Written questions by Mayhew.

What estimate her Department has made of the completion date of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The Government is progressing planning and design works to support future delivery of our plans for northern rail connectivity. As set out by the Chancellor at the Budget, the Transpennine Route Upgrade between York and Manchester, via Leeds and Huddersfield, will transform northern rail connectivity and lay the ground for Northern Powerhouse Rail. We are thoroughly reviewing the position we have inherited and will set out further details in due course.

When she plans to bring forward a Buses Bill.

The Buses Bill will be introduced shortly.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Rail Services Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has appointed additional members to the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group.

The Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group was launched on the 7 November 2024. Members were selected for expertise, knowledge and willingness to put the needs of passengers first.Based on feedback from stakeholders, the decision was taken to expand the group’s membership ahead of the first meeting. This was done with a view to further strengthening its breadth of expertise and reach across industry, which is critical for the Group to deliver tangible progress.

Whether her Department has made changes to the (a) scope and (b) responsibilities of the Roads Transport Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the (a) scope and (b) responsibilities of the Major Rail Projects Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Aviation, Maritime and Security Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

When her Department projects that the A57 link road upgrade will be completed.

The A57 Link Road scheme will shortly be starting full construction and works are expected to be complete in 2028.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Road Transport Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the (a) scope and (b) responsibilities of the Rail Services Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Public Transport and Local Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

Whether her Department has made changes to the membership of the Major Rail Projects Group since 4 July 2024.

The Department for Transport is made up of seven groups led by a Director General or Permanent Secretary, which are subdivided into directorates and divisions. Organisational structures are always kept under review to best deliver the Department’s responsibilities. As of 10 December 2024, there have been no major organisational restructures which have resulted in substantive changes to the membership, scope or responsibilities of any of the groups since 4 July 2024.

How much funding remains available through the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme.

Lorry drivers are starting to benefit from improved roadside facilities and safer rest areas thanks to significant investment by DfT, National Highways and industry. The HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. Window Three grant allocations were announced on 10 October 2024. There are 23 provisionally successful bids in this window, amounting to approx. £4.5 million of Government funding and leveraging approx. £8 million from industry. Funding for financial years beyond 2025/26 is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review which will be completed in late Spring 2025. My department continues to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of more safe, secure, and high-quality lorry parking to improve driver welfare.

If her Department will create a value for money team.

The Department takes value for money for the taxpayer seriously, and this is ingrained in the way the Department works. There are currently no plans to create a specific value for money team within the Department.

When her Department projects that the Transpennine Route Upgrade will be completed.

The core Transpennine Route Upgrade programme is currently scheduled for completion in the early 2030s, with incremental benefits delivery before then, including a rolling programme of electrification and station enhancements. Full benefits delivery, including digital signalling, will be made available by the mid-2030s, facilitating further enhancements to east-west rail connectivity across the Pennines.

Whether her Department plans to implement key performance indicators to measure the performance of rail operators after franchises have expired.

Under the provisions of the Passenger Railways Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, passenger services operations currently delivered by privately-owned operators under National Rail Contracts with the Department will transfer into public ownership when existing contracts expire. The Department will continue to hold all operators to account for their performance through a range of measures, including key performance indicators. The Department is also working on plans with operators and Network Rail to display performance information at stations – this will provide passengers with transparency and will allow the public to hold the rail industry and the Department to account for delivery.

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) employees working in the private school bus services sector and (b) privately contracted buses used by local authorities for school bus services.

The Department for Transport does not hold specific data on the number of employees working in the private school bus services sector, or on the number of privately contracted buses used by local authorities for school bus services. Local authorities are responsible for arranging and managing these contracts, and they are best placed to provide information about the services they commission.

With reference to paragraph 4.91 of the Autumn Budget 2024, what proportion of the additional funding will be used to (a) administer the compensation scheme and (b) fund the public inquiry.

Of the additional funding set out in the Autumn Budget 2024 for financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26, over £150m will be used to administer the various compensation schemes. Over £100m has been set aside to continue to fund DBT and Post Office’s participation in the public inquiry. The Budget also set out that around £1.8 billion has been set aside for redress costs for the victims of the Horizon IT Scandal from 2024-25.

What steps she is taking to ensure that financial services regulators fulfil their obligations under their secondary objective on international competitiveness and economic growth.

Effective, proportionate regulation is key to a thriving UK economy and delivering the government’s mission to drive the inclusive growth and international competitiveness of the UK’s financial services sector. The government is working closely with the regulators to deliver the government’s vision for the sector, and ministers meet with the FCA and PRA regularly to engage on this. The government is required to write to the Prudential Regulation Committee and the FCA at least once in each Parliament, making recommendations about aspects of economic policy they should have regard to as they consider the advancement of the PRA’s and FCA’s objectives and the discharge of their duties. These letters must be laid before Parliament and published. The FCA and PRA are required to report to the Treasury on how they have advanced their competitiveness and growth objectives. They published the first reports in July, which set out how they have begun to adapt their approach in light of the new objectives. The reports can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/corporate/sicgo-report-2023-24.pdfhttps://beta.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/prudential-regulation/report/scgo-report.pdf The Chief Executive of the FCA and the Chief Executive of the PRA have recently given speeches setting out more details on how they are implementing the new objectives. These can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/speeches/growth-mission-possiblehttps://www.bankofengland.co.uk/speech/2024/october/sam-woods-speech-at-annual-city-banquet-at-mansion-house The government will continue to work closely with the FCA and PRA to ensure they continue to embed these secondary objectives, in support of the government’s wider growth mission.