The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 2,865 tabled · 2,674 answered

Written questions by Holden.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (2,865)Department for Transport (1013)Cabinet Office (760)Treasury (168)Department of Health and Social Care (124)Department for Business and Trade (105)Department for Education (93)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (76)Ministry of Defence (75)Home Office (75)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (74)Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (53)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (41)

Showing 501520 of 2,865 · this parliament

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9 Mar 2026·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2026 to Question 112225, whether he has made an estimate of the level of passthrough to consumers as a (a) cost increase per passenger ticket and (b) percentage increase in fares.

Reply

As set out in the Impact Assessment, any passthrough to consumers is expected to be modest. International evidence, including from the EU ETS, shows fare changes have generally been in the low single digit range. The Government has not undertaken route level ferry fare or passenger ticket modelling for the UK ETS domestic maritime expansion, as operators’ commercial decisions, vessel utilisation and fare structures vary widely.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110885 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of public funding provided per chargepoint under schemes administered by her Department.

Reply

Most public charge points have not received any public subsidy. The average amount of public funding per charge point under the closed On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), is currently approximately £3,500 for completed projects. This is subject to change as some projects have not yet completed. The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Capital Fund allocated £343m to local authorities in England and is expected to deliver at least 100,000 charge points by leveraging significant private investment alongside public funds. Information on the amount of public funding and number of charge points supported is published quarterly and available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69245447ba812a67cb6a5673/electric-vehicle-charging-device-grant-scheme-statistics-october-2025.ods

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training on the (a) quality assurance of registered driving instructor trainers and (b) ability of prospective trainer providers to establish accredited training provision.

Reply

The Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) scheme was suspended by the previous Government in November 2023. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency recognises the importance of ORBIT and will engage with the industry and discuss how and when the scheme should resume.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What methodology she uses to assess the effectiveness of pothole funding.

Reply

The Department for Transport published local road maintenance ratings on 11 January, measuring how well each local highway authority is maintaining its local roads and making use of its increased government funding. The methodology used to calculate the ratings is available online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/methodology-used-to-calculate-ratings-for-local-road-maintenanceThe Department will also be evaluating the effectiveness of its local highways maintenance funding in line with the methodologies set out in its Transport Analysis Guidance and the Treasury's Magenta Book.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What proportion of tickets sold on services operated by London North Eastern Railway in July 2024 excluding railcard discounts were at a) the fully flexible fare price, b) between 90 per cent and 100 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, c) between 80 per cent and 89.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, d) between 70 per cent and 79.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, e) between 60 per cent and 69.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, f) between 50 per cent and 59.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, g) between 40 per cent and 49.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price and h) below 40 per cent of the fully flexible fare price.

Reply

The Department does not hold information on the proportion of tickets sold at these price points.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
Asked

How many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

Reply

The number of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) staff assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce was 3.9 FTE in 2024-25 and 3.5 FTE in 2025-26. Data is not yet available for financial year 2026-27.

9 Mar 2026·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
Asked

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111868 on Fire and Rescue Services: Databases, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring fire and rescue services to record whether such fires involve lithium-ion batteries or electric vehicles; and whether his Department plans to make such reporting mandatory under the Fire and Rescue Data Platform Version 2.

Reply

As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. This will include identifying whether the source of ignition was a battery and, where relevant, whether that battery was on charge at the time of the incident. These additions will ensure such information is collected and reported consistently across services.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887 on Heathrow: Expansion, when she plans to consult on proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement.

Reply

As set out in my answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887, the Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement by the summer.

9 Mar 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Which body is responsible for measuring, collecting, reporting and validating greenhouse gas emissions across the Government estate.

Reply

Individual Government departments are responsible for measuring and collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from their own estates. This data is reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which coordinates the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) framework and publishes the annual GGC report. Validation of the data is conducted by DEFRA and its technical contractors at a cross-government level, while individual departments are responsible for the accuracy of their own underlying data.To fulfill the statutory duty under Section 86 of the Climate Change Act 2008, the Cabinet Office utilises this data as part of its annual State of the Estate report on the efficiency and sustainability of the government estate.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116553 on the Highway Code, whether she plans to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of Rule H1.

Reply

As I set out in response to Question 116553, when the previous government introduced Highway Code rule H1 in 2022, they did not initiate or plan for any assessment of their introduction of the rule. Like the previous government, this government does not see the need to undertake any assessment of this common-sense rule on road safety.

9 Mar 2026·Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission·Answered
Asked

Representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116224, whether the Electoral Commission plans to undertake research on the relationship between biradari networks, first cousin marriage and electoral fraud.

Reply

The Electoral Commission does not plan to research the relationship between biradari networks, first cousin marriage and electoral fraud.Despite very low levels of proven electoral fraud in the UK, it is a matter the Commission takes seriously. It publishes annual data from police services on allegations of electoral fraud, and runs a fraud prevention and awareness campaign each year. It works closely with the electoral community and the Police to prevent, detect and take action against electoral fraud.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 111450, whether her Department holds information on the (a) grant funding awarded and (b) number of buses supported under each bus procurement and zero-emission bus support scheme funded in each of the last five years; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements in those schemes on tendered bus prices.

