Written questions by Mayer.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing electric vehicle purchase grants for private owners.

The Government already provides support for private owners looking to purchase zero emission vehicles, including generous taxation incentives and Plug-in Vehicle Grants for specific types of vehicles. In the recent Budget, the Government announced £120m of new funding for next financial year to support the purchase of new electric vans via the Plug-in Van Grant and to support the manufacture of wheelchair accessible EVs.

What steps she is taking to support multi-modal interchanges at (a) HS2 Euston Station and (b) all other new stations.

The Department for Transport is working with key partners to develop affordable plans for the Euston Station Campus, which will comprise the new HS2 station, an upgraded Network Rail station, and enhancements to the London Underground station and local transport facilities along with a significant level of development. The ease of interchange for passengers will always be a critical consideration. At Old Oak Common, the new HS2 station will provide connectivity with Elizabeth Line, Heathrow Express and Great Western Railway services within the station itself. This will be supported by connections for buses, private hire vehicles and active travel routes outside the station building. At Birmingham Curzon Street, the Department is working with HS2 Ltd and Transport for West Midlands on the integration of the Birmingham Eastside metro extension at the HS2 station. There will also be provision for bus stops, active travel routes, and bicycle storage. At Interchange station, HS2 will construct an Automated People Mover which will connect the station to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International railway station and Birmingham Airport. The design for the station also incorporates a bus interchange, short and long stay car parking, bicycle storage, and a network of active travel routes.

How many Security Industry Authority licence applications were made at a Crown Post Office last year.

According to the Post Office, the number of Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence applications made at Directly Managed Branches for the 2023/2024 Financial Year was 15,150. Across the total network, the number of SIA licensed applications made for the same Financial Year was 97,954.

How many Crown post offices make a profit.

Directly Managed Branches are loss-making for the Post Office. As such, Post Office has been clear that it’s their ambition to operate the network on a fully franchised basis in time, as they believe that this is a more sustainable model. The Post Office's Transformation Plan aims to deliver a reduction in central costs and look seriously at other ways to deliver efficiencies. The Post Office will however continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement and geographical access criteria set by Government.

With reference to the Prime Minister's National Statement at COP29 on 12 November 2024, whether she plans to revise her Department’s emission target following the Government's announcement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels by 2035.

The UK’s ambitious and credible Nationally Determined Contribution target for 2035 is consistent with the effort required to deliver the existing Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-37). The Department is committed to delivering greener transport and supporting accelerating to net zero as part of the Government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

What discussions she has had with TFL on the location of the bus station at Euston station.

The Department for Transport is working with key partners, including Transport for London, to develop affordable plans for the Euston Station Campus.

What assessment the Department has made of the level of passenger brand awareness of franchised rail operators.

The Department has not assessed the level of passenger brand awareness of franchised rail operators. The operating companies periodically test their own brand awareness as part of their own market research, but this information is not shared with the Department, nor is this research routinely conducted on a frequent basis.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national standards for bus stops in England and Wales.

The design of bus stations and stops can have a significant impact on the ability and willingness of people to use bus services. The Department has provided advice on the provision of bus stops in Local Transport Note 1/24, Bus User Priority, and further guidance on accessible bus stop design in the Inclusive Mobility document.It is the responsibility of local authorities to install and update facilities such as bus stops, and they should ensure that this reflects best practice in accessibility and safety, while being mindful of their duties under the Equality Act 2010.Transport in Wales is a devolved issue. The Welsh Government is responsible for setting strategic transport policies and priorities.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the Advertising Standards Authority maintains standards relating to advertisements offering cash prizes in mobile gaming apps that may be used by children.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is responsible for setting the UK Advertising Codes while the Advertising Standards Authority enforces them. Both are independent of the government.Section 5 of the CAP Code contains the rules regarding advertising targeted at children. Section 8 contains rules for promotional marketing including prize draws. ASA guidance states that video and mobile game ads must be targeted appropriately if they contain elements unsuitable for children.

Whether the Network Rail regions will be redrawn.

There are no plans to change Network Rail’s existing structures.We expect to introduce the legislation to create Great British Railways (GBR) and enable transformation of the rail sector later in this parliamentary session.GBR will be a new organisation taking on Network Rail’s existing functions and train operating companies, with a new culture dedicated single-mindedly to delivering for passengers, freight customers and taxpayers. Decisions on GBR’s management structures will be made in due course.

