Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 261–280 of 1,251 · Department for Transport
What expenditure has East West Rail undertaken on public affairs companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.
In April 2024, East West Rail (EWR) took out a contract for external support with political engagement, to the value of £366,615. It now no longer uses external support for public affairs activity. This particular contract lasted from July 2024 to Septemb...
With reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124885, in which month does her Department estimate that the DVSA will meet the level of driving examiners required to reduce the average waiting time f
It is not possible to predict the specific month in which the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will have enough examiners to reduce car practical driving test waiting times to seven weeks. Any such estimate would be subject to a wide range of un...
What expenditure National Highways has undertaken on i) public affairs and ii) lobbying companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.
From July 2024 to 18 May 2026, National Highways spent £280,921 on its technical professional services’ public affairs contract. This contract supports National Highways’ duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of national and regional represe...
What progress Network Rail has made on improving passenger mobile connectivity through the upgrade from GSM-R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System; and what the planned timeline is for that upgrade
The Government is committed to improving passenger connectivity as a core part of the rail offer. This is why the Department secured funding as part of the Spending Review to use low earth orbit satellite connectivity to significantly improve on train Wi-...
What steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks affecting the rail sector.
The Department for Transport (DfT) views the cyber security of the rail sector as a priority, working across Government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policy to ensure the cyber security and resilience of our essential services.DfT uses bo...
What the evidential basis was for not exempting large islands such as the Isle of Wight from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a key and effective policy lever for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the economy and there is a high bar for any exemptions from the scheme. A uniform carbon price applied consistently, without multiple ca...
With reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for the Haughley Junction upgrades.
The Haughley Junction upgrade will be considered in future as funding becomes available.
If she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in a) February 2026; b) March 2026; c) April 2026 and d) May 2026.
The answer to questions 122397 (31 March 2026) and 127873 (24 April 2026) provide the monthly average car practical driving test waiting time data (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for...
With reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 128563 on Avanti West Coast: Internet, what timetable has been set for (a) the upgrade of onboard Wi-Fi systems across Avanti West Coast services and (b
The work to upgrade Avanti West Coast (AWC) Wi-Fi systems is expected to be complete by Spring 2027 but this is subject to contractual agreement with suppliers. The AWC window etching project is due to complete testing by the end of March 2027, with full ...
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing formal trigger mechanisms or objective thresholds for future slot alleviation measures relating to aviation fuel disruption.
The Department for Transport is working closely with the aviation industry to understand pressures arising from the Middle East conflict, including any potential impacts on aviation fuel supply. The Government has been monitoring jet fuel stocks closely a...
With reference to her Department's press release published on 25 March 2026 entitled £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads, how much of the £1 billion announced funding pack
Of the £1 billion out to 2030 announced on 25 March 2026, £877 million is for zero emission vehicle purchase grants through the Zero Emission Truck Grant and Zero Emission Van Grant. £171 million is for infrastructure support through the Depot Charging Sc...
Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Lebanon; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the 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 20 April 2026 to Question 125029 on Department for Transport: Annual Reports, in respect of the £398 million Capital DEL expenditure attributed to the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group in 2024-25, if she will publish (a) a breakdown of the projects and programmes funded, (b) the amount allocated to each project, (c) a description of the purpose and remit of that Group, including its organisational structure, and (d) the planned Capital DEL and Resource DEL budget for that Group in 2025-26.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What the average number of days taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reach a licensing decision was in cases where a medical condition required investigation, in each month from January 2024 to April 2026.
The table below shows the average number of days to make a licensing decision for driving licence applications where a medical condition required investigation before a licence could be issued in each month from January 2024 to March 2026. The final figures for April 2026 are not yet available. 2024Group 1 (car and motorcycle)Group 2 (lorry and bus)January50.950.6February46.349.3March43.348.9April41.935.0May37.534.1June51.146.9July45.749.4August43.340.1September43.341.0October46.147.3November43.440.0December45.346.72025 January46.146.3February42.740.6March45.540.6April41.643.5May42.341.5June48.137.9July54.439.1August49.341.7September52.549.0October78.455.8November80.347.7December73.247.02026 January59.742.5February71.446.3March55.956.2 Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer than applications where there is no medical condition as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued. The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal, so most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125015 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of immobilisation devices unlawfully removed from vehicles.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with its national wheel clamping contractor to monitor where wheel clamps have been forcibly removed and to identify patterns of concern.When a vehicle is clamped, the registered keeper can secure the vehicle’s release by paying the required fee within 24 hours. In areas where the unlawful removal of immobilisation devices is a known issue the contractor will, where possible, immediately remove vehicles to reduce the risk of the clamp being removed unlawfully.Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems alert enforcement officers where there is a previous history of the clamp being removed so that immediate removal of the vehicle can be arranged.Measures to strengthen the securing chains on wheel clamps are also being considered to increase resistance to tampering. While this will not completely prevent deliberate damage, it is expected to significantly increase the time required to remove a clamp and so increase the likelihood of the offender being detected.
Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Netherlands Antilles; 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 Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the 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.
What the monthly average waiting time was for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre and zone for a) March and b) April 2026.
The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066787) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre, and zone, for March 2026. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available. Data for April 2026 will be available in May 2026. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also records national median waiting time data (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for practical car driving tests. In March 2026 this was 9 weeks. This data, broken down by test centre and zone, is currently not available for March and April 2026.
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 126073, when the forthcoming guidance from Active Travel England will be published.
On 25 March, Active Travel England set out the intention to publish guidance during 2026 to help authorities design safer streets for women and girls.
Pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 118274 on M1: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the roadworks on the M1 northbound between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed.
Repairs to the central reservation drainage on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed. All traffic management was removed on 30 March 2026.