Every parliamentary written question tabled by Laurence Turner this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 95 · Department for Transport
When HS2 Ltd will next publish minutes of its board meetings.
HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between August and November 2025 will be published by the end of May, following this week’s cost and schedule ranges announcement. HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between December 2025 to March 2026 will be published shortly afterwards.
How many passenger rail delay minutes were attributed to trespassers in each year from 2020/21 to 2025/26.
The British Transport Police work in collaboration with the rail industry to minimise disruption to the network following a trespass incident. Their activity includes innovative new tactics such as the deployment of Beyond Visual Line of Sight drones, which provide early situational awareness to support officers on the ground and inform decision-making at live incidents so the railway can reopen as quickly as possible. The table below summarises delay minutes attributed to trespass (excluding fatalities) in the years 2020/21 to 2025/26. Table: delay minutes and incidents attributed to trespass, total delay minutes and trespass delay minutes as a share of total delay minutes, Great Britain, 2020/21 to 2025/26 Financial Year Trespass delay Minutes1Incident Count1Total Network delay minutes2Trespass delay minutes as a share of total delay minutes22020/21388,4449,4096,744,3256%2021/22561,70211,54710,484,5765%2022/23718,91611,57413,730,8985%2023/24864,86712,71215,496,1386%2024/251,120,52113,58815,989,8027%2025/261,148,91413,90216,756,9627%Notes: 2020/21 to 2022/23 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemicSource:1 Network Rail2 ORR Table 3184 - Delay minutes by operator and cause (periodic) | ORR Data Portal
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 29687 on Traffic Officers, how many National Highways traffic officers were employed on 15 March in (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.
The number of traffic officers employed by National Highways on 15 March in 2025 and 2026 were as follows: YearTraffic officer headcount on 15 March20251,62620261,620
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 125758, and with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2019 to Question 2677, what information the British Transport Police hold on the number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for railway trespass offences.
The British Transport Police (BTP) record this data, however due to data recording methods and the extended time period the request applies to, they have not been able to extract the information within the timeframe. I have asked the Rail Minister to write to the Honourable Member with the data requested by the end of the month of April 2026.
What the cost to the public purse was of her Department's acquisition of Class 365 units in 2019.
The cost of the purchase of the Class 365s in 2019 was £123.6M which was set out in the 2020 accounts of Train Fleet (2019) (“TF19”) available through Companies House (see principal activities and note 7 fixed assets). This purchase price has been substantially recovered which can be seen through the subsequent published accounts of TF19 with only £9M remaining in the March 2025 accounts.
If her Department has assessed the potential merits of constructing (a) the Bordesley Chord West (b) the Bordesley Chord East at the same time.
Network Rail awarded a contract for detailed design for the Western phase of Midlands Rail Hub (including both Bordesley Chords) in December 2025. Progressing to delivery is subject to securing necessary consents and a final investment decision, which will consider the value for money and affordability of constructing both chords at the same time.
What information her Department holds on the levels of public awareness of the 29 January 2022 revisions to the Highway Code.
Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. The Department has assessed public understanding of the 2022 Highway Code changes through survey research which tracks levels of awareness and self‑reported understanding and compliance over time. · The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and up to 70% in September 2023, with 86% of road users having heard of the changes by that time. · Understanding of pedestrian priority at junctions increased from 52% to 72%, and cyclists riding 2 abreast rising from 30% to 46%. · Following the second phase of the campaign in summer 2023, 81% of drivers claimed to leave a gap of 1.5metres when passing a cyclist all or most of the time. 79% of drivers claimed to pass horse riders and horse drawn vehicles with at least 2metres distance and at under 10mph all or most of the time. ·Of the respondents that recognised the campaign advert, nine in ten said they had taken action as a result. · More recent figures show a sustained increase in those saying it is unacceptable to not leave enough space for cyclists and horse riders, from 60% in March 2024 to 68% in April 2025. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. Although failure to comply with the advisory rules of the Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, contraventions of these rules may be used as evidence in court to establish liability for a road traffic offence. Advisory rules include those which begin ‘should/should not’ and ‘do/do not’.
How many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of railway trespass in each of the last ten years.
Prosecution and Conviction data are held by the Ministry of Justice from court records collected by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The Department for Transport does not hold this data separately for railway trespass and it is not always recorded as its own offence category in national data sets.
When the maximum penalty for railway trespass was set at £1,000; and what the maximum penalty was previously.
The maximum penalty of £1,000 for railway trespass was set with effect from 1 October 1992, following amendments to the standard scale of fines made under the Criminal Justice Act 1991. Prior to October 1992, the maximum penalty at level 3 on the standard scale was £400.
