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 541–560 of 2,902 · this parliament
Whether the Office for National Statistics plans to begin collecting data on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th March is attached.
If her Department will take steps (a) in this financial year and (b) in future financial years to help reduce the fee deficit of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency keeps its fees under continual review. Any changes to fee levels would be subject to public consultation and Parliamentary approval.
How much her Department has spent on international flights for officials in her Department since 4 July 2024; and how many such flights were taken in (a) economy, (b) premium economy, (c) business class and (d) first class.
International flights since 4 July 2024:The central Department for TransportTotal SpendEconomy FlightsPremium Economy FlightsBusiness Class FlightsFirst Class FlightsNot specified £1,615,217.4019961141380-
Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111457, how much was allocated from the capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) each year for the rest of the spending review.
Funding allocated from the Home Office capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs associated with electric vehicle (EV) charging is as follows:2024–25 (actual): £503,0002025–26 (forecast): £604,0002026–27 (forecast): £1.3 million2027–28 (forecast): £1 million2028–29 (forecast): £1 millionThe allocations for 2027–28 and 2028–29 are currently indicative placeholder figures included within the existing project pipeline and may be subject to change. The current forecast allocation for 2026–27 remains £1.3 million. A review of the longer-term electric vehicle charging infrastructure delivery strategy for the remainder of the Spending Review period is ongoing.The Government has set a target for all vehicles in the central government fleet to be zero-emission by the end of 2027. This transition predominantly impacts operational vehicles used by Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and Border Security Command.To support this transition, Home Office Property Services has been commissioned to install EV charging infrastructure at Home Office buildings to enable the charging of electric fleet vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Charging Project (EVCP) was mobilised to deliver this infrastructure and is currently undertaking a strategic review to set priorities for the remainder of the Spending Review period.The costs covered by this funding include the design and installation of charging points, associated legal fees where landlord agreements are required, and enabling works with local electricity distribution network operators.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110885 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of public funding provided per chargepoint under schemes administered by her Department.
Most public charge points have not received any public subsidy. The average amount of public funding per charge point under the closed On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), is currently approximately £3,500 for completed projects. This is subject to change as some projects have not yet completed. The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Capital Fund allocated £343m to local authorities in England and is expected to deliver at least 100,000 charge points by leveraging significant private investment alongside public funds. Information on the amount of public funding and number of charge points supported is published quarterly and available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69245447ba812a67cb6a5673/electric-vehicle-charging-device-grant-scheme-statistics-october-2025.ods
What methodology she uses to assess the effectiveness of pothole funding.
The Department for Transport published local road maintenance ratings on 11 January, measuring how well each local highway authority is maintaining its local roads and making use of its increased government funding. The methodology used to calculate the ratings is available online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/methodology-used-to-calculate-ratings-for-local-road-maintenanceThe Department will also be evaluating the effectiveness of its local highways maintenance funding in line with the methodologies set out in its Transport Analysis Guidance and the Treasury's Magenta Book.
Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2026 to Question 112225, whether he has made an estimate of the level of passthrough to consumers as a (a) cost increase per passenger ticket and (b) percentage increase in fares.
As set out in the Impact Assessment, any passthrough to consumers is expected to be modest. International evidence, including from the EU ETS, shows fare changes have generally been in the low single digit range. The Government has not undertaken route level ferry fare or passenger ticket modelling for the UK ETS domestic maritime expansion, as operators’ commercial decisions, vessel utilisation and fare structures vary widely.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training on the (a) quality assurance of registered driving instructor trainers and (b) ability of prospective trainer providers to establish accredited training provision.
The Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) scheme was suspended by the previous Government in November 2023. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency recognises the importance of ORBIT and will engage with the industry and discuss how and when the scheme should resume.
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116553 on the Highway Code, whether she plans to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of Rule H1.
As I set out in response to Question 116553, when the previous government introduced Highway Code rule H1 in 2022, they did not initiate or plan for any assessment of their introduction of the rule. Like the previous government, this government does not see the need to undertake any assessment of this common-sense rule on road safety.
What proportion of tickets sold on services operated by London North Eastern Railway in July 2024 excluding railcard discounts were at a) the fully flexible fare price, b) between 90 per cent and 100 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, c) between 80 per cent and 89.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, d) between 70 per cent and 79.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, e) between 60 per cent and 69.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, f) between 50 per cent and 59.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, g) between 40 per cent and 49.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price and h) below 40 per cent of the fully flexible fare price.
