Every parliamentary written question tabled by Priti Patel this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 76 · Department for Transport
Whether any costs were incurred by updating railway station announcements to convey a message from the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The cost of loading and subsequently removing the announcement was £350; this was proportionate as a means of informing passengers about the freeze of regulated rail fares.
Whether she has undertaken an assessment of the benefits of the proposed A120 dualling scheme.
Proposed improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey, where the A120 meets the A12, were considered in detail by National Highways and the Department during the second Road Period (2020-2025) as part of the pipeline of potential future major enhancements to the strategic road network. The Department will provide an update on the pipeline of potential future enhancements as part of the publication of RIS3, due in March.
What performance targets she has set for Greater Anglia rail services since nationalisation.
GA Trains Limited has been set, and is required, to meet targets for punctuality, reliability, service quality and customer satisfaction under the Services Agreement, and is required to publish its performance against these targets on a regular basis.
What estimate she has made of passenger numbers on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years; and what her estimate is of income from fare revenues on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years.
As detailed in the response to Question 91938, over each of the next five financial years I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. Exact income levels will be agreed during the rolling business planning process. Information on the operator's income will be published in the statutory accounts, available from Companies House, in due course.
What estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) total value of fare evasion incidents on Greater Anglia services in the latest period for which data is available.
The most recent Ticketless Travel Survey data we hold for Greater Anglia covers rail industry period 5, starting on Sunday 26 July 2025, to rail industry period 7 ending Saturday 17 October 2025. The overall revenue-at-risk was £4.685 million, and the portion of revenue-at-risk is 3.527 per cent.
Whether she has asked National Highways to update its business case for the A120 dualling scheme.
During the second Road Period (2020-2025) National Highways has been considering improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey as a possible future major enhancement to the network as part of the Road Investment Strategy pipeline. The last formal iteration of the business case for these proposals was developed in 2022/23. Affordability and deliverability assessments have been further tested since then to inform decision making and investment planning for RIS3 and beyond. The third Road Investment Strategy is due to be published in March 2026 and will include an updated pipeline of future enhancement schemes.
If she will make an assessment of the changes in costs for the A12 widening scheme following the decision taken by the Secretary of State to pause that scheme in July 2024.
The A12 scheme was deferred by the previous Government, adding to the overall cost of the scheme as set out in the table below. DateEstimated outturn costSourceDecember 2014Expected cost category £100m–£250mPublished list of RIS1 schemes and cost bands https://www.ciht.org.uk/media/4382/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdfMarch 2016Funding envelope of £750 millionPublished Options Appraisal Report: A12 Chelmsford to A120 Options Assessment Report OAR.pdfSeptember 2022£1,045-1,268 millionPublished Funding Statement for Development Consent Order: Microsoft Word - TR010020_APP_1.1 - Introduction to the Application In July 2025, following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government took the difficult decision not to proceed with the A12 scheme, to provide certainty for the public.
What estimate her Department has made of the income to the Exchequer from the Greater Anglia franchise in (a) the 2025-26 financial year and (b) each of the next five financial years.
Information on subsidy/premium for each operator will be published next year in the Department for Transport's annual report and accounts. Over each of the next five financial years I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. I expect Greater Anglia will remain a net contributor, with the exact contribution amounts and income levels to be agreed during the rolling business planning process.
When she plans to announce her plans for rail fares on the Greater Anglia franchise for 2026.
The annual fares freeze will benefit passengers all across the country, including travelling on Greater Anglia. We are also taking other steps, to improve rail travel for passengers. This includes rolling out tap in tap out contactless PAYG alongside making it much easier for passengers to feel confident they are buying the right ticket. Passengers will start to feel the benefits very soon – from 7 December easier to understand fares will be available across key routes.
Pursuant to the answer given 17 November 2025 (UIN 88239), if she will publish the evidence provided to her in relation to the A12 Widening Scheme by (a) the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) other agencies to inform her decision to cancel the A12 Widening Scheme.
