Written questions by Holden.

If she will publish the names of the (a) people and (b) organisations responsible for the (i) leadership and (ii) operational design of Great British Railways; and what proportion of those people are (A) civil servants, (B) secondees from private companies and (C) external appointees from the rail industry.

Richard Goodman, Director General, is the Department for Transport’s Senior Responsible Officer for the design of Great British Railways and Chair of the Rail Reform and Strategy Portfolio Board that includes the NR CEO and DfTO CEO.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 84701 on Roads: Accidents, whether her Department has requested data from (a) the Home Office and (b) the police on the number of roadside drug-driving tests carried out since 2020.

While statistics on breath tests are published by the Home Office, the equivalent information on roadside drug-driving tests are not. Decisions relating to the collection and publication of this data would be a matter for the Home Office.The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) provide information to the Department on the Christmas Drink and Drug Driving campaign, Operation Limit. This includes the number of drink and drug tests administered during the winter period.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 84700 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether her Department holds information on the level of income the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has received from Oxfordshire County Council for access to vehicle registration data in each year since 2020.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has not directly provided vehicle keeper data to or received income directly from Oxfordshire County Council in the time frame specified.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82986 on Aviation: Alternative Fuels, how many UK-based sustainable aviation fuel production facilities have (a) commenced construction and (b) reached final investment decision.

The only commercial scale SAF producer in the UK is P66’s Humberside Refinery. Through the Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF) we have awarded over £198m to 21 UK SAF projects. Information on these projects is published on gov.uk.There are a wide range of SAF projects across the UK using different technologies and at different stages of development. However, much of the information on the development of fuel projects that DfT holds is commercially sensitive. Our policies are both ambitious and pragmatic to the realities of the SAF industry. The SAF Mandate entered into force on 1 January 2025. In its first year, the mandate requires that SAF constitute 2% of total fossil jet fuel supplied, increasing to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. Provisional data suggests the UK was already on track, with SAF accounting for approximately 2% of aviation fuel supplied in 2024.On the supply side, we are creating the right environment to support the future construction of UK SAF production plants through measures such as the UK’s pioneering SAF Clearing House, AFF, and legislation to provide investor confidence via a Revenue Certainty Mechanism.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82997 on the Restoring Your Railway Fund, whether the audit was independently reviewed by (a) the Office for Budget Responsibility and (b) another external body.

In July 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer instructed HM Treasury officials to undertake an audit of public spending. The audit’s findings showed a forecast overspend on departmental spending of £21.9 billion above the totals that had been set at Spring Budget 2024. Taking immediate action to respond to the spending pressure, the government cancelled unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government, including the Restoring Your Railway programme. The full Spending Audit summary can be found on GOV.UK. The OBR conducted a review into the Spring Budget 2024 forecast which is available on their website, setting out that if the OBR had been aware of the scale of pressures at the time, they would have reached a “materially different judgement about...spending in 2024-2025”

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83382 on Railways: Safety, what proportion of the campaign’s (a) production and (b) promotion costs were borne by train operating companies (i) owned and (ii) controlled by her Department; and whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of that rebrand once the operators’ expenditure is included.

The production costs, referenced in the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83382 on Railways: Safety, were all borne by the Department for Transport. To minimise implementation costs, train operating companies (including those under public ownership) will gradually phase out the current See It. Say It. Sorted. campaign materials and are only required to introduce the new posters or announcements when these would usually be replaced through business-as-usual rotation of materials. Campaign posters, both digital and physical, are required to be displayed only at locations which train operating companies already retain for public messaging campaigns or for their own content, and which are not otherwise used for commercial purposes, in order to avoid any loss of advertising revenue. We have not asked train operating companies to provide detailed production or implementation costs as we anticipate them being minimal on this basis.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 84695 on Bus Services: Fares, when her Department expects to complete its evaluation of the £3 single bus fare cap scheme; and whether she plans to publish that evaluation in full once it is finalised.

The Department for Transport is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 single bus fare cap and its impacts, with the full report expected to be published next year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 84697 on Railways: Fares, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of passengers who will pay a higher fare; and if she will publish the (a) calculations and (b) methodology that inform this estimate.

Future passenger fares under GBR are subject to ministerial decisions not yet made. Estimates therefore cannot be provided at this time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83387 on Large Goods Vehicles: Electric Vehicles, how much underspend has been identified to date; and what the revised total forecast spend for the programme is in (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26.

The Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (R&D) programme had a total programme funding spend of approximately £106 million in the 2024-25 financial year. We are unable to confirm the spend for 2025-26 as the financial year is still in progress with projects placing orders for final zero emission HGVs and infrastructure sites.