The Department does not hold information on the proportion of tickets sold at these price points.
How many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.
The number of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) staff assigned to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Sustainability Taskforce was 3.9 FTE in 2024-25 and 3.5 FTE in 2025-26. Data is not yet available for financial year 2026-27.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111868 on Fire and Rescue Services: Databases, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring fire and rescue services to record whether such fires involve lithium-ion batteries or electric vehicles; and whether his Department plans to make such reporting mandatory under the Fire and Rescue Data Platform Version 2.
As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. This will include identifying whether the source of ignition was a battery and, where relevant, whether that battery was on charge at the time of the incident. These additions will ensure such information is collected and reported consistently across services.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887 on Heathrow: Expansion, when she plans to consult on proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement.
As set out in my answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887, the Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement by the summer.
Which body is responsible for measuring, collecting, reporting and validating greenhouse gas emissions across the Government estate.
Individual Government departments are responsible for measuring and collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from their own estates. This data is reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which coordinates the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) framework and publishes the annual GGC report. Validation of the data is conducted by DEFRA and its technical contractors at a cross-government level, while individual departments are responsible for the accuracy of their own underlying data.To fulfill the statutory duty under Section 86 of the Climate Change Act 2008, the Cabinet Office utilises this data as part of its annual State of the Estate report on the efficiency and sustainability of the government estate.
Representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116224, whether the Electoral Commission plans to undertake research on the relationship between biradari networks, first cousin marriage and electoral fraud.
The Electoral Commission does not plan to research the relationship between biradari networks, first cousin marriage and electoral fraud.Despite very low levels of proven electoral fraud in the UK, it is a matter the Commission takes seriously. It publishes annual data from police services on allegations of electoral fraud, and runs a fraud prevention and awareness campaign each year. It works closely with the electoral community and the Police to prevent, detect and take action against electoral fraud.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 111450, whether her Department holds information on the (a) grant funding awarded and (b) number of buses supported under each bus procurement and zero-emission bus support scheme funded in each of the last five years; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements in those schemes on tendered bus prices.
Within the last five years there has been two zero emission bus programmes funded by the Government, ZEBRA and ZEBRA 2. The following tables present information on the amount of grant funding awarded and the number of zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes, by local transport authority. The numbers in this table are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore indicative and subject to change. In relation to social value considerations, community benefit factors formed a component of assessment in ZEBRA 2. The procurement decisions and tender evaluations were then undertaken by the authorities and operators themselves, so the Department has made no further assessment of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements on tendered bus prices.
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116218, what comparative assessment she has made of the economic circumstances of UK civil airports between 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024.
The Valuation Office Agency assessed changes to the economic circumstances of airports as part of the 2026 Revaluation exercise, where average Rateable Values for civil airports have increased at the valuation date of 1 April 2024. The VOA announced updated property values for the 2026 revaluation at the Budget. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111459 on Motorways: Accidents, whether her Department plans to amend the STATS19 road traffic collision reporting system so that the type of central reservation barrier involved in collisions is recorded where relevant.
There are no plans to amend the STATS19 collection in this way.The STATS19 collection is reviewed every 5 to 10 years. The last such review commenced in 2018, with the agreed recommendations being rolled out to police force collection systems from the start of 2024, and expected to be complete during 2026.These reviews seek to balance the need for information with the burdens placed on police, bearing in mind that STATS19 is based on information available to the reporting officer at the scene of the collision rather than a detailed investigation.The date for the next STATS19 review has not yet been set. The timing is agreed by the Standing Committee for Road Injury Collision Statistics (SCRICS), which meets annually to consider whether there is sufficient need for a review.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110886 on Roads: Biodiversity, in what month the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will be published.
The Government intends to publish the biodiversity net gain impact assessment for nationally significant infrastructure projects soon.
Whether any (a) policy documents, (b) staff guidance, (c) equality strategies or (d) training materials used by the Cabinet Office People Group or the Office for Equality and Opportunity reference the concept of white privilege.
We established the office for Equality and Opportunity to lead work to ensure that whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on in life. The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and improving outcomes for everyone.