Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the extent of the contingent liabilities associated with the proposed private finance model for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Awaiting answer.

What comparative assessment she has made of the Lower Thames Crossing with alternative rail infrastructure in the Thames Estuary region in relation to (a) traffic congestion reduction and (b) economic productivity.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme published in January 2026, what proportion of applications to the scheme were (a) successful and (b) rejected in the most recent application round; and for what reasons applications were rejected.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions she has had with stakeholders on the timely delivery of Stanford-Le-Hope train station.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential for increased rail freight usage at East Tilbury as a result of the scheme; and the potential impact this will have on average daily gate downtime at East Tilbury train station.

The Department for Transport does not collect information about MSRS-supported freight movements via station. The scheme divides Great Britain into 18 zones. Zone 1 covers East Tilbury station. The Department has not undertaken an assessment of capacity at, or the impact of MSRS-supported flows on, East Tilbury station. However, the published MSRS scheme guidance makes clear that there is scope to support eligible freight flows originating from or operating through Zone 1. Department officials will hold formal reviews with grant recipients over the financial year to assess the performance of each funded freight flow and whether adjustments to payments are needed; this includes taking into consideration route capacity issues raised by grant recipients. The MSRS continues to support freight movement near East Tilbury station and London Gateway, with 10 freight flows supported in 2026/27 with a total grant award of £6.9m.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the long-term financial sustainability of freight flows supported by the scheme once grant funding ends.

The Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme assists companies with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport operations instead of using road transport operations, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. The department does not assess the long-term financial sustainability of freight flows through the scheme. The department is currently evaluating the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme, with a view to determining how best to support freight and logistics businesses in shifting freight between transport modes once the scheme expires on 31 March 2027. Financial sustainability will be considered when determining this support.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, what criteria are used to determine value for money in awarding grants; and how those criteria are weighted in funding decisions.

Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) grants are awarded through a competitive bid round process, and applications are prioritised based on their value for money using a cost-benefit ratio. Those schemes which deliver the greatest value are most likely to succeed. Individual freight grants are capped by the estimated Mode Shift Benefit Values (MSBs) and by financial need. The MSBs are an estimate of the economic, environmental and other social benefits of removing one lorry mile of freight from the road and transferring it to rail or water. Financial need is the difference between the total cost of the rail or water-based solution and the total cost that would be incurred if the freight were moved by road. The value of grant cannot exceed 30% of the total rail costs or the total cost of inland waterway transport. The grant also cannot exceed 50% of the environmental benefit.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) intermodal rail, (b) bulk rail and (c) inland waterway freight supported under that scheme.

The Department for Transport is currently evaluating the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme to assess its performance and impact. This evaluation builds upon the Call for Evidence and stakeholder engagement sessions that took place across December 2023 to February 2024. Through this, feedback was gathered from rail and maritime freight operators, customers of operators, ports, trade associations, and pressure groups. Details of the outcome of the Call for Evidence can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/mode-shift-grants-review/outcome/mode-shift-grants-review-outcome. We are considering this combined evidence and feedback to ensure we most effectively support those businesses seeking to move freight by means other than by road when the MSRS scheme expires in March 2027.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, whether she has conducted analysis of barriers to entry for small and medium-sized enterprises applying to that scheme.

The Department has gathered feedback on barriers to the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme though has not analysed this feedback through the lens of small and medium-sized enterprises. The Department for Transport ran a Call for Evidence from 4 December 2023 to 2 February 2024. Details of the outcome of the Call for Evidence can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/mode-shift-grants-review/outcome/mode-shift-grants-review-outcome The Department is considering how best to support freight and logistics businesses in shifting freight between transport modes once the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme expires on 31 March 2027.

With reference to her Department's Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of infrastructure serving East Tilbury station and the road traffic affected by its level crossing, to support increased uptake of the scheme.

The Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme is designed to encourage modal shift by assisting with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport instead of road, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. Infrastructure improvements cannot be funded through the scheme; as a result, the Department does not assess the adequacy of infrastructure to support increased uptake of the scheme. The MSRS continues to support freight movement near East Tilbury station and London Gateway, with 10 freight flows supported in 2026/27 with a total grant award of £6.9m.

With reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, what funding has been allocated to the scheme in each financial year since 2020-21; and what forecast has been made for funding beyond March 2027.

The table below provides the Mode Shift Revenue Support budget from 2020/21 to 2026/27. Future funding arrangements are subject to future departmental business planning. Financial YearFreight Grant Budget £ (rounded to nearest £100k)2020/2120,000,0002021/2220,500,0002022/2320,000,0002023/2420,000,0002024/2520,100,0002025/2618,000,0002026/2720,000,000

With reference to her Department's Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, how many MSRS-supported freight movements have travelled through East Tilbury station in each of the last three years.

