Written questions by Holden.

How much his Department spent in 2024-25 on external consultants, advisers or delivery partners in relation to Net Zero, sustainability, decarbonisation and green economy programmes; and which firms were contracted.

My department is committed to supporting Net Zero goals and advancing Clean Energy initiatives. In 2024, the UK signed a Government-to-Government Arrangement with the Dominican Republic to help deliver infrastructure projects that promote mutual economic growth. This project provided recommendations to prioritise renewable energy projects aligned with national targets and opportunities for UK supply chain involvement.

What was the (a) total operating revenue, (b) total operating costs and (c) the net cost of onboard catering on the TransPennine Express in the (i) 2023–24 and (ii) 2024–25 financial years.

In 2023-24, TransPennine Express’ total operating revenue was £234 million, with total operating costs of £408 million. The net cost of onboard catering for that year was £4.7 million. In 2024-25, TransPennine Express’ total operating revenue was £285 million, with total operating costs of £449 million. The net cost of onboard catering for that year was £6.7 million.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of NHS Trusts terminating contracts for driving mobility assessment services, where Department for Transport grant funding does not cover the full cost of delivery, on disabled people and people with medical conditions who cannot access driving mobility assessment services when contracts are terminated; and what steps she is taking to ensure continuity of provision where such contracts end.

We take this issue very seriously and the department is committed to supporting everyone to travel safely. The Department for Transport provides grant funding to mobility centres that have been accredited by Driving Mobility in England. Where a mobility centre is closed by its provider, including where this is the NHS, we work with the wider mobility centres network and Driving Mobility to help maintain geographical coverage. Our priority remains safeguarding patient safety and continuity of assessments.

Whether her forthcoming Freight and Logistics Plan will identify (a) a National Freight Network, (b) key transport routes and (c) main transport bottlenecks for freight movements across transport modes; and what steps her Department is taking to integrate increased use of data and analytics as part of that Plan.

The forthcoming new plan for freight is informed by the broad range of information the Department holds on the freight and logistics system. This includes information that helps us understand key transport routes, like our published road traffic and maritime statistics, and information to help us understand network bottlenecks, such as our congestion statistics and stakeholder intelligence.The plan will also reflect the importance of continually improving our data and analytical capabilities and strengthening our associated understanding of the freight and logistics system as an integrated multimodal network. Further detail on the measures and overarching approach we are taking forward to do so will be provided in the plan.

What steps her Department is taking to improve oversight and enforcement action against the use of unregulated informal value transfer systems.

Informal transfer value systems (IVTS) is a type of Money Service Business (MSB) activity. HM Revenue & Customs is the main supervisor of MSBs and leads inter-agency work to tackle the money laundering and illicit finance risks faced by the sector. That work includes a specific focus on IVTS. Any entity engaging in IVTS without being registered with and supervised by HMRC (or another UK AML supervisor) is doing so illegally. HMRC supervision activity that identifies breaches of the MLR 2017 may result in warnings, civil sanctions, or criminal prosecution, depending on the severity and nature of the breaches. HMRC works closely with partners to ensure a joined-up approach to tackling risks in the sector, including from unregistered MSBs. In the last 2 years, HMRC issued 27 financial penalties to MSBs and cancelled the registration of 12 others (meaning they can no longer lawfully engage in MSB activity). HMRC also issued 248 warning letters to MSBs which needed to improve their AML compliance.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 102871, if she will provide a hyperlink to that information.

The cost-benefit analysis referred to previously and published alongside the VETS order 2023 can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1394/pdfs/uksiod_20231394_en_001.pdf.

How much of the projected efficiency saving from corporate initiatives by 2028–29 represents cash reductions in Departmental expenditure, as opposed to productivity improvements, cost avoidance or spending reclassification.

The Department for Transport’s published Departmental Efficiency Plan states that £199m in corporate initiatives efficiencies are forecast to be delivered in 2028/29. These efficiencies are considered cash releasing efficiencies (i.e. they reduce our expenditure requirements) in line with the definition in the Government Efficiency Framework.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) mandatory registration and (b) identification plates for e-scooters on road safety.

Under current legislation, private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can be used but only as part of the Government’s national rental e-scooter trials. The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. The impact of potential regulatory requirements such as the need for registration or identification plates, will be fully assessed as regulation is developed. The Department for Transport will consult on any new regulations before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.

What the (a) up-front and (b) ongoing costs are for the corporate initiatives underpinning the projected efficiency saving by 2028–29; and how much of those costs relate to (i) AI, (ii) digital tools and (iii) shared services programmes.

As set out in the Departmental Efficiency Plan, the forecast efficiencies of £199m in 28/29 from corporate initiatives will come from a wide range of activities such as workforce reform, estate reform, greater use of AI and digital tools and de-duplication in processes, enabled in part by the establishment of Great British Railways.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the fatality rate per vehicle mile travelled for hybrid, petrol, diesel and fully electric cars in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold data that would enable an estimate of fatality rates per vehicle mile travelled by propulsion type.The STATS19 collection and DVLA records provide a breakdown of fatalities in reported road traffic collisions by vehicle and propulsion type. This information is published in data table RAS0507 available on the gov.uk website. However, data on mileage driven by vehicles of different propulsion types is not available to the Department. Consequently, it is not possible to calculate fatality rates per mile travelled by propulsion type.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101854, how much funding is being provided over the Spending Review period in a) bus services, b) active travel infrastructure, and c) the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant; and over what years that funding will be allocated.

