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 401–420 of 3,277 · this parliament
With reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 127548, what role her Department plays in balancing aviation growth by improving cycling facilities.
The Department sets out the policy framework within which airports operate and supports investment in sustainable travel infrastructure where appropriate. Active Travel England's Ports and Airports Employment Accessibility Fund allocates some funding to i...
What expenditure has HS2 Limited undertaken on public affairs companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.
Since 4 July 2024 HS2 Ltd has spent £212,200 on external public affairs support. This has focused on supporting HS2 Ltd and its senior leadership on communications strategy and stakeholder engagement.The spend refers to 5 contracts, which were signed on 2...
Which modern foreign languages are available as GCSE and A level qualifications in England; which European languages are not available as GCSE and A level qualifications; and what criteria are used by her Depar
French, German and Spanish are the most widely taught modern foreign languages at GCSE and A level. In addition, qualifications are available in up to 15 languages at GCSE and 15 languages at A level. The table below outlines the languages that are taught...
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...
Which budget the cat flap and cat ramp in Downing Street was funded from.
The associated costs were covered by the Prime Minister personally with no cost to the taxpayer.
When she plans to publish her Department's response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments.
The Home Office published the Department’s response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments on 8th May 2026. The response can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-technica...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take legislative steps to improve access to nature.
This Government has announced, as part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, that we will bring forward an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to improve and expand public access to the outdoors. The Green Paper will set out a range...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Russian counterpart on reports by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine that 95 per cent of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by
The UK continues to raise our serious concerns about these reports of widespread torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the international stage. We strongly condemn any torture or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, and we continue to make clear that suc...
How many and what proportion of people aged (a) between 16 and 24 and (b) over 16 are unemployed in Basildon and Billericay constituency (i) in the latest period for which statistics are available and (
The information requested on trends in levels of unemployment is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp and the guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp. The estimated unemployment levels a...
What estimate he has made of the average annual cost to businesses of transitioning from small to medium-sized company status due to accounting changes under FRS 102; and what assessment he has made of
FRS 102 is issued by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the responsibility for any detailed assessment of the impact of changes in FRS 102 rests with the FRC. Impact assessments are available on the FRC’s website: Impact Assessments and Feedback St...
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-...
Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to respond to the Ofcom consultation entitled Politicians presenting news: Consultation on proposed amendment to Rule 5.3 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, published on
Ofcom’s consultation on proposed amendments to Rule 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code closed on 23 June 2025, and Ofcom published a response to the consultation on 20 October 2025. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not respond to the consultation...
How much and what proportion was the change in average fees for his Department's sites offering childcare compared to 2024-25.
The Ministry of Defence does not hold fee information related to UK based childcare centrally, and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Childcare provision in the UK Defence estate is typically delivered by third-parties, with contractual...
With reference to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39574 on Katharine Birbalsingh, when the final note was shared.
In line with Cabinet Office guidance on circulating minutes, published under the previous administration, meeting notes should be shared in the days following the meeting. The meeting with Katharine Birbalsingh followed this approach.
What his position is on the (a) procurement by the UK Government and (b) development by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, of non-ballistic, tactical nuclear weapons, for use in a conflict.
The UK does not categorise nuclear weapon capabilities as either strategic or sub-strategic/tactical. The UK’s nuclear weapons are intended to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, as well as that of our NATO Allies, rat...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of a Russian shadow fleet to evade oil sanctions; and whether she (a) plans to restrict
The Russia sanctions regime prohibits Russian ships, and other ships specified by the Secretary of State, from entering ports in the United Kingdom. We recently enhanced our powers to impose additional prohibitions when sanctioning vessels, including proh...
With reference to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44594, on Ministers: Aviation, which Ministers took the flights.
It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas ministerial travel is pub...
When his Department plans to publish a response to The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024; and whether he plans to approv
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ...