Written questions by Holden.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on fare affordability for passengers on low incomes.

The government recognises the importance of balancing the affordability of rail fares for passengers and the cost to taxpayers of contributions to the railway. As set out in the Railways Bill and the government’s recent consultation response, in the future GBR will have significant responsibility for setting and managing individual fares, reflecting its role as the directing mind for the railway. The new framework will be balanced by the Secretary of State’s role in setting overall parameters for fares, and will also ensure continued safeguarding of existing statutory discount schemes, including those for disabled, senior, and younger passengers, currently delivered as railcards.

Whether she plans to enable track access agreements longer than five years on the railway network.

The Government recognises the importance of certainty for operators when entering into track access agreements. The new access framework will enable GBR to offer this longer-term certainty to third parties – including contracts beyond 5 years.

What assessments she has made of potential duplication of functions between Network Rail and Great British Railways, and their (a) cost and (b) impact, during the transition period.

Network Rail and its functions will become a foundational part of Great British Railways (GBR) as it is stood up. The GBR design process is underway, considering how all functions in Network Rail, DfT Operator, publicly-owned train operating companies (TOC) and parts of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) should transfer to GBR. The costs of implementation are being considered as part of the business case for GBR setup.

Whether Great British Railways will be required to publish data on (a) permanently cancelled services and (b) decisions to withdraw particular routes.

GBR's planned services will be a matter of public record. GBR will continue to be subject to the closures regime for rail services.

Whether her Department plans to publish annual data on passenger (a) complaints and (b) resolutions under Great British Railways.

ORR publishes biannual statistics on the volume and cause of complaints made to train operating companies, including the response times. We expect ORR to continue to collect and publish core industry data in the future.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75870 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, what the terms of reference are for the new research on pavement parking; what the budget is; and how the research contract will be awarded.

The Terms of Reference are yet to be drafted, however, we have commissioned the design stage of a study to update and strengthen our evidence base on the extent and impact of pavement parking. The purpose of the research will be to understand not only where and how pavement parking occurs but how it affects people’s lives, and particularly the lives of vulnerable road users. This research will enable the Department to evaluate the impact of any future changes to pavement parking policies. The design stage has been awarded to Frontier Economics and SYSTRA under an existing call-off contract, with agreed framework rates (under Public Contracts Regulations 2015). The budget is still being agreed. Budget and commissioning routes for further stages of the study cannot be specified at this stage.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 82989 on Level 7 apprenticeships, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of this policy on workforce availability in the transport sector.

No meeting occurred between the Secretary of State and the Department for Education Secretary of State regarding Level 7 apprenticeship funding, as the responsibility now lies with the Department for Work and Pensions’ Secretary of State. The Government is prioritising funding to support young entrants, helping them take their first steps in rewarding careers, particularly in transport. The removal of Level 7 apprenticeships for those over 22 is expected to have a negligible impact on the transport sector, as confirmed by the Department for Work and Pensions during the Transport Select Committee on Skills on 5 November 2025. Level 7 apprenticeships remain funded for learners under 22-years-old as part of Government reforms, recognising their value for young people.

If she will support the financial resilience of small and medium-sized haulage businesses facing increased fuel and operating costs.

We regularly engage with road haulage industry associations and wider industry to understand the financial challenges faced by the sector including its small and medium sized businesses. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. HGVs will see an average saving of £1,100 in 2025/26.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on the coordination of services in London.

GBR will maintain and strengthen collaborative arrangements with Transport for London (TfL), recognising its role in operating London Overground and Elizabeth line services on the national network and supporting seamless journeys across modes. London is integral to the rail network: in April 2023 to March 2024, it accounted for 952 million passenger journeys, the highest of any region. We will continue to engage with TfL and the Greater London Authority on the organisational design of GBR to ensure effective coordination. The design of GBR is being developed alongside the passage of this legislation.

Whether it is her policy that the views of airlines operating long-haul services should be central to determining the necessary length of a third runway at an expanded Heathrow Airport.

As the users of an expanded Heathrow Airport, the views of airlines will be vital for informing the Heathrow Expansion programme. To that end, as part of the invitation for scheme proposals for Heathrow Expansion, the department asked promoters to provide views from airlines on their proposals. The Secretary of State has also met with key senior airline representatives to understand their views. On 22 October, we formally commenced the review of the ANPS and set out our intention to announce a single scheme to inform the review. Any final details of any scheme, including the runway length, will be considered further as part of the review and by promoters in preparing their DCO applications. If any amendments are needed as a result of the ANPS review, we will consult on a revised ANPS by next summer which will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide views. In addition, we are also planning to hold stakeholder roundtables during the review, including with airlines.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on private sector innovation within the rail industry.