With reference to her written statement of 4 December 2024 on Railway Passenger Services, HCWS281, which working practices she intends to reform as part of the Department's plans to modernise the railways; and if she will publish (a) a list of the practices under review and the (b) potential impact of changes to those practices on (i) staff, (ii) service reliability and (iii) costs to the public purse.

Reforms to working practices are taking place via the usual processes, i.e. led by train operators locally, in partnership with trade unions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82997 on the Restoring Your Railway Fund, how much and what proportion of previously allocated funding has been (a) spent, (b) returned to the Treasury and (c) written off following the programme’s cancellation.

The Chancellor’s 29 July 2024 announcement confirmed that the Restoring Your Railway programme would be brought to a close, as one of the steps she was taking to address the pressures on the public finances created by unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government. At that time, £349.18m had been spent. The remaining funding anticipated for the Restoring Your Railways fund was reallocated to support other priorities within rail enhancements and across government as part of the Spending Review process. This included concluding work on the delivery of the Northumberland Line, and Dartmoor Line projects, previously part of the RYR fund. The Secretary of State has confirmed funding will be provided for Metrowest (Portishead), Haxby station, Wellington station and Cullompton station projects that had also previously been identified through RYR. No funding was "written off" as part of this process.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82409 on Railways: Public Ownership, whether her Department plans to draw on best practice from (a) devolved operators such as Transport for London, Merseyrail, ScotRail and Transport for Wales and (b) private sector train operating companies in developing guidance for publicly-owned operators.

We expect DfT Operator Limited (DFTO) to draw on best practice from across the rail sector, and other relevant sectors, for its operators.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2025 to Question 76344 on South Western Railway: Personnel Management, what the total cost to the Department for Transport Operator was of assuming (a) management and (b) payroll responsibilities for South Western Railway since it was brought into public ownership.

There was no cost to Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) of assuming management of South Western Railway (SWR). SWR pays DFTO an annual management fee. DFTO did not assume payroll responsibilities for SWR, therefore there was no cost incurred. SWR manages its payroll internally and has its own payroll team. This was the case both before and after public ownership. Since the pandemic, the Government has been covering the costs of DfT-contracted operators, in addition to paying private sector operators a management fee. As a result, there are no additional costs to the public purse from terminating contracts as they expire or if operators are found to be in breach.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83373 on DfT Operator, whether her Department has issued any (a) Notices to Improve or (b) written instructions to any DfT Operator train operating company in relation to (i) service performance or (ii) financial control since April 2024.

The Department has not issued any Notices to Improve to any of the DfT Operator train operating companies because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms.DfT regularly engages with all operators on service performance and financial management, aligned with this Government's priorities on improving performance and reducing subsidy.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the value for money of public funding for (a) commercial vehicle charging and (b) hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The Government is supporting the uptake of zero emission commercial vehicles, and their supporting charging and fuelling infrastructure, through initiatives such as the Plug-In Truck and Van Grants, which are reducing upfront costs for heavy goods vehicles and vans, and the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme and the up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID). The Department continually monitors and reviews grants to optimise delivery and value for money.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2025 to Question 76344 on South Western Railway: Personnel Management, which organisation provided payroll services for South Western Railway (a) prior to and (b) following its transfer into public ownership.

South Western Railway has managed payroll services internally prior to and following the transfer to public ownership.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent taxi drivers being licensed in one authority and operating in another.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 September 2025, to Question UIN 76341.

With reference to her comments at at the JP Morgan Tech Stars conference on 7 October 2025, which development she was referring to in the context of the developer with which she had a good relationship.

The government has been clear in its commitment to get Britain building.Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78691 on Railways: Concessions, whether Great British Railways plans to use ticket pricing to (a) manage demand and (b) reduce crowding on trains.

Great British Railways (GBR) will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and fares reform, including considering the most effective ways to manage issues such as crowding. We are already making progress in considering options to address this, including through supporting LNER in trialling easier to understand fares on their long-distance network between the London area and Edinburgh and the North East. This aims to address the inefficient and unacceptable situation where some ‘peak’ trains run nearly empty while some ‘off-peak’ trains are crowded. We are doing this by moving towards more flexible, demand-based pricing – a model commonly used for long-distance rail in countries such as France, Italy, and Spain. The results of this trial will be carefully considered before any decisions on next steps are taken.

With reference to her comments at at the JP Morgan Tech Stars conference on 7 October 2025, with whom at the developer she had a good relationship.

The government has been clear in its commitment to get Britain building.Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings