Written questions by Holden.

With reference to the press notice entitled On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones, published on 25 June 2025, what progress her Department has made on Project Reach; and whether her Department plans to eliminate mobile signal blackspots on the rail network from spring 2026 through the rollout of Project Reach.

The initial scope of project Reach is for mobile coverage improvements in the major stations and a number of tunnels and cuttings on the main lines only. Internal team mobilisation has progressed, and Network Rail have also down selected the design and build contractors to undertake the physical works that are due to start early in 2026.Agreements are also progressing on finalising prioritisation order with the public mobile operators.

What plans her Department has for the number of staff working for Great British Rail in each of the next 10 years; and over what time frame they will be hired.

GBR will be established as a new arms-length body bringing together responsibilities currently split over more than 17 different organisations. While details on exact roles are subject to further design work, GBR will rely on colleagues from across the railway to continue the important work they do each day in delivering for passengers. We will continue to engage with the industry on our plans for GBR.

Whether his Department plans to use discounted ticketing initiatives to (a) increase passenger utilisation on lightly used services and (b) reduce the volume of trains operating with significant spare capacity for Great British Railways services.

Great British Railways (GBR) will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare. GBR will offer us the opportunity to go further with optimising train services and driving up utilisation. Through GBR’s directing mind function, services and timetables will be developed in a coherent fashion that drives up network performance and improves the journey experience.We are also already driving forward improvements in advance of GBR. For example, we are supporting LNER to deliver their ‘Simpler Fares’ trial, which is testing an easier to understand fares structure and demand-based pricing on parts of their long-distance network. The aim is to improve the passenger experience by reducing crowding, making better use of capacity and making travel more comfortable for passengers.

How many (a) stations, (b) tracks, (c) passengers and (d) fareboxes will not be run by Great British Rail.

GBR will be responsible for all stations, infrastructure and services that are currently run by Network Rail or operators contracted by government. It will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare.

How many planning permissions for new homes on surplus railway land have been granted since 5 July 2024.

Since July 2024, planning permission has been granted for more than 2,800 new homes on surplus railway land.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled Digital driving licence coming this year, published on 21 January 2025, what the commencement date is for the pilot of the mobile driver's license; what is the proposed duration of that pilot; and what the proposed timetable is for the national rollout of digital driving licences.

We will begin testing an early version of the digital driving licence with a small group of users later this year. The exact date and format of the trial hasn’t yet been finalised.Following best practice in developing this type of digital product, testing and iterating will take place over a number of months.This follows on from the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, requiring services to issue a digitally verified credential alongside any paper/card-based credential or proof of entitlement eligibility by the end of 2027.

With reference to the press notice entitled Transport Secretary forges landmark deal to progress new Swiss rail link, published on 9 May 2025, how many meetings of the joint UK–Swiss working group have been held as of 10 October 2025; what the cost to the public purse was for those meetings; how many staff hours have been spent on the development of the Memorandum of Understanding; how many (a) staff meetings and (b) meetings with her Swiss counterparts have been held in relation to the development of the Memorandum of Understanding.

The landmark agreement signed with Switzerland earlier this year established a UK–Swiss Working Group which could pave the way for direct commercial services between the UK and Switzerland in future. As of 10 October 2025, one meeting of the joint UK–Swiss Working Group has been held. This took place in the UK on 16 September 2025. The costs of hosting this working group, excluding staff time, are estimated to be less than £800. The next working group meeting will be planned for the first quarter of 2026.Whilst it is not possible to quantify the number of staff hours dedicated to developing the Memorandum of Understanding, officials have held a number of internal meetings and discussions with Swiss counterparts to support its development.

If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the merger of Anglo American and Teck on national security.

The Government has powers under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 to review and, where required, intervene in investments that may pose a risk to national security. The NSI Act both facilitates investment into sensitive sectors with appropriate safeguards where needed, and provides powers to act in the interests of national security where necessary and proportionate. Given national security and commercial considerations, the Government will not generally comment on specific acquisitions or the potential applicability of the NSI Act 2021. Acquisitions considered under the NSI Act are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and the Government will not hesitate to use its powers where necessary.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69609 on Defibrillators in non-emergency ambulances, whether his Department has made an assessment of the consistency of Integrated Care Boards’ contractual requirements in respect of defibrillators on non-emergency patient transport service vehicles; and if he will take steps to ensure minimum national standards are in place.

