Written questions by Lowe.

If she will clarify the decision making process behind the decision to transfer MV Ruby's cargo of ammonia nitrate into the North Sea; and who was responsible for that decision.

The East of England Environment Group comprising a range of scientific experts and regulators, considered the options, including socio-economic impacts, and a recommended site was agreed for disposal. This site is a live aggregate dredging area, over 20 metres deep with no anticipated impacts on sensitive habitats or ecosystem features. The ship's master made the ultimate decision to discharge the ammonium nitrate due to force majeure and the risks posed to the crew and ship by an incoming weather front.

If she will publish all documents relating to plans to evacuate Great Yarmouth constituency due to the docking of the MV Ruby.

Decisions regarding evacuation of local populations are taken based on the local assessment of risk and impacts by local authorities and local emergency services cooperating as a Strategic Coordination Group (SCG) to ensure an effective local response.

What discussions she had with relevant local authorities on decisions relating to the MV Ruby in Great Yarmouth port.

Ministers and senior officials worked with their counterparts from the relevant local authorities throughout the time MV Ruby was docked at Great Yarmouth.

Whether the MV Ruby's cargo of ammonia nitrate was tested for contamination.

The port provided the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with the information required to verify the potential contamination and therefore no certification was required.

How many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.

Seven officials have been hired by the Department at AO and EO grades via the Civil Service ‘Going Forward into Employment’ schemes in the last financial year.

What recent estimate she has made of the (a) cost of building HS2 and (b) impact of HS2 on economic growth in the next 10 years; and what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the lessons learned from the construction of Crossrail.

HS2 has faced increases in costs since delivery started and this needs to end and the programme must be brought under control. The Secretary of State has asked Mark Wild, the new CEO of HS2 Ltd, to review the remaining scope, the cost and schedule needed to complete phase 1 of the programme, and advise the government on what is needed.Despite its challenges, HS2 is delivering, and will deliver long-term benefits for people and places. The programme is currently supporting over 31,700 jobs, and it will support wider economic growth, including the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes. A report commissioned by HS2, ‘From Trains to Cranes’, included analysis estimating that HS2 will drive a £10 billion annual uplift within the West Midlands area over the next 10 years (https://www.hs2.org.uk/about-us/our-documents/from-trains-to-cranes-hs2-and-the-west-midlands-development-boom/).Action is being taken to learn lessons from Phase 1 of HS2, as well as previous programmes such as Crossrail. The Department has commissioned an independent review of the governance and assurance of the Department’s major infrastructure projects, drawing primarily on the experiences of HS2. The review, which is led by James Stewart, is part of the Department’s on-going programme of work to learn lessons from HS2 and its other major projects, such as Crossrail.

How many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here:DfT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UKDfT: senior officials’ business expenses and meetings, April to June 2024 - GOV.UKInformation for the period July to October is due for publication shortly.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that women can only be strip-searched by British Transport Police officers who were female at birth.

The British Transport Police (BTP) is operationally independent. Chief Constables must ensure that their force policies comply with all legal obligations, including under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and Equalities Act 2010.

What information her Department holds on the number of people affected by train delays in each of the last ten years.

The Department does not hold information on the number of people affected by train delays. Rail industry data measures train delays. The Office of Rail and Road publishes quarterly and periodic (four-weekly) statistics on punctuality, reliability and causes of delay for passenger trains operating on the mainline network in Great Britain. This data set includes the percentage of recorded station stops that were arrived at ‘On Time’ (early or less than one minute after the scheduled time). Table: Proportion of recorded station stops that were arrived at ‘On Time’, Great Britain2014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-2464.5%63.2%62.0%62.8%63.5%65.0%79.8%73.1%67.8%67.6%Source: Table 3138 - Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator (periodic), Office of Rail and Road Note: Financial year ending 31 March These statistics can be found on the passenger rail performance data portal at the following link: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/.

What the total number of minutes is that trains have been delayed in each of the last 10 years.

Delays affecting Trains in Great BritainYearTotal Number of Delay Minutes01/04/14 - 31/03/1512,939,36101/04/15 - 31/03/1613,681,34001/04/16 - 31/03/1714,685,98501/04/17 - 31/03/1814,830,15101/04/18 - 31/03/1916,743,88401/04/19 - 31/03/2016,952,75501/04/20 - 31/03/216,745,96501/04/21 - 31/03/2210,486,81001/04/22 - 31/03/2313,734,94401/04/23 - 31/03/2415,499,548Note:Delay minutes affecting all passenger operators, excluding private or charter operators.Includes all delay minutes which are allocated to incidents which are attributed a reason and a responsible owner.