Reply

Within the last five years there has been two zero emission bus programmes funded by the Government, ZEBRA and ZEBRA 2. The following tables present information on the amount of grant funding awarded and the number of zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes, by local transport authority. The numbers in this table are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore indicative and subject to change. In relation to social value considerations, community benefit factors formed a component of assessment in ZEBRA 2. The procurement decisions and tender evaluations were then undertaken by the authorities and operators themselves, so the Department has made no further assessment of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements on tendered bus prices.

9 Mar 2026·Treasury·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116218, what comparative assessment she has made of the economic circumstances of UK civil airports between 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024.

Reply

The Valuation Office Agency assessed changes to the economic circumstances of airports as part of the 2026 Revaluation exercise, where average Rateable Values for civil airports have increased at the valuation date of 1 April 2024. The VOA announced updated property values for the 2026 revaluation at the Budget. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111459 on Motorways: Accidents, whether her Department plans to amend the STATS19 road traffic collision reporting system so that the type of central reservation barrier involved in collisions is recorded where relevant.

Reply

There are no plans to amend the STATS19 collection in this way.The STATS19 collection is reviewed every 5 to 10 years. The last such review commenced in 2018, with the agreed recommendations being rolled out to police force collection systems from the start of 2024, and expected to be complete during 2026.These reviews seek to balance the need for information with the burdens placed on police, bearing in mind that STATS19 is based on information available to the reporting officer at the scene of the collision rather than a detailed investigation.The date for the next STATS19 review has not yet been set. The timing is agreed by the Standing Committee for Road Injury Collision Statistics (SCRICS), which meets annually to consider whether there is sufficient need for a review.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Asked

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110886 on Roads: Biodiversity, in what month the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will be published.

Reply

The Government intends to publish the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for nationally significant infrastructure projects soon.

9 Mar 2026·Women and Equalities·Answered
Asked

Whether any (a) policy documents, (b) staff guidance, (c) equality strategies or (d) training materials used by the Cabinet Office People Group or the Office for Equality and Opportunity reference the concept of white privilege.

Reply

We established the office for Equality and Opportunity to lead work to ensure that whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on in life. The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and improving outcomes for everyone.

9 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111447 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what the benefit-cost ratio is for each rail infrastructure project under construction on the Network Rail network; and what the most recent benefit-cost ratio assessments are for (i) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement scheme and (ii) the Horley Junction improvement scheme (iii) dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

Reply

Business case documents and the benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) for major schemes, including relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, will be published on gov.uk when the full business case is approved. BCRs are not always published until the final approval. It should be noted that BCRs are only one element of decision-making on proposed rail infrastructure projects and should be considered within the context of the five-case business model (Strategic, Economic, Financial, Commercial and Management) used in Government. The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) scheme’s Outline Business Case (OBC) had a BCR of 4.89 when the scheme was paused by the previous government in 2022. The 2019 Outline Business Case for Haughley Junction upgrades indicated a BCR of 0.5. No BCR assessment has been made of the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line at this point.

5 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115453 on Railways: Government Assistance, what the decrease in support is expected to be in each year of the spending review period.

Reply

The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £8.47 per journey in 2024/25. It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to just over £7 per journey in 2028/29. This means an average year on year reduction of 4.3%.

5 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

When she expects the roadworks on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 to be completed.

Reply

National Highways currently anticipate completion of works on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 by the end of March 2026, subject to the findings of National Highways' own investigation into whether the drainage issues identified extend beyond the current locations.

4 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What estimate his Department has made of (a) the projected market price per litre of conventional aviation turbine fuel (Jet A-1) in each year from 2025 to 2040 and (b) the marginal cost difference per litre between conventional aviation turbine fuel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel in each of those years.

Reply

The Royal Air Force in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence Directorate Analytics are able to provide an estimated cost of the price per litre of both Conventional Aviation Turbine and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in each year from 2025-2040, and the marginal cost difference between them. However, the data in the below table is subject to change dependent on market fluctuation of fuel costs. The below forecasts are in United States Dollars (USD) per litre and will be subjected to currency conversion, which is changeable. Oil is generally bought and sold on the market in USD. YearEstimated cost in USD per litre for conventional aviation fuelEstimated cost in USD per litre for SAFEstimated cost difference between SAF and conventional aviation Fuel per litre20250.561.621.0620260.481.501.0220270.521.541.0220280.561.611.0520290.561.621.0620300.581.661.0720310.581.651.0720320.591.671.0720330.611.691.0820340.621.701.0920350.631.721.0920360.641.741.1020370.651.761.1020380.661.771.1120390.671.791.1220400.691.811.12

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Sources
SourceUK Parliament Members API
MethodQuestion and answer text as published. Question preamble (“To ask the…”) trimmed for readability; answers shown in full.