Written questions by Bacon.

What plans she has for the future of rolling stock leasing agreements.

The Secretary of State currently has no plans to change the way rolling stock is leased. The private sector play an important role in the rolling stock market in Great Britain. We expect rolling stock owners to continue to use their commercial, engineering and technical expertise to engage with the Department, operators and local authorities to ensure that rolling stock solutions continue to meet passenger demands whilst delivering value for money to the public purse.

Whether her Department is taking steps to use rail freight to help support the building of new homes.

Rail freight is a highly efficient way of transporting goods and it will be critical to supporting the Government’s target to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament.The mode used to transport materials for housebuilding is a commercial decision for developers to make. However, in the financial year 2023-24, 5.3 billion net tonne kilometres of construction materials were moved by rail, an increase of 8% on the previous year.

What steps National Rail is taking to ensure the adequacy of cyber security at train stations.

The government is committed to working with Network Rail and train operators to enhance cyber security and resilience across railway stations and the wider rail network. Within Network Rail and train operating companies there are dedicated security teams, whose job it is to monitor systems and networks to deter, detect and respond to cyber threats and recover systems should a cyber incident occur, getting them up and running again as quickly as possible.DfT is committed to improving the management of cyber risks within the rail industry and provide greater protection to the travelling public by improving the understanding of cyber risk. DfT continues to work with Operators of Essential Services (OES) who are regulated through the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018, to ensure the UK’s most critical businesses are compliant with the necessary cyber regulations to safeguard the British public and businesses against the growing cyber threat.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 13063 on High Speed 2 Line: Construction, what information her Department holds on levels of compliance by contractors with the HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements.

The HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements contain a range of controls to ensure compliance with (amongst other things) the environmental provisions in the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act. More information is available in the HS2 Information Paper E1: Control of Environmental Impacts https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82e5cae5274a2e87dc386e/E1_-_Control_of_Environmental_Impacts_v1.7.pdf HS2 Ltd publishes regular reports on compliance with the Code of Construction Practice provisions on managing noise, vibration, air quality and dust impacts on local communities. Latest reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2-2024. This is supplemented by annual reports setting out an assessment of how the HS2 programme is affecting the environment, how contractors are reducing their impact and examines progress in setting and meeting environmental controls. These reports are available here: https://www.hs2.org.uk/documents/collections/hs2-environmental-sustainability-progress-reports/ HS2 Ltd is required by the General Principles of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Environmental Minimum Requirements to report any new significant environmental effects that exceed those which were reported in the Phase 1 Environmental Statement (as amended). A Supplementary Environmental Information report for each case is published on Gov.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sei-reports-for-new-significant-environmental-effects-on-the-hs2-phase-one-route.

What the planned timetable is for reopening the Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington.

Passenger trains will return to the Northumberland Line from Sunday 15 December 2024. The stations at Ashington and Seaton Delaval will open from that date with regular services to and from Newcastle. This is a major boost to the region and for the local communities bringing with it greater opportunities for employment, education and leisure activities plus attracting significant private sector investment.

If she will make it her policy to ensure that cash payment remains an option for rail passengers.

Ensuring accessibility for all passengers is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach. As modern ticketing and payment methods roll out more widely on the railways, we will ensure that all passengers, including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet, are able to buy a ticket across the different retail options.

What the planned timetable is for opening (a) Bedlington, (b) Blyth Bebside and (c) Northumberland Park station on the Northumberland Line.

Following the opening of Ashington and Seaton Delaval on 15 December, the final four stations on the Northumberland line at Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, and Northumberland Park are expected to open next year.

What penalties can be applied to rail operators for failure to provide adequate support for disabled passengers to access train services; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing further potential penalties.

We know that too often assistance for passengers falls short of what they need and what they deserve. Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).  An ATP sets out, amongst other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its services and to facilitate such use and is enforceable by the ORR. Going forward this Government will take advantage of the benefits of an integrated and unified network to deliver a more reliable and consistent customer experience for everyone with accessibility needs. Lord Hendy committed to developing a roadmap for accessibility during the passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, and this is part of our customer-focused approach to the much-needed reform of the railways.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of machine gaming duty on high streets.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing gambling taxes on employment in (a) high street bookmakers, (b) high street adult gaming centres and (c) bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the economy.

Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry, including estimates for gross value added (GVA), employment generated and tax revenue raised.The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to GVA in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty.

Media and Sport, what modelling her Department has done to assess the potential impact of an increase in machine gaming duty on bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to introduce an extended producer responsibility scheme for the textile sector.

The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a taskforce of experts from across Government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations. The Taskforce will help to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such the Taskforce will evaluate what interventions may need to be made in the textiles sector as it helps to develop the Circular Economy Strategy. In the meantime, we continue to fund action in this area through the Textiles 2030 voluntary initiative which supports businesses and organisations within the fashion and textiles industry to transition to more sustainable and circular practices.

Whether the National Screening Council plans to review its advice on Prostate Specific Antigen testing.

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway, and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan. The evidence review includes modelling the clinical cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, and will encompass different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher than average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

What recent assessment she has made of the impact of levels of borrowing on public finances.

Borrowing for the first four months of the financial year was £51.4bn, £4.7bn higher than the OBR forecast in March. This adds to the challenging fiscal position the government has inherited, with debt at its highest level since the 1960s. The Chancellor has commissioned a full economic and fiscal forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility for the Budget on 30th October.