Written questions by Mayhew.

With reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Nigeria; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

What steps her Department has taken to ensure that the Civil Aviation Authority fulfils the Government’s commitment to reduce administrative regulatory burdens by 25% as set out in the Regulation Action Plan.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she is taking to improve wifi on LNER; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of that wifi performance over the past three years.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of (a) the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime, (b) rising fuel prices and (c) other increased transport costs on tourism to the Isle of Wight.

As set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, emissions pricing is a vital policy to decarbonise the sector, and the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to domestic maritime was assessed on a scheme wide basis. The Impact Assessment concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of ports or operators. The UK ETS Maritime regime will be reviewed in 2028.The Government recognises the importance of ferry services to the Isle of Wight and continues to engage closely with cross-Solent ferry operators to understand impacts of fuel prices and other costs on businesses and tourism in the area.

Whether she plans to bring forward primary legislation to enable the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels in UK waters during this parliamentary session.

The Government recognises the transformative potential of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels and the need to ensure their safe and lawful operation in UK waters.The King’s Speech set out the Government’s plans to introduce the Regulating for Growth Bill. We will explore the establishment of an ambitious regulatory sandbox for maritime autonomy as a flagship use case for the Bill’s sandbox powers, to trial safely breaking down regulatory barriers and increasing UK competitiveness on the global stage for commercial vessels. This in turn, could enable controlled testing of next generation defence technology in closely supervised environments, supporting national security while accelerating innovation, productivity and growth across the UK defence industrial base.

What minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to frontline rail staff responsible for passenger information and safety critical communications.

Awaiting answer.

What the status is of tram route designs between Digbeth and Birmingham International Airport.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking under GBR to increase cross border rail connections, such as the Wrexham-Shropshire-Midlands Railway.

In anticipation of the establishment of GBR, the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers have worked closely together to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding outlining how they and their agencies will work together to deliver a more aligned and integrated railway in the Wales and Borders area. The MoU specifically commits to the collaborative development, oversight and management, of cross border services between England and Wales. The MoU further commits to establishing a baseline of services within Wales and the Borders area which will be used as a metric to understand the impact of any changes to service provision. The Government already understands the potential connectivity benefits that Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway’s (WSMR) proposals could deliver, and for that reason has provided conditional support for WSMR’s application. Access to the rail network is, however, currently a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) under existing legislation, and the Department for Transport is unable to direct ORR in its decision-making. Once established GBR will be responsible for taking access decisions under a new access and charging framework, and the commitments made within the MoU will ensure decisions take account of the needs of people in Wales and the Borders. Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) have applied to operate new Open Access services between Wrexham General and London Euston. This is a resubmission of an application that was previously rejected by ORR due to lack of capacity on the West Coast Main Line. DfT has provided its conditional support for WSMR’s application, subject to ORR and Network Rail being satisfied that services can be accommodated without compromising network performance and without adversely affecting the rights of other operators.

What her planned timetable is to conclude the Rail Safety and Standards Board research project entitled Cost Benefit Analysis of Noise Mitigation on the Rail Network; and whether she plans to publish its findings.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board is the independent safety, standards, and research body for Great Britain's rail network. It expects to publish all findings from its research project, Cost Benefit Analysis of Noise Mitigation on the Rail Network, by early 2027

What her planned timetable is for completion of the East Birmingham tram extension from Digbeth through Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and Tile Cross to Birmingham International Airport, the NEC and Arden Cross.

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has been allocated £2.4 billion of Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding for the period up until 2031/32. This funding settlement is devolved, therefore WMCA will determine how this funding is allocated across the city region in line with their local transport priorities. Officials continue to work closely with WMCA as they develop their plans to deliver the East Birmingham extension and look forward to supporting the delivery of the project.

With reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Taiwan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

With reference to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120882, in what month and year her Department expects discussions with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the detail and timing of work relating to Northern Powerhouse Rail to be concluded.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 22 Apr 2026 to Question 127105, what the outcomes of each of the Rail Engagement Group's meetings were; and whether her Department plans to take steps as a result.

Three Rail Engagement Group (REG) meetings have so far been held, which included discussion on a number of matters, such as the creation of Great British Railways and the progress of the Railways Bill.

With reference to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 120881, when Network Rail will write to the Rt. Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Awaiting answer.

A) what assessment she has made of the impact of requirements relating to the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service on taxi and private hire driver licence renewals; b) whether her Department plans to review the requirement for drivers to subscribe to the DBS Update Service within a fixed timeframe; c) what estimate she has made of the number of drivers required to submit a new enhanced DBS check due to lapses in Update Service subscriptions; d) whether she has had discussions with the Disclosure and Barring Service on simplifying renewal processes for licensed drivers.

The Department’s statutory guidance recommends that licensing authorities require driver licence applicants to provide an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and to subscribe to the DBS Update Service, to enable a status check to be carried out at least every six months. Where a driver is not subscribed to the Update Service, the guidance recommends that a new DBS certificate is provided. This helps ensure that licensing authorities have access to up‑to‑date information when considering whether a licence should be granted or retained.The administration of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing is a matter for individual licensing authorities. The Department does not collect data on the impacts of local licensing processes, but expects authorities to administer them efficiently, with public safety as the overriding priority.The operation of the DBS Update Service, including its subscription requirements, is a matter for the Home Office.

With reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Vietnam; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

With reference to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123167 on British Transport Police: Finance, what proportion and monetary value of the British Transport Police’s budget was recovered from (a) Train Operating Companies, (b) Network Rail, and (c) other rail industry bodies in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

In the most recent year for which figures are available (2025/26), the total British Transport Police budget was £418.5 million. Of this, £392.4 million was funded by the rail industry through Police Service Agreements (PSAs), with a further £26.1 million provided through grants and Enhanced Police Service Agreements (EPSAs). The proportions and values funded by the rail industry were: A) Train Operating Companies, including Transport for London and operators in the devolved administrations: £256.2 million (61.2% of total funding).B) Network Rail: £138.7 million (33.1% of total funding, including EPSA funding).C) Other PSA holders and operators: £7.8 million (1.8% of total funding). The remaining just under 4% of BTP’s total funding was provided through grants for specific programmes or projects by DfT or other government departments.

With reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Serbia; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

What assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway open access proposal on a) the level of employment, including direct job creation and supply chain effects, and b) regional productivity growth in the West Midlands.

Awaiting answer.

What plans she has to provide capital funding for large-scale port grid upgrades in addition to UK SHORE.

The Government is taking action to reform the grid connections process to ensure that ports can access the large-scale grid upgrades that they need.Alongside that, through the measures set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and our work at the International Maritime Organization, we are creating the right investment environment to unlock private sector funding for maritime decarbonisation that can also cover the cost of grid upgrades.Last year we ran a call for evidence on ports’ energy needs to inform our future maritime emissions policy. A response will be published later this year.