Written questions by Mayhew.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

Whether a new Accounting Officer Assessment for the Lower Thames Crossing will be published.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant 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 is 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.

Pursuant 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.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant 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.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant 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.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 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.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation programme was based on the Equal Experts Discovery Report on error rates in BNG metric submissions.

Funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation project followed completion of the Discovery phase, which is an early, exploratory stage in the Government Digital Service lifecycle. Decisions to progress from Discovery to Alpha, and to commit funding, are based on the overall findings of Discovery, including the nature of the problem to be addressed, user needs, strategic alignment and the potential value of a digital solution. While Discovery work considered a range of evidence, including issues affecting BNG metric submissions, the decision to fund Alpha was not based on any single factor.

How many driving examiners a) ceased to and b) started to practice in i) March and ii) April 2026.

On 31 March 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Service Agency (DVSA) had 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners (DE), the highest number since 2018 and 188 more DEs than on 30 April 2025. The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) who left DVSA and how many people successfully completed the training process in March 2026. The data for those leaving DVSA includes all DEs who have left including, for example, people were unsuccessful in completing the training process.DEs leaving DVSA in March 2026People successfully completing the training process in March 202616.82 FTE48 Data for April 2026 will be available in May 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the Equal Experts Discovery Report, including appendices and supporting research materials, before further public expenditure on the Alpha and Beta phases of the BNG metric digitisation programme.

The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 123864 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will provide a breakdown of the funding allocated at (a) Autumn Budget 2024, (b) Spending Review 2025 and (c) Autumn Budget 2025 by (i) support for electric vehicle uptake and (ii) investment in charging infrastructure.

The funding breakdown is as follows:Autumn Budget 2024: £120 million for zero emission vehicle uptake and £200 million for charging infrastructure.Spending Review 2025: £1.4 billion for zero emission vehicle uptake and £400 million for charging infrastructure.Autumn Budget 2025: £1.3 billion for zero emission vehicle uptake and £200 million for charging infrastructure.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 March to Question 121936, when her Department expects work to be completed on the transport poverty tool.

The Department for Transport is actively working with other government departments, local authorities and academics to undertake the necessary development work for the transport poverty tool and to understand where it could be most effective in decision-making. A decision on a release date has not yet been taken.