (b) price increases of between 3% and 24%.

The Department has commissioned independent evaluation on the trial, this research has not yet concluded. The current evidence is provided by LNER and is available at https://assets.ctfassets.net/mxack5k9p2sw/6k2Evw4OmGsvywKgBg9U9j/e63a4ca09d2c4e01fada29f731d90f7b/Simpler_Fares_LNER_Website_Copy_Enhanced_Sept_2025.pdf .

Further to written question 103034 answered on 8 January 2026, when she will conduct this post-delivery evaluation.

The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of Pay as you go roll out in the South East, following the launch of phase one stations last year. Once evaluation is complete, we will make the final reports public.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 103034 on Railways: Tickets, if she will make an assessment of the impact of cancelling evening out return fares between Dorking and London on commuters.

For stations in Dorking and Horley, we have simplified the complicated web of tickets by having one Peak and one Off-Peak price, with some fares changing and others being removed as part of improvements to ticketing via pay as you go with contactless expansion.   This will allow passengers greater flexibility in their choice of tickets, with some seeing a reduction in their ticket price. On 23 November the Chancellor and Transport Secretary announced that regulated rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years. Over a billion journeys are going to be affected by this freeze with season tickets, anytime returns on commuter routes, and off-peak returns on longer-distance routes all subject to the freeze. The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of Pay as you go roll out in the South East. Once evaluation is complete we will make the final reports public.

How she plans to distribute the £24 billion funding to improve motorways and local roads which the Government announced on 8 January 2026.

The 2025 Spending Review allocated £24 billion of capital funding between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country. The Department will confirm in the Third Road Investment Strategy, to be published in March 2026, how much capital funding will be invested in the Strategic Road Network over the five-year period 2026/27 to 2030/31, including annual funding profiles.The Department has already announced £7.3 billion of capital funding for local highway maintenance over the four years in question and details of how this funding will be allocated and local authority funding allocations can be found on gov.uk. The Department will also announce the outcome of its review of MRN schemes shortly, as well as next steps on the new Structures Fund.

What estimate he has made of expected electricity demand in (i) 2035, (ii) 2040, (iii) 2045 and (iv) 2050.

Electricity demand between now and 2050 will depend on future decarbonisation choices and economic and population drivers. However, the Government expects electricity demand to more than double by 2050, driven by economic and population growth and widespread electrification – particularly of transport and heating.

What discussions she has had with the Office of Rail and Road on the pricing of fares on cross-Channel routes.

International Rail services operate on an open access basis, with fares set in line with commercial strategy by the private companies involved. The Government engages regularly with the independent Office of Rail and Road to discuss its regulatory activities, which for international rail services include competition and consumer protection matters. The Government is committed to supporting the growth of our international rail connections with Europe and is working to establish a thriving and competitive market, which could deliver more competitive fares and greater choice, supporting industry to tackle capacity constraints and signing landmark agreements with Germany and Switzerland to pave the way for new routes.

When she plans to respond to the email of 18 December 2025 from the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley on Surrey County Council's management of their statutory SEND responsibilities.

The department attaches great importance to the handling of correspondence from parliamentarians and is working to provide a response to the email from the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley.

Following the closure of Voluntary Repayment of COVID-19 Funding, if he will publish full data on which companies took Covid support, and which companies subsequently made repayments.

The details of many companies who received certain forms of Covid support have previously been published. However, the government does not intend to publish full data on the recipients of support across every Covid scheme. Whether companies made repayment of Covid support, either through the Voluntary Repayment Scheme or through other means, will also remain confidential. We do not want to discourage repayment. Voluntary repayment does not necessarily indicate fraud.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) contactless and (b) pay‑as‑you‑go ticketing on (i) fare concessions and (ii) passenger costs.

Following delivery of Pay As You Go (PAYG) ticketing with contactless to further stations in the South East, we will conduct a post-delivery evaluation. This will support our understanding of the impact of these changes on various aspects of the passengers’ experiences of and satisfaction with PAYG and fare reforms following implementation.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding provided to the British Transport Police for protecting (a) people and (b) property at train stations.

The British Transport Police (BTP) play a vital role in keeping passengers and staff safe across the rail network. Their budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) following proposals from the Force and engagement with industry and railway operators. As with all police forces, the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police (BTP) has operational independence over the deployment of officers and other resources to meet their objectives as agreed with the BTPA. The protection of people and reducing crime on the railways are key to these objectives, as set out in the BTP’s 2022 – 2027 Strategic Policing plan. BTPA and DfT regularly discuss with BTP their delivery and performance against these objectives. BTP’s budget has recently been set for the next three financial years. In 2026/27, it will increase by 6.2%, with provisional agreement for budget increases of 5.6% and 2.5% over the subsequent two years – an increase of over £65m from £415m in 2025/26 to £481.5m in 2028/29, allowing for the creation of over 180 new officer roles for network policing.

What comparative assessment her Department has made of forecourt drop off and pick up charging practices at major international airports, including in the United States and Europe.

The provision of and charging for car parking at UK airports (including drop off and pick up charges) is solely a matter for the airport operator, as a commercial business, to manage and justify. However, the Government expects car parking at UK airports to be managed appropriately, and for consumers to be treated fairly.

Whether her Department has undertaken a recent cost-benefit analysis of Crossrail 2, in the context of passenger numbers on the Elizabeth Line.

No – the Department has not undertaken a recent cost-benefit analysis of Crossrail 2 in the context of passenger numbers on the Elizabeth Line.

Whether her Department plans to introduce (a) guidance and (b) regulation to (i) cap and (ii) limit airport forecourt drop off and pick up charges.

The provision of and charging for car parking at airports (including drop off and pick up charges) is solely a matter for the airport operator, as a commercial business, to manage and justify. However, the Government expects car parking at airports to be managed appropriately, and for consumers to be treated fairly.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to help improve transparency of information for job applicants.

We are not making the suggested assessment.There are robust transparency rules for Employment Agencies and Businesses which are state enforced by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.Where recruitment is conducted directly by an employer the Common law & Misrepresentation Act 1967 provides protections, there are also other protections under the Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and strengthen by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the ability of UK airports to set forecourt drop off and pick up charges without an upper limit on anti-competitive pricing for passengers and local residents.

The provision of and charging for car parking at UK airports (including drop off and pick up charges) is solely a matter for the airport operator, as a commercial business, to manage and justify. However, the Government expects car parking at UK airports to be managed appropriately, and for consumers to be treated fairly, which could include providing information on choices for parking, along with information on how to access them.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in business rates at major UK airports on passenger drop off charges.

Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years. At Budget 2025, the government also published a Call for Evidence on Business Rates and Investment. It will explore the concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. The government is seeking to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation, aiming to conclude this work in sufficient time before pre-list discussion commences.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme on the (a) economic and (b) productivity status of residents commuting from Dorking and Horley constituency.

The previous government cancelled the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS) at Spending Review 2021. The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 8 July on which rail and road infrastructure projects will proceed following the 2025 Spending Review. CARS has not been allocated funding at this time.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme on delays and disruption on the Brighton Main Line for passengers using stations in Dorking and Horley constituency.

The previous government cancelled the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS) at Spending Review 2021. The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 8 July on which rail and road infrastructure projects will proceed following the 2025 Spending Review.