The evidence provided to the Secretary of State for Transport in relation to the A12 Widening Scheme by (a) the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) other agencies, formed part of a much larger body of evidence that informed the Spending Review and subsequent decisions. There are no plans to publish officials’ advice and evidence base to Ministers that informed the Spending Review and subsequent decisions, as has been the usual practice of successive administrations, including the one the Rt Hon Lady served in. Detailed information on the analysis of the A12 widening scheme, conducted in accordance with the HM Treasury Green Book and the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance, was published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, available here: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR010060.
When she will publish the full comparative benefit cost ratios of the transport schemes which she announced as (a) approved and (b) cancelled on 8 July 2025.
Business case documents, costs, and benefit cost ratios for major schemes, including for the Strategic Road Network and for relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, are published on gov.uk.
What recent assessment her Department has made of the cost-benefit ratio for the proposed A120 dualling scheme.
The Department’s most recent formal assessment of the value for money (VfM) and benefit cost ratio (BCR) for the proposed A120 Braintree to A12 scheme was completed in February 2022. Five options were assessed at the time, and the BCRs of each ranged from 1.52 – 2.37, meaning that the VfM range was medium to high. The costs and benefits values used at that time are now out of date, however, and BCRs and VfM ratings are only one part of the overall assessment of a scheme’s deliverability, alongside broader strategic considerations and affordability.
Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Questions 77047 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, when she will publish the services agreement.
The Services Agreement will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.
When her Department notified the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of its plan to cancel the A12 widening scheme.
The Government inherited a series of unfunded commitments, including on the A12. In July 2025, the Government announced that following the conclusion of the Spending Review it had taken the difficult decision to cancel the A12 (Chelmsford to A120) widening scheme, to provide certainty to the public. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was notified at the time. The decision was based on evidence, to which MHCLG contributed, assessed against a wide range of criteria, including housing impacts. The A12 scheme had been repeatedly deferred by the previous Government, in which the Rt Hon Member served.
What steps she plans to take to decommission the A12 widening scheme; and what estimate she has made of the (a) timescale and (b) cost of that process.
The Department is working with National Highways to bring the scheme to a close in an orderly way to end a long period of uncertainty for those affected. We are anticipating that the scheme will be substantially closed down by the end of 2026, with some activities closing down sooner. National Highways will publish details on costs incurred in its Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
On which dates services agreements were (a) signed and (b) published covering rail services on (i) C2C and (ii) South Western Railway when those franchises were brought under public ownership.
Services Agreements with South Western Railway Limited and c2c Railway Limited were signed on 23 May 2025 and 16 July 2025 and came into force on 25 May 2025 and 20 July 2025 respectively. The Agreements will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.
What estimate she has made of income from East Anglia rail services in each of the next five financial years.
I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. I expect Greater Anglia will remain a net contributor, with the exact net contribution amounts and income levels to be agreed during the rolling business planning process.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 70427 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, whether she plans to (a) sign and (b) publish the Services Agreement before 12 October 2025; what the differences are between that Services Agreement and the existing franchise agreement; and which stakeholders have been consulted.
The Services Agreement with the new public sector operator will come into force as Greater Anglia’s National Rail Contract expires and services transfer into public ownership on 12 October 2025. It will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course. Services Agreements have been designed to reflect the long-term public ownership of passenger services. A range of stakeholders were consulted and engaged in the design of the Services Agreement template, including train operating companies, DFT Operator Limited, Network Rail and passenger representatives. Services Agreements are customer-focused, performance-focused and will support the financial sustainability of the railways for taxpayers. The Agreements focus on the whole-industry outcomes we want operators to deliver and enable more decisions to be taken by those closest to passengers.
When she plans to announce regulated rail fare changes for 2026.
No decisions have been taken on the regulated fares change for 2026, but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers. There will be an update on changes to regulated rail fares in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 67867 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, which stakeholders she has (a) consulted and (b) engaged with in relation to the planned Services Agreement; and on what date the Services Agreement will be published.
A range of stakeholders were consulted and engaged in the design of the Services Agreement template, including train operating companies, DFT Operator Limited, Network Rail and passenger representatives. A Services Agreement is signed by the Department, DFT Operator Limited and public sector operator as services transfer into public ownership, tailored to each public sector operator. Services Agreements will be made available on the Department for Transport’s website in due course.