The Department for Transport does not collect information about MSRS-supported freight movements via stations. The scheme divides Great Britain into 18 zones. Zone 1 covers East Tilbury station. The number of intermodal rail freight flows to and from Zone 1 over the past three financial years awarded at the main February bid rounds are as follows: Financial YearNo. of Flows2026/27102025/2692024/259

What plans she has to undertake feasibility studies into cross-Thames public transport between Essex and Kent.

The Department for Transport has no plans to undertake feasibility studies into cross-Thames public transport between Essex and Kent. Local councils will retain the ability to use funds allocated by the Department flexibly to meet their local needs and reflect priorities.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of public transport connectivity between Grays and Ebbsfleet.

The Government is investing in bus services and has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. To support public transport connectivity between Grays and Ebbsfleet, the department has allocated Kent County Council £78.3 million and Thurrock Council £6.5 million between 2026 and 2029. They will have the flexibility to use this funding to meet local needs and reflect local priorities.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of traffic congestion on the a) A13 and b) A127 on commuter journey times.

Most of the A13, other than a short stretch near the M25, and all of the A127 are roads for which the relevant local highway authorities are responsible. This includes monitoring overall network performance and addressing congestion issues. The Department publishes statistics annually on gov.uk on the average speed, delay and reliability of travel times on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and local 'A' roads. These are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/average-speed-delay-and-reliability-of-travel-times-cgn. Motorways and trunk roads in Essex are the responsibility of National Highways. The Government has recently published the third Road Investment Strategy, its £27 billion 5-year plan for the Strategic Road Network. This includes an unprecedented £8.4 billion of investment in renewing the network, as well as investment in key enhancement schemes such as the Lower Thames Crossing.

What assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level of rail commuting from Essex into London and (b) the potential impact of rail disruption on commuter towns.

Data on journeys specific to commuting or strictly from Essex into London are not available. However, the Office of Rail and Road collects regional rail usage figures presented below in Table 1. Table 1: Journeys between London (region) and Essex (million passenger journeys)Time PeriodJourneys (millions)Apr 2022 to Mar 202333.5Apr 2023 to Mar 202439.6Apr 2024 to Mar 202540.6Source: Regional rail usage | ORR Data Portal Ahead of the establishment of GBR, integrated leadership teams are being set up across publicly owned train operators and Network Rail routes to increase collaboration and accountability, in turn delivering improvements for passengers and freight users. Jamie Burles, Integrated Managing Director, will drive this change across the Anglia region.

What steps she is taking to reduce congestion on key commuter routes in Essex, such as the a) A13 and b) A127.

Most of the A13, other than a short stretch near the M25, and all of the A127 are roads for which the relevant local highway authorities are responsible. This includes monitoring overall network performance and addressing congestion issues. The Department publishes statistics annually on gov.uk on the average speed, delay and reliability of travel times on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and local 'A' roads. These are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/average-speed-delay-and-reliability-of-travel-times-cgn. Motorways and trunk roads in Essex are the responsibility of National Highways. The Government has recently published the third Road Investment Strategy, its £27 billion 5-year plan for the Strategic Road Network. This includes an unprecedented £8.4 billion of investment in renewing the network, as well as investment in key enhancement schemes such as the Lower Thames Crossing.

What assessment she has made of the (a) reliability and (b) maintenance of public electric vehicle charge points.

Since November 2024, the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 (PCPR) have required charge point operators (CPOs) to achieve an average annual reliability of 99% across their network of public charge points of 50kW and above, to publish reliability compliance information, and to submit an annual reliability report to the Secretary of State and the enforcement authority. The first reliability reports were provided to the enforcement authority, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), in January 2026. The OPSS are reviewing these reports.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of electric vehicle charging infrastructure availability in Basildon on consumer uptake of electric vehicles.

As of 1 January 2026, there were 97 public EV chargers in Basildon.South Basildon and East Thurrock is benefitting from over £10 million allocated to Essex County Council and Thurrock Council through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. LEVI funding and private investment will significantly scale the number of public charge points near to homes, giving residents confidence to switch to an electric vehicle (EV). Under LEVI, Thurrock Council has awarded a contract to deliver up to 4,000 public EV chargers. Essex County Council are currently procuring a supplier.Essex and Thurrock have also received over £450,000 through the EV Pavement Channels Grant, which will support residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Basildon.

As of 1 January 2026, there were 97 public EV chargers in Basildon.South Basildon and East Thurrock is benefitting from over £10 million allocated to Essex County Council and Thurrock Council through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. LEVI funding and private investment will significantly scale the number of public charge points near to homes, giving residents confidence to switch to an electric vehicle (EV). Under LEVI, Thurrock Council has awarded a contract to deliver up to 4,000 public EV chargers. Essex County Council are currently procuring a supplier.Essex and Thurrock have also received over £450,000 through the EV Pavement Channels Grant, which will support residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home.