The Department has not made an assessment centrally. It is local NHS commissioners who are responsible for managing the NHS budget and arranging NHS healthcare services which meet the needs of their respective populations.Patients should undergo assessment for patient transport service (PTS) journeys. If significant clinical issues are identified as part of that assessment, then the PTS provider could allocate additional measures for that patient. This might include having particular equipment, including a defibrillator, on board, and/or having crews with a higher training level.

What steps his Department is taking to expand the range of defibrillator manufacturers and suppliers available through Government procurement frameworks.

The Cabinet Office does not currently offer a commercial agreement for defibrillators. CCS (an agency of the Cabinet Office) agreements do not cover medical devices; departments procure these through their own routes. NHS Supply Chain operates a commercial agreement for defibrillation devices and related services and accessories for use by approved organisations. The Procurement Act 2023, introduced in February 2025, opens up frameworks to give greater flexibility to both buyers and suppliers, and provide more opportunity for innovation.

What recent assessment she has made of the resilience of Britain’s rail network to prolonged periods of dry weather, in the context of ongoing speed restrictions and service reductions on routes including the West of England line; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) embankments and (b) track infrastructure are properly maintained to avoid repeated disruption to passengers.

The resilience of Britain’s rail network to severe weather is managed through Network Rail’s Control Period 7 regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans. Through the period we will invest £2.8 billion in improving the resilience of their assets to extreme weather (including dry weather) and in development of long-term climate change adaptation pathways. Extended periods of dry weather made some clay embankments unstable on some rail routes including in Westen England. In this region the driest spring since 1836, followed by the driest summer in 200 years, resulted in a severe soil moisture deficit. To manage these conditions safely Network Rail worked with train operators, including South Western Railway, to implement speed restrictions and make some service alterations as a result. Network Rail and South Western Railway continue to monitor soil moisture levels, track conditions, and train performance, and provide regular updates to the Department. Services will be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so. Most railway embankments in western/southern England are built on clay soil, which normally contains moisture. However, heat radiation and moisture absorption by lineside vegetation and trees have removed much of this moisture. Temporary speed restrictions, which cause extended journey times, are one of the ways in which services can continue to run safely.

On what evidential basis his Department has assessed the public health implications of (a) the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and (b) encouraging the use of less harmful alternatives to tobacco.

The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance right, ensuring we take definitive action to tackle youth vaping, whilst ensuring that vapes, alongside other forms of quit aids, remain accessible to adult smokers.The Government has published a comprehensive impact assessment for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which includes the health benefits and the impact on people who vape currently. This assessment was reviewed in full by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which deemed it ‘fit for purpose’ in its published opinion on 5 November 2024.Importantly, the bill introduces a progressive age of sale policy for tobacco, the smoke-free generation policy, and also includes policies that further restrict the sale and appeal of tobacco products. This will have a dissuasive effect on consumers considering tobacco products, which will mitigate any potential risks of people that vape returning to tobacco use.Tobacco duty will also be increased alongside the upcoming vaping products duty to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.To support current smokers to quit, we are providing £70 million of additional funding into local stop smoking services and delivering Tobacco Dependency Treatment through National Health Service inpatient and maternity services. These services provide access to a range of medicines, nicotine replacement therapies, and vapes, alongside behavioural support. Vapes are a popular quit aid among adult smokers and we have commissioned guidance from the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training to maximise their use and ensure practitioners are trained to deliver the best advice.Our national public health marketing campaigns, such as Stoptober and our annual campaigns, motivate adults to quit smoking. Public health messaging will continue to educate smokers about smoking quit aids and will support the promotion of vapes as a means for adult smokers to quit smoking, as outlined on the Better Health and NHS websites.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the risk of vapers returning to traditional cigarettes.

The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance right, ensuring we take definitive action to tackle youth vaping, whilst ensuring that vapes, alongside other forms of quit aids, remain accessible to adult smokers.The Government has published a comprehensive impact assessment for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which includes the health benefits and the impact on people who vape currently. This assessment was reviewed in full by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which deemed it ‘fit for purpose’ in its published opinion on 5 November 2024.Importantly, the bill introduces a progressive age of sale policy for tobacco, the smoke-free generation policy, and also includes policies that further restrict the sale and appeal of tobacco products. This will have a dissuasive effect on consumers considering tobacco products, which will mitigate any potential risks of people that vape returning to tobacco use.Tobacco duty will also be increased alongside the upcoming vaping products duty to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.To support current smokers to quit, we are providing £70 million of additional funding into local stop smoking services and delivering Tobacco Dependency Treatment through National Health Service inpatient and maternity services. These services provide access to a range of medicines, nicotine replacement therapies, and vapes, alongside behavioural support. Vapes are a popular quit aid among adult smokers and we have commissioned guidance from the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training to maximise their use and ensure practitioners are trained to deliver the best advice.Our national public health marketing campaigns, such as Stoptober and our annual campaigns, motivate adults to quit smoking. Public health messaging will continue to educate smokers about smoking quit aids and will support the promotion of vapes as a means for adult smokers to quit smoking, as outlined on the Better Health and NHS websites.

