Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, on what basis her Department determined that the delayed appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator for East West Rail Services was caused by the General Election in July 2024, and whether her Department has commissioned an independent assessment of the cause of the delay to that appointment.

The appointment of the operator for the first phase of EWR services was paused during the General Election campaign in July 2024. This Government then appointed Chiltern Railways as the operator in March 2025. The department has not commissioned an independent assessment of this specific delay to the programme.

How many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in each month since December 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The Department's priority objectives for train operators are to improve performance and reduce financial subsidy. It does not routinely publish specific instructions made to operators. We have asked train operators to reflect how they will deliver these priorities in their plans for the next five years. The output of those plans will be published in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects driver training to have been completed for passenger services to commence on trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to conclude the remaining staffing arrangements required for the first East West Rail passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. This includes training the 44 recruited train drivers. Passenger services will commence once train testing and driver training are complete and all necessary authorisations and agreements are in place. A start date for services will be announced as soon as it is possible to do so.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of coaches that are compliant with the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 for use in rail replacement services after the expiry of the current exemption on 31 July 2026.

The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (AIR) require the provision of audible and visible route and location information on board most local bus and coach services in Great Britain. Local services subject to the Regulations must comply with them by October 2026, and we expect operators to ensure this happens on time. The government understands and recognises the specific challenges to comply with AIR within the rail replacement sector. We continue to work with partners, including the Rail Delivery Group, DfT Operator Limited and bus and coach trade bodies, to assess the sector’s readiness for full compliance across the whole rail network, and to provide support to help them achieve this. This includes the development of new technological solutions for providing information on board coaches, funding for smaller operators, alongside the existing time-limited exemption from the technical requirements of AIR, which is due to end on 31 July 2026. The exemption was put in place to ensure that rail passengers could still complete their journeys whilst rail replacement operators equip their fleets to comply with the Regulations.

What assessment she has made of the future role of the Railway Benefit Fund under Great British Railways.

The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF), which is the working name of the ‘Railway Benevolent Institution’, is an independent non-membership charity, supported by charitable fundraising and donations, and regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. We recognise the value of the RBF and the important work that it does. The future role of the RBF, whether now or when Great British Railways (GBR) is established, is a matter for the charity. However, we do not anticipate the establishment of GBR to have any adverse effect on the RBF.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122287 on Motor Vehicles: Hire Services, how many category M1 and N1 vehicles are exempt from the Government Fleet Commitment by default; and if she will provide a breakdown of that number by vehicle type.

Data for the Greening Government Commitments framework for 2021-25, including the Government Fleet Commitment (GFC), was collected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and published on GOV.UK, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-april-2021-to-march-2024-report.Reporting for the GFC was required for in-scope vehicles only. Neither DEFRA nor the Department for Transport holds further data on vehicles that are exempted by default across Government fleets.

What assessment she has made of the delay to repairs at Bransty Tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast Line, including (a) the reasons why no works have commenced eight months after closure, (b) the status of environmental permitting with the Environment Agency, and (c) the expected timetable for the start of works and full reopening of the line.

Network Rail is responsible for the delivery of works at Bransty Tunnel, and my officials are supporting Network Rail on this matter. The issue at Bransty Tunnel was identified when Network Rail, as part of routine planned maintenance and renewals, undertook ground investigations that revealed unstable conditions within the tunnel resulting from historic mining activity in the area. This is linked to the ochreous water discharge at Whitehaven harbour. Given the remnants of the mining activity, and large amounts of flowing water, a much larger, more complex package of work than was originally anticipated is needed to rectify these poor conditions, leading to the extended closure of the tunnel. A dedicated Network Rail Whitehaven Recovery Taskforce is now in place to address the flooding and structural issues at Bransty Tunnel linked to the historic mining activity. Detailed inspections are complete, and a permanent £49 million repair solution has been independently verified and is ready to be delivered. This includes water management, tunnel stabilisation, and subsequent track and drainage renewal. Although Network Rail has agreed to progress, agreement is needed with the Environment Agency and the Mining Remediation Authority before on-site work can commence due to environmental and regulatory requirements. DfT Operator’s rail environment team is supporting this. Network Rail is working closely with the Mining Remediation Authority and the Environment Agency to align the necessary environmental consents so that water contamination issues can be addressed alongside the repairs. Network Rail will provide a further public update once work can begin. Delivery is expected to take six to nine months.

