Written questions by Holden.

How much funding the DVLA has received by providing vehicle registered keeper details in each of the last 10 years.

The table below shows the income collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by providing vehicle registered keeper details in each of the last ten years. The law allows the DVLA to provide information from the vehicle record (including keeper information) where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it. The fee payable by private sector organisations seeking the contact details of the registered keeper of a vehicle is £2.50 per request. The fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the general taxpayer. Financial yearIncome collected from the release of keeper details (£)2015-1611,887,2772016-1714,583,3862017-1817,024,7372018-1920,231,8472019-2023,697,3872020-2113,601,6572021-2224,412,3332022-2330,619,6062023-2434,544,2762024-2538,113,498

Whether (a) screen-reader compatibility, (b) audio navigation cues, (c) wheelchair-accessible vehicles and (d) other accessibility features will be mandatory requirements for the licensing of autonomous passenger services.

Certain requirements relating to accessibility of Automated Passenger Services (APS) are set out in the Automated Vehicles Act, which was agreed by Parliament in 2024. In considering whether to grant a permit, the appropriate national authority must have regard to whether and to what extent its granting is likely to lead to an improvement in the understanding of how APS should best be designed for, and provided to, older or disabled passengers. Permit holders will also be required to publish reports on how their services are meeting the needs and requirements of older and disabled passengers. In October, I chaired a roundtable on accessibility considerations for automated passenger-carrying services with individuals from advocate groups and accessibility organisations. The discussion included the importance of public trust and digital inclusion. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as we progress with the introduction of the APS permitting scheme in Spring 2026 and beyond. The Government’s consultation on the APS permitting scheme closed at the end of September. In the consultation, we sought input on what information should be required to be published by permit holders on how the service is meeting the needs of older and disabled people. Government will respond to the consultation in due course.

When she plans to publish Great British Railway’s (a) Access and Use Policy and (b) Draft Licence.

A consultation on a draft Access and Use Policy is to be launched during Bill passage to support implementation of rail reform. Under the Railways Act 1993, the Department is required to publish and consult on a draft licence, and this will not change with the Railways Bill. We intend to consult on the draft GBR licence during the Bill Passage.

Whether existing rail track access rights will (a) remain and (b) be unfettered by the introduction of (i) the Railways Bill and (ii) policies thereunder.

The Government has committed to honouring existing access rights. As existing contracts expire, operators will move on to new GBR model access contracts. There will be a need to make technical amendments to existing contracts to ensure that they continue to work effectively following GBR stand up and the Government has included a power for the Secretary of State to make such amendments as required.

Whether she plans to take steps to require that (a) Great British Railways and (b) any operator within Great British Railways cannot operate commercial freight services.

The Government is committed to supporting rail freight growth, recognising its significant economic and environmental potential and critical role in the UK’s resilience.Under GBR, freight will remain a private industry and continue to be an integral part of the railway. There are no plans for GBR to run commercial freight services. GBR will retain Network Rail’s ability to run services which are required to support the operation of the network.

If she will publish the number of (a) civil servants from the Department of Transport, (b) civil servants from other Government departments, (c) employees from Network Rail and (d) employees from other public and private sector organisations who are expected to move from their current roles to roles within Great British Railways.

While details on exact roles are subject to further design work, Great British Railways (GBR) will continue to need colleagues from across the railway to continue the hard work that they do delivering for passengers. We will continue to engage with the industry on our plans for GBR.

If she will publish the total spending by her Department on (a) rail reform and (b) the formation of Great British Railways since 4 July 2025.

The recently published Railways Bill Impact Assessment sets out estimated costs for GBR and the passenger watchdog. Costs will be confirmed in the Full Business Case, which we expect to publish next year.

What recent estimate she has made of the potential impact of (a) her rail reform policies and (b) the establishment of Great British Railways on costs to the public purse.

The Impact Assessment presents an estimate of the set-up costs for Great British Railways and the Passenger Watchdog of approximately £200-400 million, with total transitional costs representing around 1-2% of the annual operational costs for DfT contracted operators and Network Rail combined. This investment will set GBR up on the right footing to achieve benefits for users and realise financial efficiencies once fully established.This builds on our continuing programme to bring all currently franchised services into public ownership. This will save the taxpayer up to £150 million a year in fees that would otherwise have been paid to private operators.

When she plans to publish a (a) draft licence for Great British Railways and (b) consultation on the licence terms.

Under the 1993 Railways Act, the Department is required to publish and consult on a draft licence, and this will not change with the Railways Bill. We intend to consult on the draft GBR licence during the Bill Passage. This will give interested parties the opportunity to share their views on the proposed contents. Further details will be made available in due course.

When she plans to publish a (a) draft access and usage policy for Great British Railways and (b) consultation for this policy.