What steps his Department plans to take to educate consumers about less harmful alternatives to smoking.

The health advice is clear that whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and adult non-smokers should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been carefully designed to get this balance right, ensuring we take definitive action to tackle youth vaping, whilst ensuring that vapes, alongside other forms of quit aids, remain accessible to adult smokers.The Government has published a comprehensive impact assessment for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which includes the health benefits and the impact on people who vape currently. This assessment was reviewed in full by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which deemed it ‘fit for purpose’ in its published opinion on 5 November 2024.Importantly, the bill introduces a progressive age of sale policy for tobacco, the smoke-free generation policy, and also includes policies that further restrict the sale and appeal of tobacco products. This will have a dissuasive effect on consumers considering tobacco products, which will mitigate any potential risks of people that vape returning to tobacco use.Tobacco duty will also be increased alongside the upcoming vaping products duty to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.To support current smokers to quit, we are providing £70 million of additional funding into local stop smoking services and delivering Tobacco Dependency Treatment through National Health Service inpatient and maternity services. These services provide access to a range of medicines, nicotine replacement therapies, and vapes, alongside behavioural support. Vapes are a popular quit aid among adult smokers and we have commissioned guidance from the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training to maximise their use and ensure practitioners are trained to deliver the best advice.Our national public health marketing campaigns, such as Stoptober and our annual campaigns, motivate adults to quit smoking. Public health messaging will continue to educate smokers about smoking quit aids and will support the promotion of vapes as a means for adult smokers to quit smoking, as outlined on the Better Health and NHS websites.

How much funding her Department has allocated to (a) road maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in each year since 2022; and what the total amount is allocated over that period.

The Department has allocated approximately £8 billion for local highways maintenance in England over the period 2021/22 to 2025/26.This includes a range of funding sources including the Highways Maintenance Block, the Integrated Transport Block, Potholes Funding, Network North, the Local Transport Grant, and highways funding that has been consolidated into City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS).The figure is exclusive of baseline highways maintenance funding and Integrated Transport Block funding that has been consolidated into CRSTS funding for 2025/26. The Department has not split out how much of this funding is for highways maintenance as, by the nature of the funding, it is consolidated transport funding for local authorities to decide how best to use.The £226 million Local Transport Grant of 2025/26 is for local transport and maintenance more widely. Integrated Transport Block funding is for local transport maintenance and enhancements.The above figure also includes the £500m funding uplift for local highways maintenance in 2025/26 that the Government announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.Further information on these funding streams is available online, at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocationshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-grant-allocations/local-transport-grant-ltg-allocations-2025-to-2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71207 on National Security: Finance, if she will place publish a copy of the (a) Government’s and (b) NATO guidance on the definition of (i) defence and (bii) security related expenditure, for the purposes of the UK Government meeting its NATO commitments.

The NATO definition of defence expenditure, and defence and security related expenditure can be found on the NATO website: NATO - Topic: Defence expenditures and NATO’s 5% commitment These definitions are used by the UK and all NATO allies when reporting their NATO qualifying expenditure.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of industrial action by train guards on passengers.

The Department regrets the impact any industrial action by guards may have on passengers. The Department works with its contracted train operators to minimise the impact of any industrial action and encourages them and the trade unions to resolve matters, through discussion, as quickly as possible.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71238 on Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing, for what reason the consultation response has been delayed.

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.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71253 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, if she will publish a copy of the extant facility time agreements in place for (a) her Department, (b) Great British Railways and (c) DfT Operator Limited.

In rail, facility time agreements are between individual train operating companies or Network Rail and the trade unions (TUs), not between the Department for Transport or DfT Operator Limited and the TUs. Great British Railways has not yet been established so has no facility time agreements.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71258 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether (a) Oxfordshire County Council and (b) Oxford City Council have made enquiries to DVLA to access vehicle registration data for the purposes of (i) congestion charging and (ii) traffic filters.

In line with the relevant legislation, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides vehicle information to Oxfordshire County Council for a number of specified purposes. These include management of the zero emission zones scheme and moving traffic offences. The data sharing contract governing requests for vehicle information relating to local authority schemes in Oxford is between the DVLA and Oxfordshire County Council.