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. In addition, open access operators can bring benefits to the rail network and passengers and will continue to play a role in delivering services where it represents best use of the network.

What information her Department holds on the criteria that will be used by Great British Railways to allocate funding for (a) infrastructure and (b) rolling stock.

Spending Review 25 and CP7 set railway budgets up to and including financial year 2028/29. The next Periodic Review and future Spending Reviews determine funding levels beyond 2028/29. While it’s government’s responsibility to allocate funding for GBR to use, including for infrastructure and rolling stock activity, it will be GBR’s responsibility, as the railways’ directing mind, to decide how it intends to carry out that activity within the funding allocated.

In what circumstances she would extend track access rights for existing operators on the network.

Track Access Rights are managed independently by the Office of Rail and Road.

Whether she plans to set a national framework for discounted fare schemes.

It is not clear what a “national framework for discounted fare schemes” would mean. The Railways Bill will safeguard existing statutory discounts for disabled persons, younger and older passengers, which today are delivered via railcards. Other concessionary discounts such as veterans’ and 26-30 railcards are also important, and there are no current plans to withdraw these offers.

If she will take steps to ensure that all proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport will avoid unnecessary cost and delay, including options that would require construction over the M25.

The Government is clear that any expansion at Heathrow must be delivered in a way that minimises cost for passengers and customers. The scheme will be privately financed, including both the core runway infrastructure and any related improvements to surface access. Promoters are expected to engage constructively with relevant authorities, such as National Highways, to develop solutions that support the wider transport network and minimise disruption.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86749 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has provided vehicle keeper data to, or received income from, any third-party organisations or agents acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council since July 4 2024.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has provided vehicle keeper data to and received income from third-party organisations or agents acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council since 4 July 2024.

Whether she plans to introduce additional independent oversight mechanisms beyond the Office of Rail and Road.

GBR will be required to deliver transparently. As the single shareholder of GBR, the Transport Secretary will have oversight of GBR, supported by independent monitoring and scrutiny by ORR. An independent Passenger Watchdog will also ensure passenger interests are clearly represented.

What assessment her Department has made of the regulatory changes required to enable the commercial deployment of autonomous ride-hailing services at scale in the UK, similar to those operating in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the Act) sets the foundation for enabling the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles on roads in Great Britain with full implementation of the Act planned for the second half of 2027. Earlier this year, government announced the decision to accelerate implementation of the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme to Spring 2026. This permitting scheme can help to facilitate pilots of commercial self-driving passenger services with no safety driver, from spring 2026. Any companies looking to deploy their vehicles will need to meet safety requirements and gain local authority consent. The deployment of these services as self-driving vehicles is enabled through the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018. To be seen as self-driving, the vehicle must, in the opinion of the Secretary of State for Transport, be capable of safely driving themselves without human oversight or intervention for some or all of journey. The Vehicle Certification Agency will undertake the assessment, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to assess whether a vehicle is capable of driving itself without human intervention.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86322 on Charging Points and Hydrogen Fuelling Stations, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of public funding allocated specifically to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure since April 2024.

All public funding for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure since April 2024 has been invested through our delivery partners Innovate UK, part of UKRI. Innovate UK assess value for money of applications submitted for research, development and demonstration projects as part of a standardised process. In addition, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport have commissioned an independent monitoring study to assess the outputs and early outcomes from all schemes included in the Innovate UK Land and Maritime Transport Portfolio from 2022. This study is expected to report in autumn 2026. As part of the original business case for ZEHID, the programme as a whole had a VfM assessment of very high value for money noting that, as is typical for R&D projects, the final scope of the projects has changed. Ongoing evaluation activities are underway as part of the programme.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that track access charges for operators outside Great British Railways remain based on the direct operating costs incurred by the infrastructure manager.

Clause 64 of the Bill sets a clear legal requirement for charges to be set at the cost that is directly incurred to cover the operating costs incurred by the GBR, subject to exclusions on discounts and mark-ups. GBR will establish a charging framework that must be consistent with its duties and functions set out in legislation.