Funding for Bus Services can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations/labg-revenue-allocations-2026-to-2029 Funding for Active Travel Infrastructure was published as part of the Spending Review 2025, and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document Mode Shift Revenue Support grant: Up to £20 million provisional budget for 2026/27 – shared with Waterborne Freight Grant. Future funding arrangements subject to future departmental business planning.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the the Greater Anglia timetable changes from 14 December 2025 for meeting peak-time passenger demand at Billericay station over the period of the local plan.

Greater Anglia added extra carriages to a small number of Saturday services operating from Billericay as part of the December 2025 timetable change. Greater Anglia monitors passenger demand and will make adjustments to train services and capacity where required, and where it is possible to do. I expect Greater Anglia to continue to work with local stakeholders to develop timetables for the future.

Whether she has considered (a) establishing an investigation mechanism and (b) commissioning an independent review into the safety performance of hybrid vehicles.

As announced in the recently published Road Safety Strategy, the department will be establishing a data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch to learn lessons from road incidents, by taking a strategic, thematic approach, focusing on patterns of collisions, injury trends, and systemic safety issues. There are currently no plans to commission an independent review into the safety performance of hybrid vehicles.

How many Greater Anglia trains are expected to be fitted with physical advanced monitoring equipment by the end of 2026.

Projects are still in development, but Greater Anglia estimates that between eight and twelve units in total will have physical monitoring equipment installed by the end of this year.

Whether officials in her Department have had discussions with (a) c2c, (b) Network Rail and (c) relevant local authorities about establishing a community rail partnership on the c2c route; what assessment she has made of the case for a c2c community rail partnership; and what the (i) required steps, (ii) decision making process and (iii) indicative timetable are for recognition of such a partnership.

Officials have not discussed with Network Rail or relevant local authorities; however, officials have discussed establishing a community rail partnership with c2c which both parties see value in. Next steps would include building the proposal and securing sufficient funding; officials will continue to explore what opportunities there might be in future business planning rounds.

Whether she plans to require train operators, including Northern, to begin recording instances of failed passenger assistance.

All train and station operators, including Northern, are required by their Accessible Travel Policies to monitor their performance in delivering assistance, including failures. The Office of Rail and Road publish annually the ‘Experience of Passenger Assist’ report which records the experiences of users of Passenger Assist, helping to monitor trends. The most recent report can be accessed at https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/2024-2025-experiences-of-passenger-assist-research-report.pdf

What incentives will be put in place to encourage growth in passenger numbers for the rail network for (a) Great British Railways as an organisation, (b) senior management within Great British Railways and (c) the rail workforce.

The Government has been clear that GBR will be incentivised to deliver for passengers. By bringing responsibility for track and train into one organisation, GBR will be able to remove the mixture of conflicting incentives across multiple organisations and realign incentives towards passengers. This is being considered as part of the continuing GBR design process. The Long-Term Rail Strategy will set out the outcomes we expect GBR to achieve, including an unrelenting focus on passengers. This will inform the development of GBR’s long-term strategic business plans, ensuring passengers, and other users of the railway, remain central to the organisation’s culture. The continued expectation of a reduction in subsidy for the railways also incentivises growing passenger numbers, as well as benefitting taxpayers.

What milestone dates have been set for the introduction of AI-powered disruption updates on LNER services.

In the coming months London North Eastern Railway will begin introducing advanced AI‑powered tools designed to keep passengers better informed and in control when travelling. This new capability will enable instant travel updates and make it easier for customers to manage their journeys during disruption.These improvements will be supported by enhanced, data‑driven systems that aim to reduce delays and help deliver a more reliable railway for passengers.

When she expects construction works on the Lower Thames Crossing to commence.

Construction enabling works have commenced north and south of the River Thames. These include ground works to create haul roads, construction of site compounds, utility works, ecological and archaeological works and extensive pre-construction surveys are ongoing.

What assessment (a) her Department and (b) the National Crime Agency have made of the potential impact of extended family networks on facilitating the use of informal value transfer systems, including hawala, for the purposes of money laundering, terrorist financing and people trafficking.

The latest version of the Government’s National Risk Assessment (NRA) of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing was published in July 2025, and reflects expert contributions from government, law enforcement and the private sector. The NRA 2025 specifically covers the risks from Informal Value Transfer Systems (IVTS), including Hawala networks. The NRA notes that IVTS can be exploited by criminals and terrorist actors. Furthermore, where IVTS are identified in UK money laundering investigations, they are principally linked to international laundering networks given their access to stores of value in locations which are useful to criminals.In addition, the NCA published a National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime in 2025 (the NSA). The NSA identifies that IVTS are a widely used method of transferring money and are legal in the UK as long as the operator adheres to the Money Laundering Regulations and registers with HMRC for supervision. However, it is also known that serious and organised criminals use IVTS as a parallel banking facility due to the perception of lower chances of detection.