Written questions by Mayhew.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of (a) the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime, (b) rising fuel prices and (c) other increased transport costs on tourism to the Isle of Wight.

As set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, emissions pricing is a vital policy to decarbonise the sector, and the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to domestic maritime was assessed on a scheme wide basis. The Impact Assessment concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of ports or operators. The UK ETS Maritime regime will be reviewed in 2028.The Government recognises the importance of ferry services to the Isle of Wight and continues to engage closely with cross-Solent ferry operators to understand impacts of fuel prices and other costs on businesses and tourism in the area.

With reference to the Answer of 22 Apr 2026 to Question 127105, what the outcomes of each of the Rail Engagement Group's meetings were; and whether her Department plans to take steps as a result.

Three Rail Engagement Group (REG) meetings have so far been held, which included discussion on a number of matters, such as the creation of Great British Railways and the progress of the Railways Bill.

What steps her Department is taking under GBR to increase cross border rail connections, such as the Wrexham-Shropshire-Midlands Railway.

In anticipation of the establishment of GBR, the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers have worked closely together to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding outlining how they and their agencies will work together to deliver a more aligned and integrated railway in the Wales and Borders area. The MoU specifically commits to the collaborative development, oversight and management, of cross border services between England and Wales. The MoU further commits to establishing a baseline of services within Wales and the Borders area which will be used as a metric to understand the impact of any changes to service provision. The Government already understands the potential connectivity benefits that Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway’s (WSMR) proposals could deliver, and for that reason has provided conditional support for WSMR’s application. Access to the rail network is, however, currently a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) under existing legislation, and the Department for Transport is unable to direct ORR in its decision-making. Once established GBR will be responsible for taking access decisions under a new access and charging framework, and the commitments made within the MoU will ensure decisions take account of the needs of people in Wales and the Borders. Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) have applied to operate new Open Access services between Wrexham General and London Euston. This is a resubmission of an application that was previously rejected by ORR due to lack of capacity on the West Coast Main Line. DfT has provided its conditional support for WSMR’s application, subject to ORR and Network Rail being satisfied that services can be accommodated without compromising network performance and without adversely affecting the rights of other operators.

What her planned timetable is to conclude the Rail Safety and Standards Board research project entitled Cost Benefit Analysis of Noise Mitigation on the Rail Network; and whether she plans to publish its findings.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board is the independent safety, standards, and research body for Great Britain's rail network. It expects to publish all findings from its research project, Cost Benefit Analysis of Noise Mitigation on the Rail Network, by early 2027

What plans she has to provide capital funding for large-scale port grid upgrades in addition to UK SHORE.

The Government is taking action to reform the grid connections process to ensure that ports can access the large-scale grid upgrades that they need.Alongside that, through the measures set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and our work at the International Maritime Organization, we are creating the right investment environment to unlock private sector funding for maritime decarbonisation that can also cover the cost of grid upgrades.Last year we ran a call for evidence on ports’ energy needs to inform our future maritime emissions policy. A response will be published later this year.

With reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Taiwan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

What minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to frontline rail staff responsible for passenger information and safety critical communications.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120882, in what month and year her Department expects discussions with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the detail and timing of work relating to Northern Powerhouse Rail to be concluded.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she plans to bring forward primary legislation to enable the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels in UK waters during this parliamentary session.

The Government recognises the transformative potential of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels and the need to ensure their safe and lawful operation in UK waters.The King’s Speech set out the Government’s plans to introduce the Regulating for Growth Bill. We will explore the establishment of an ambitious regulatory sandbox for maritime autonomy as a flagship use case for the Bill’s sandbox powers, to trial safely breaking down regulatory barriers and increasing UK competitiveness on the global stage for commercial vessels. This in turn, could enable controlled testing of next generation defence technology in closely supervised environments, supporting national security while accelerating innovation, productivity and growth across the UK defence industrial base.

With reference to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123167 on British Transport Police: Finance, what proportion and monetary value of the British Transport Police’s budget was recovered from (a) Train Operating Companies, (b) Network Rail, and (c) other rail industry bodies in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

In the most recent year for which figures are available (2025/26), the total British Transport Police budget was £418.5 million. Of this, £392.4 million was funded by the rail industry through Police Service Agreements (PSAs), with a further £26.1 million provided through grants and Enhanced Police Service Agreements (EPSAs). The proportions and values funded by the rail industry were: A) Train Operating Companies, including Transport for London and operators in the devolved administrations: £256.2 million (61.2% of total funding).B) Network Rail: £138.7 million (33.1% of total funding, including EPSA funding).C) Other PSA holders and operators: £7.8 million (1.8% of total funding). The remaining just under 4% of BTP’s total funding was provided through grants for specific programmes or projects by DfT or other government departments.

With reference to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 120881, when Network Rail will write to the Rt. Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, (a) what the purpose was of each flight to Bangladesh; (b) which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; (c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; (d) what the cost was of each visit; and (e) whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (i) conducted remotely and (ii) 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 31 March 2026 to Question 123167 on British Transport Police: Finance, what proportion and monetary value of the British Transport Police’s budget is recovered from (a) Train Operating Companies, (b) Network Rail, and (c) other rail industry bodies in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

In the most recent year for which figures are available (2025/26), the total British Transport Police budget was £418.5 million. Of this, £392.4 million was funded by the rail industry through Police Service Agreements (PSAs), with a further £26.1 million provided through grants and Enhanced Police Service Agreements (EPSAs).The proportions and values funded by the rail industry were:A) Train Operating Companies, including Transport for London and operators in the devolved administrations: £256.2 million (61.2% of total funding).B) Network Rail: £138.7 million (33.1% of total funding, including EPSA funding).C) Other PSA holders and operators: £7.8 million (1.8% of total funding).The remaining just under 4% of BTP’s total funding was provided through grants for specific programmes or projects by DfT or other government departments.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039, (a) what the purpose was of each flight to Bahrain; (b) which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; (c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; (d) what the cost was of each visit; and (e) whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (i) conducted remotely and (ii) 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 22 Apr 2026 to Question 127105, what the outcomes of each of the Rail Engagement Group's meetings were; and whether her Department plans to take steps as a result.

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

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Vietnam; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) 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 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Taiwan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) 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 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Serbia; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

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

Food and Rural Affairs, whether funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation programme was based on the Equal Experts Discovery Report on error rates in BNG metric submissions.

Funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation project followed completion of the Discovery phase, which is an early, exploratory stage in the Government Digital Service lifecycle. Decisions to progress from Discovery to Alpha, and to commit funding, are based on the overall findings of Discovery, including the nature of the problem to be addressed, user needs, strategic alignment and the potential value of a digital solution. While Discovery work considered a range of evidence, including issues affecting BNG metric submissions, the decision to fund Alpha was not based on any single factor.

How many driving examiners a) ceased to and b) started to practice in i) March and ii) April 2026.

On 31 March 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Service Agency (DVSA) had 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners (DE), the highest number since 2018 and 188 more DEs than on 30 April 2025. The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) who left DVSA and how many people successfully completed the training process in March 2026. The data for those leaving DVSA includes all DEs who have left including, for example, people were unsuccessful in completing the training process.DEs leaving DVSA in March 2026People successfully completing the training process in March 202616.82 FTE48 Data for April 2026 will be available in May 2026.