What the sum of penalties for railway trespass has been in each of the last ten years.
Information on the number of financial penalties imposed by the courts is held by the Ministry of Justice, from sentencing data recorded by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The Department for Transport does not record the sum of penalties for railway trespass.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110890 on HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, what schemes have been withdrawn by (a) location and (b) operator.
A total of 16 projects have been withdrawn by operators from the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme. The regional distribution of withdrawn schemes is as follows:East Midlands: 7East of England: 5North West of England: 1South East of England: 1West Midlands: 2 The location and names of these operators are commercially sensitive.
How much each train operating company paid on average in access charges per 100,000 passenger kilometres in 2024-25 by type of access charge.
The net access charge for each operator varies for several reasons such as infrastructure provider, and type and length of train being operated. This means it is not meaningful to compare the net costs of one operator against another. The range of net charges payable by the 14 Department for Transport contracted operators is shown in the following table. They include track, station and depot access charges, net of depot and station access income, but exclude charges for electricity consumption. Operator Access Charges Values in £k per 100,000 passenger kilometres (-ve indicates income)MinimumMaximumAverageFixed Track Access0.863.781.94Variable Track Access0.276.690.88Electric Asset Usage-0.080.04Other Infrastructure Access Charges-0.550.09Station and Depot Access Charges-0.182.651.27Schedule 4 Access Charge Supplement0.220.770.48
Whether any agreements have been entered into under Section 13 of the Railways Act 2005 since the passage of that Act; and whether any such agreements are currently in force.
The Department does not have a record of any agreements under Section 13 of the Railways Act 2005 since its passage. Agreements can be made with the Secretary of State or a franchise operator. There are no agreements currently in force through this provision.
What agreements are in force under section 20 of the Transport Act 1968.
There are currently no agreements in force under section 20 of the Transport Act 1968.
What recent assessment Network Rail has made of the potential impact of (a) the reopening of the Camp Hill Line and (b) the May 2026 timetable change on capacity constraints at Birmingham New Street.
West Midlands Combined Authority produced a Full Business Case for delivery of Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road stations on the Camp Hill line. The stations facilitate a range of transformational benefits to the region including job creation, new supply chains, economic growth, and decarbonisation by moving passengers from road to rail. The services for the new stations have been agreed via the usual Network Change process to ensure all stations affected, including Birmingham New Street, meet regulatory compliance requirements.
What information her Department holds on the number of ticket sales for season tickets from (a) Longbridge, (b) Northfield and (c) Kings Norton to (i) Birmingham stations, (ii) Redditch and (iii) Bromsgrove in the 2024-2025 financial year.
The number of season tickets is shown below OriginDestinationNumber Of Season TicketsLongbridgeBirmingham stations1,369LongbridgeBromsgrove162LongbridgeRedditch216NorthfieldBirmingham stations2,001NorthfieldBromsgrove15NorthfieldRedditch93Kings NortonBirmingham stations3,446Kings NortonBromsgrove43Kings NortonRedditch149 The Birmingham stations group includes Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill.
What recent progress has been made on the determination of the future of Birmingham's PFI roads contract.
The Department has taken careful note of the High Court ruling relating to the previous Government’s decision not to support the PFI arrangements for Birmingham City Council’s highway maintenance services.The Department has subsequently conducted a consultation with the Council about the PFI contract and we have been carefully reviewing the Council’s detailed representations, with the Council’s support on clarification questions.We are continuing to engage with the Council on the PFI with a view to confirming the decision on whether or not to support the continuation of the PFI contract as soon as possible.I am committed to working together with Birmingham City Council to find a way forward which is in the best interests of the people of Birmingham and the taxpayer.
What the cost of an annual standard class rail season ticket was between Rochdale and Manchester stations in (a) 2010 and (b) 2024.
The standard class annual rail season ticket between Rochdale and Manchester was (a) £900.00 in 2010 and (b) £1,396.00 in 2024.
What recent progress has been made on the reopening of the Camp Hill line in Birmingham.
My officials are in regular contact with West Midlands Rail Executive and the West Midlands Combined Authority, who are reopening the Camp Hill line with three new stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road.Construction is close to completion; the stations are expected to be open for public use early next year.
Whether the National Rail Fares Manual database is free to use by the general public through (a) download and (b) programmatic query.
The National Rail Data Portal provided by National Rail allows registered users to access railway data on fares. Where users are requesting high volumes of data, the Terms and Conditions outlines that charges apply for high volume usage in some instances.