If she will provide a breakdown by place of birth of all new driving licence applications in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost as a scan of the DVLA’s driving licence database and subsequent manual scrutiny and organisation of the data would be necessary to obtain the information requested.

What information her Department holds on the number of pot holes that were reported in each of the last 25 years.

It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to manage and maintain their local highway networks, including understanding what parts of the network require maintenance, based on local needs and priorities. Local authorities are required to provide road condition information to the Department as part of the data obligations set out in the Single Data List. The Department publishes this information on gov.uk, and the data goes back to March 2007.

Which wildlife protection projects relate to HS2 works; and what the cost is of each.

HS2 must meet regulatory and legal requirements to protect existing wildlife and is also committed to a target of ‘No Net Loss’ in biodiversity. HS2 Ltd therefore deploys an adaptive approach to wildlife protection and environmental mitigation. The design and construction of HS2 is required to meet legislative and regulatory requirements, and HS2 Ltd’s proposals for mitigation are subject to review, inspection and guidance from the regulators to ensure mitigations are in place to protect wildlife. HS2 is an integrated scheme where routine wildlife protection costs are accounted for within the overall costs, except for a number of specific structures. It is therefore not feasible to immediately isolate a proportion of the costs for the mitigation required for wildlife protection, which is an ongoing responsibility as construction continues and circumstances on the ground continue to develop. Once constructed, the new HS2 railway will result in over 33 km2 of habitats being in place for species to use, a significant amount of which is directly provided as part of HS2’s commitment to wildlife protection.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving access to wifi on trains for (a) the economy and (b) productivity.

I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.

How many driving licences were issued to people born outside of the UK by nationality in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not available, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the nationality of driving licence holders.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) AI and (b) automation for rail reforms; and if she will have discussions with (i) Network Rail and (ii) train operators on the potential impact of those bodies using (A) AI on (B) automation on costs (1) for rail passengers and (2) to the public purse.

The Department recognises the potentially transformative role that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can play across all transport modes, including rail. Within rail, these technologies have the potential to deliver step-change improvements in several areas, including to the passenger experience, train positioning and control, infrastructure and asset management, safety management, energy management and emissions control. My officials continue to work closely with Shadow Great British Railways and other rail industry bodies including Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to ensure that the benefits of these technologies are fully recognised and realised.

How much funding her Department has provided for the repair of potholes (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in each of the last ten years.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Norfolk County Council is the local highway authority for the Great Yarmouth constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network. This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course. The funding the Department has provided for local highway maintenance, including but not limited to the repair of potholes, in Norfolk and nationally in each of the last ten years is in the table below: YearHighways Maintenance funding - Norfolk County Council (£m)Total Highways Maintenance funding - England (£m)2015/1628.6371,1562016/1729.4741,0262017/1833.8121,2222018/1942.3381,3462019/2029.5921,0512020/2150.0731,6262021/22*35.7571,125*2022/23*35.7571,125*2023/24*46.6231,475*2024/25*40.2671,275**Includes equivalent funding within areas in England receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.

If she will take steps to support local bus services in Great Yarmouth Constituency.

Improving local bus services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in Great Yarmouth, to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will seek to increase the powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership. In addition, the government has confirmed an additional £925 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, bringing total bus investment at the Budget to over £1 billion. Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. The government will continue working closely with local transport authorities including Norfolk County Council, and others, to deliver better bus and public transport services throughout England.

What the average waiting time was per driving test centre in (a) the UK and (b) Great Yarmouth constituency.

The average waiting time data per driving test centre (DTC) in the UK for September 2024 is contained within the attached document. The table below shows the national average waiting time, and those DTCs that serve the Great Yarmouth constituency. Driving test centreAverage Waiting time (September 2024)Lowestoft (Mobbs Way)9Norwich (Peachman Way)22.2Norwich (Jupiter Road)9.4National19

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow independent lifeboat services to use (a) blue lights and (b) sirens on public highways.

Ministers are giving consideration to this matter. An update will be provided in due course.