What information her Department holds on the number of marriages between uncle and niece legally contracted overseas by people now residing in England and Wales.

The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on overseas marriages.

What information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector in each month since September 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 14th April is attached.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of equipping all police cars with defibrillators.

Provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in police vehicles is currently an operational matter for police forces to decide at local level. I have had several meetings on the value of equipping all police cars with defibrillators and I am carefully considering next steps.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105309 on Animal Welfare, when her Department plans to launch the consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.

The Government has committed to launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations, as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy published on 22 December 2025. This will be delivered in due course and will seek views from all those with an interest.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121319 on Bus Services: Franchises, if she will provide a breakdown of the additional funding from 2026/27 by (a) funding stream, (b) annual allocation for each year of the Spending Review period and (c) by revenue and capital funding.

The Government is providing two funding streams to support authorities who wish to franchise their bus services. The first is a £3 million Bus Franchising Support Fund in 2026/27 for Mayoral Strategic Authorities that have commenced the statutory franchising process, to support their transition to franchised bus services. The second is a fund of approximately £10 million per year until 2029 for a franchising support package for local authorities that are actively seeking to transition to a franchised network. Both funds provide revenue funding only. South Yorkshire Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, Transport for West Midlands, Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have each been allocated £500,000 of the £3 million fund. The Department is currently in the process of assessing expression of interest application forms from local authorities for the £10 million Franchise Support Fund.

Pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123167 on British Transport Police: Finance, whether the cost of the British Transport Police has been included in the Government’s cost estimates for rail nationalisation; and what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of funding the British Transport Police under a fully nationalised rail system.

The British Transport Police’s budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority, who are the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. They have already agreed a budget settlement with the Force up to 2028/29, increasing by 15% from £418.5m in 2025/26 to £481.5m in 2028/29. We anticipate that the level of funding following this will similarly balance the needs of the industry and the force against public sector affordability.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 908536 on Road Works: Compensation, if her Department plans to approve further lane rental schemes in 2026.

Legislation is being laid shortly to bring seven new lane rental schemes into force. We are also devolving approval powers to mayoral authorities, with further applications continuing to be assessed.

With reference to the East West Rail route, a) how many train movements have taken place on that route in the last 12 months; and b) how many of those movements were i) steam-hauled trains, ii) diesel passenger trains, iii) electric passenger trains, and iv) other non-passenger or testing services.

Along the East West Rail route, from 5th April 2025 - 4th April 2026 there have been 2257 train movements. This includes 4 stream trains and 60 diesel passenger trains. 2193 other non-passenger or testing services have taken place, including freight trains.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, if she will set out (a) what the purpose was of each such visit, (b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit, (c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade and (d) what the total cost was of each visit; and what assessment she has made of whether those engagements could have been conducted remotely or combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 121006, when the planned review of the funding formula for highways maintenance will commence.

Any review would be conducted to align with the end of the period for which highways maintenance block allocations have already been made.

How many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in each month since February 2026 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026. MonthNumber of DTCs with a wait time of 24 weeksJanuary 2026157February 2026186March 2026192 The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026. FTE DEs in post *Available to deliver practical car driving tests1649.131,604* Includes those who are in training to be a DE The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below. MonthNational average car driving tests waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available)National median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken)January 202621.2 weeks10.3 weeksFebruary 202621.6 weeks10.6 weeksMarch 202622.1 weeks9.0 weeks The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave. April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.

How many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car test for each month since January 2026.

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026. MonthNumber of DTCs with a wait time of 24 weeksJanuary 2026157February 2026186March 2026192 The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026. FTE DEs in post *Available to deliver practical car driving tests1649.131,604* Includes those who are in training to be a DE The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below. MonthNational average car driving tests waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available)National median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken)January 202621.2 weeks10.3 weeksFebruary 202621.6 weeks10.6 weeksMarch 202622.1 weeks9.0 weeks The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave. April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.

What the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in each month since January 2026 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026. MonthNumber of DTCs with a wait time of 24 weeksJanuary 2026157February 2026186March 2026192 The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026. FTE DEs in post *Available to deliver practical car driving tests1649.131,604* Includes those who are in training to be a DE The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below. MonthNational average car driving tests waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available)National median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken)January 202621.2 weeks10.3 weeksFebruary 202621.6 weeks10.6 weeksMarch 202622.1 weeks9.0 weeks The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave. April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.