Whether her Department has had discussions with police forces on the provision of training on potential inks between domestic violence and violence against animals.

The Government will treat violence against women and girls (VAWG) as a national emergency. We have set out our ambition to halve VAWG in a decade using every available lever.Committing violence towards a pet or an assistance animal or using them to control or coerce a victim should be considered as risk factors for domestic abuse and must be treated seriously by the police. It is essential that every force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes taking into account the relevant risk factors.We are committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG. We are working closely with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to strengthen police training for all forms of VAWG, including domestic abuse.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish its planned timescale for implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

This Government is strongly committed to requiring standardised SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) in new developments. We need to see SuDS in more developments; to designs that cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits and helping to improve water quality. It is also important to ensure that appropriate adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place. We believe that these outcomes can be achieved through either improving the current planning led approach using powers now available, or commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A final decision on the way forward will be made in the coming months.

What her Department's planned timetable is for appointing the CEO of Shadow Great British Railways.

Laura Shoaf has been appointed as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways. In this role she convenes the leaders of Network Rail, DfT’s Operator of Last Resort and DfT’s Rail Services Group who maintain their existing accountabilities.As Shadow Great British Railways is not an organisation in its own right, there are no plans to appoint a CEO.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) 4G and (b) 5G coverage in Bedfordshire.

This Government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas, including Bedfordshire, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025 through the Shared Rural Network programme. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment and competition. As part of this work, the Government intends to reform the planning system to make it easier to build and deploy digital infrastructure.

How her Department plans to allocate the funding to tackle shoplifting announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

Shop theft is at a record high. This Government is taking strong action by removing the threshold for shop theft under £200 and making it a specific criminal offence for assaults on shopworkers.As announced in the Autumn Budget, and building on current Home Office funding, we will provide the following additional funding to help tackle retail crime:£5 million over three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to crack down on organised gangs targeting retailers;£2 million over three years to the National Business Crime Centre, a resource for police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime; and£100k in 2025-26 for the National Police Chiefs' Council for further training on prevention tactics.

If she will publish her Department's criteria for prioritising rail routes for electrification.

Electrification will play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target. Discontinuous electrification, as well as alternative technologies such as hydrogen, battery and bi-modes will also play a part. Which rail lines will be electrified will broadly depend on the most suitable technological choice and value for money. More widely, the Transport Secretary has stated that we want to move to a vision-led approach to planning infrastructure so that transport is an engine for social mobility and economic growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department is providing to farmers to transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in (i) East, (b) South West and (c) South East of England.

The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes in 2025/26. This funding will deliver improvements to food security, biodiversity, carbon emissions, water quality, air quality and flood resilience. Environmental Land Management schemes will remain at the centre of our offer for farmers, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. These offer funding streams for farmers to make their businesses more sustainable and resilient, including those who have been often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenant farmers. We will work with the sector to continue to roll out, improve and evolve these schemes, to make them work for farming and nature.

Innovation and Technology, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a digital champion in each local authority area.

The Government believes Digital Champions play a key role in advancing the digital connectivity agenda - and help local communities to realise the benefits advanced connectivity can bring. We strongly encourage local and combined authorities to appoint them as dedicated officers where possible. We have set out more details on the role that Digital Champions can play within the Digital Connectivity Portal. The Portal is an extensive online resource providing best practice guidance helping local authorities to facilitate digital infrastructure deployment. It can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-strategy-and-leadership#digital-champion

What assessment her Department has made of the potential use of discontinuous electrification as a means to decarbonise the rail network.

The Government expects electrification to play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target and improve the passenger experience.Overhead Line Electrification will remain the best value for money option for some lines, for example where there is high speed, high volume of passenger trains, or high freight use; but other lines may represent better value for money by electrifying less and utilising hybrid electric and battery power trains. East West Rail has recently launched a non-statutory consultation which sets out a preference for discontinuous electrification and a final decision will be informed by the consultation responses.

Whether her Department is holding discussions with (a) East West Rail Company and (b) rail operators on branding for trains on East West Rail.

The Department is considering options for the branding on trains for Connection Stage One (CS1) East West Rail services between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes and is holding discussions with the relevant parties, this has included Chiltern Railways and East West Rail Company who are supporting preparations for EWR CS1 Services.