Written questions by Patel.

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.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department was informed of the Department for Transport’s decision to cancel the A12 widening scheme between junctions 19 and 25 before 8 July 2025.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government received confirmation that the A12 widening scheme had been cancelled on 7 July 2025. Together with National Highways and local partners, we are working through the impacts of this decision. We will be able to provide further details as this work progresses.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius to frontload payments under the agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago on national security, in the context of trends in the number public officials in Mauritius trained by China.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius that the UK would not have the right to unilaterally extend the lease on the base at Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when Ministers in her Department next plan to meet their Mauritian counterparts.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius that the UK would not be entitled to exercise sovereign rights and authorities with respect to Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Whether the Attorney General has discussed the UK-Mauritius Treaty over the future sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago with Philippe Sands.

The Attorney General has never engaged in discussion with Philippe Sands on the UK-Mauritius Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish all the estimates he received on the financial costs of the UK-Mauritius Treaty from the Government Actuary's Department since 5 July 2024.

The cost of the Diego Garcia military base agreement in today's money is £101 million while the net present value over 99 years is £3.4 billion. These figures have been verified by the Government Actuary's Department and draw on long-established methodology to account for long-term projects. Full details are in the Explanatory Memorandum which was laid alongside the Treaty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of China's Gray Zone activities in (a) Mauritius, (b) the African continent and (c) the Indo-Pacific region on UK interests; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of those activities after UK-Mauritius Treaty comes into effect.

We are well aware of the tactics China have deployed in various regions, and these were taken into full consideration when the UK-Mauritius Treaty was being negotiated. This is one of the reasons that we ensured robust security provisions in the treaty. Both parties have committed to cooperate to prevent the base at Diego Garcia being undermined and to close consultation on any security concerns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Minister for the Overseas Territories' answer to Q13 of the oral evidence session with the Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on 23 June 2025, when he will publish the costings of the financial implications of the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 66660.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date he agreed to remove the provision to provide the UK with a unilateral right to extend the 99-year lease for the use of Diego Garcia from the draft UK-Mauritius Treaty.

As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer given 3 September 2025 to Questions 69773 on Chagos Islands: Marine Protected Areas, on what dates implementation talks have taken place since 22 May 2025; and which (a) ministers and (b) officials were present at those meetings.

As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will respond to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee's report entitled UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, HL 146, published on 25 June 2025.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 49 of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report on the UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, published on 25 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Chagossian Trust Fund.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.

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.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67866 on A12: Repairs and Maintenance, when she plans to announce her Department's spending plans for the 2026-27 financial year.

The Department’s spending plans will be published in the Main Estimates. For the Strategic Road Network, the Department intends to announce its spending plans for the 2026-27 financial year in the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which is expected to be published by the end of Spring 2026. National Highways is also expected to publish its Delivery Plan for the RIS3 period in 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 66154 on A12: Repairs and Maintenance, if she will publish the evidence she assessed when making the decision to cancel the A12 widening scheme.

There are no plans to publish officials’ advice to Ministers, as has been the usual practice of successive administrations, including the one the Rt Hon Lady served in.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66153 on Housing: Construction, if she will publish the analysis of the A12 widening scheme conducted in accordance with the HMT Treasury Green Book and her Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance.

Detailed information on the analysis of the A12 widening scheme, conducted in accordance with the HMT 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.