It is our intention for a consultation on a draft Access and Use Policy to be launched during Bill passage to support implementation of rail reform.

What assessment she has made of the relative operational cost increases for (a) rail freight and (b) road freight during the period from 2011 when fuel duty was first frozen for HGVs.

Fuel duty is a matter for His Majesty’s Treasury. The Government recognises the economic and environmental benefits of rail freight. The Railways Bill will place a duty on Great British Railways to grow rail freight, meaning freight operators will benefit from a longer-term strategic approach to planning, including a new capacity allocation and timetabling process. As part of continued support for the sector, the Department has operated the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme since 2010. The scheme is designed to encourage modal shift by assisting with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport instead of road, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. The relative costs have been reviewed to ensure that the scheme continues to achieve its goal to support modal shift and are kept under review.

What protections exist to protect land and operations afforded to rail freight from (a) the risks of redevelopment and (b) other legal and commercial challenges; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing protections.

The Government recognises that safeguarding strategically important sites for rail freight is vital to securing the growth of the sector and is committed to continuing to protect strategic freight sites. Currently, the consent of the Office of Rail and Road is required for any land disposals by Network Rail under its Licence Conditions 16 and 17. The Department is currently working through a range of options to ensure their continued protection as we reform the railway. Any consideration by Great British Railways when disposing of land would have to take into account the duty to promote rail freight and the Secretary of State’s growth target, together with its other duties set out in the Railways Bill.

What discussions (a) she and (b) the Minister for Rail has had with the rail freight industry on the Railways Bill.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations, including those with rail freight stakeholders, are published every quarter and this information can be accessed on the Gov.uk website via the following link: Transparency and freedom of information releases - GOV.UK

How many civil servants are working on rail reform.

This information is already published as part of the Q2 Government Major Projects Portfolio Return.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 84309 on High Speed 2, what her Department’s latest estimate is of (a) the additional cost arising from the four-year deferral of works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction, (b) the revised total cost of the HS2 programme and (c) the expected date for completion of the final connection between High Speed 2 and the West Coast Main Line.

The previous Government paused works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction in March 2023. HS2 Ltd provided an estimate at the time in 2023 that the cost of demobilisation of these works was c.£35m (2019 prices). Further deferral will not incur demobilisation costs as the work has already been demobilised. Any additional costs are being considered as part of Mark Wild’s comprehensive review of HS2. As part of his reset work, he will advise on a revised cost estimate and schedule for HS2, including the scope between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction.

Whether she plans to retain the rail freight growth target of 75% growth in freight carried by rail by 2050; and whether she plans to (a) put that target on a statutory footing, (b) introduce interim milestones and (c) adopt regional targets.

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to the target of at least a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050. The recently published draft Railways Bill sets out a duty on the Secretary of State to set a growth target and for GBR to have regard to it. The Secretary of State is currently considering whether to set interim targets for 2040 and what those targets will be. In addition, Network Rail has the target of a 7.5% increase in rail freight growth by the end of March 2029.

How much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

The Department for Transport has not spent money on electric vehicle (EV) charging device installations on the central Department estate since July 2024. The Department for Transport does not hold information on money spent by its arm’s-length bodies on EV charging infrastructure or vehicles. According to industry statistics the average upfront price difference between new electric and new petrol cars is 19%, compared to 29% last year. DfT analysis shows that by switching to an EV, drivers could save as much as £1,500 a year compared to petrol car drivers on running and vehicle maintenance costs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82990 on Railways: Essex, what estimate her Department has made of the capital cost of that proposal; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposal on (a) efficiency and (b) emissions.

As per the answer of 27th October, Initial assessments indicate that electrifying the branch between London Gateway and Thames Haven Junction would improve the efficiency and reliability of rail freight while reducing emissions. We will continue to work closely with Network Rail and other industry partners in assessing the viability and affordability of this proposal.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the establishment of Great British Railways on the cost of rail services for passengers.

The Secretary of State will set the overall parameters for fares, reflecting their role in balancing affordability and taxpayer contributions to the railway, while Great British Railways (GBR) will set and manage individual fares for its services, creating a simpler, more consistent fares structure that passengers can trust. These decisions will be made in future once GBR is established. The new framework will also continue to safeguard existing statutory discount schemes, including those for disabled, senior, and younger passengers, currently delivered as railcards. There are no plans to withdraw other railcard schemes (e.g. Veterans or 26–30 railcards). GBR will have the flexibility to evolve these offers over time in line with passenger needs.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement a national ban on pavement parking; and whether she has held recent discussions with (a) Guide Dogs and (b) other relevant charities on this matter.

Ministers and Department officials have met with Guide Dogs and other relevant charities earlier this year to discuss pavement parking. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response soon.