Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71256 on Railways: Automation, if she will make it her policy to link government investment to conditions on greater take-up of automated train operation technology.

The Government is committed to investing in a modern railway that is reliable for passengers and supports economic growth for taxpayers. This has included investment in automated train operation in recent years, as noted in the answer of 8 September, on schemes such as Thameslink and the Elizabeth Line, and I would expect this to continue to be a consideration for future investment where it can drive efficiency and improved performance for the railway.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71268 on Department for Transport: Ministers' Private Offices, what the expenditure of £2,769.49 was on; and if she will provide a breakdown of each item of spending.

Since 4 July 2024 the Department has spent £211.34 on redecoration of Ministers' Private Offices. Following a review and a correction to the answer to Question 71268, I can confirm that no costs were incurred on furniture and fittings.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71274 on THINK! Campaign, what the total amount of savings from reduced spending on the THINK! Road Safety communications campaign is since July 2024.

For the financial year 2024/2025, the budget for the THINK! road safety campaign has reduced by £1,299,424 compared to the previous financial year. This was in line with the Government’s review of campaign spending.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) The Office of the Mayor of London and (b) Transport for London on the London Underground strikes in the week of 8 September 2025.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and strike action on London’s transport network is for TfL to manage. The Government encourages all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. The Secretary of State met with TfL on this matter during the week of 8 September 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71266 on Department for Transport: Buildings, what the make and model of soundproof meeting pods were; and how many were purchased.

Three Kolo Midi soundproof meeting pods were purchased.

With reference to the FOI response Ref: FOI-00045627, if she will publish that response.

A copy of the response and accompanying documents have been placed in the Library of the House.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 September to Question 74024 on Electric Vehicles: Finance, what is the timeframe for the Government's spend of £4.5 billion.

The expected timeframe for Government to spend the total £4.5 billion is between the years 2025 - 2035. However, over £2 billion of this total will be spent before the end of financial year 2029/30.

When her Department plans to introduce legislation on the regulation of electric scooters, in the context of the ongoing rental trials currently extended until May 2026.

The government will pursue legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows.

How many public electric vehicle chargepoints need to be installed each year between 2025 and 2030 to meet the government’s target of 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030.

An estimate of potential future demand for chargepoints was originally published in the 2022 “Taking Charge: the National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy” and ranged from 280,000 to 720,000 in 2030. This analysis was updated in 2024 resulting in a range of 250,000 to 550,000 in 2030. Both the 2024 NAO ‘public chargepoints for electric vehicles’ report, which presents annual projections out to 2030, and the Climate Change Committee 2025 Progress report, concluded that rollout to date is on track.

How many public electric vehicle chargepoints have been installed but are not operational due to grid connection delays or other technical issues.

The Government does not hold a centralised figure on the number of public electric vehicle chargepoints that have been installed but are not yet operational due to grid connection delays or other technical issues. In December 2024, the Government published the outcome of a review aimed at improving the grid connection process for EV charging infrastructure.Since then, the Energy Networks Association has launched a Transport Decarbonisation Portal with guidance on grid connections, and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has collated and shared best practice from distribution network operators and chargepoint operators regarding energisation timeframes. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these actions to determine whether further measures are needed.

How many public electric vehicle chargepoints were installed in each year since 2020; and how many have been installed to date in 2025.

The net increase in the number of charging devices in the UK’s public charging network in each year since 2020 is presented in the below table. Year202020212022202320242025 (up to 1st September)Increase in public charging devices4,2707,6008,68016,62219,65711,829 The figures in this table represent the net increase in the number of public charging devices in the source dataset from year to year. This is the number of devices added to the source data minus the number of devices removed from the source data (e.g. if decommissioned) each year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71243 on c2c: Nationalisation, how many (a) senior management and (b) specialist operational staff have left c2c since its transfer to public ownership on 20 July 2025; and what steps her Department has taken to retain such expertise within the publicly owned rail network.

Since c2c’s transfer to public ownership two months ago no senior management have left. Eight operational staff have left and have been or are being replaced. This is within usual levels of attrition and c2c continues to deploy its workforce planning strategies to ensure sufficient expertise.

What estimate her Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse for payments associated with rolling stock leasing agreements following the transfer of train operating companies into state control.

It is expected that future transfers will see existing rolling stock leasing arrangements novate to the new public sector operator on existing terms as part of the transfer of operations into public ownership. Therefore, we do not expect changes to current cost estimates as a result of the transfer of operations into public ownership.

When her Department plans to publish the regulated rail fare levels for 2026.

No decisions have yet 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.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that passenger service levels for trains are aligned with levels of demand for train services.

The Department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. We expect all operators to regularly review their timetabled services to ensure they are both attractive to passengers and reduce the tax-payer support required for the railway. Great British Railways will be created as a new arm’s length body, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services to deliver a more sustainable, affordable and reliable railway.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of rail workers' (a) contracts and (b) rosters on the level of subsidy for running (i) lightly-used and (ii) empty rail services.

Rail workers' contracts and rosters are a matter for train operating companies, and while inevitably for operational reasons some services will have low loadings, we expect all operators to regularly review their timetabled services to ensure they are both attractive to passengers and reduce the tax-payer support required for the railway. Great British Railways will be created as a new arm’s length body, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services to deliver a more sustainable, affordable and reliable railway.

What the cost to the public purse is for (a) direct and (b) indirect liability for rolling stock leasing debt following the transfer of train operating companies into public ownership.

The Department does not expect any changes to current rolling stock debt liabilities as a direct consequence of the transfer of train operating companies into public ownership.

What assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of (a) rostering and (b) minimum service agreements on the number of (i) lightly used and (ii) empty trains operating on the network.

The Department requires train operators to provide services across a wide range of markets to support access to transport and connectivity to jobs and services. This means that some trains do operate with low passenger numbers and operational reasons mean it is not practical to match demand to capacity on every service. We expect operators to provide their services in a way that best balances passenger needs, performance and value for money for taxpayers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing the 50km restriction for 18- to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers on the (a) number of available drivers and (b) quality of (i) rural and (ii) long-distance bus services.

The previous government launched a consultation on amending licensing restrictions to allow 18 to 20-year-olds to drive a bus and coach for distances exceeding 50km when driving a regular service. The previous government did not publish a response to its consultation before it left office. This government is now working closely with operators to obtain further evidence and will then consider next steps.

What assessment the Department has made of the effectiveness of minimum age requirements for (a) articulated lorry drivers and (b) bus and coach drivers; and whether she plans to remove the 50km restriction for 18- to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers.

The previous government launched a consultation on amending licensing restrictions to allow 18 to 20-year-olds to drive a bus and coach for distances exceeding 50km when driving a regular service. The previous government did not publish a response to its consultation before it left office. This government is now working closely with operators to obtain further evidence and will then consider next steps.