Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 104858 on Roads: Biodiversity, what information her Department holds on the (a) estimated cost, (b) estimated cost range and (c) modelling of the biodiversity net gain for (i) existing and (ii) planned projects related to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project on the Strategic Road Network.

DEFRA’s forthcoming biodiversity net gain impact assessment, which is expected to be published shortly, will set out the impact of applying biodiversity net gain to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

Whether his Department provides (a) funding and (b) any other support for increasing (i) grid capacity and (ii) enabling electrification at the Port of Southampton.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out domestic goals and commitments to decarbonise maritime transport, and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports was launched to assess future energy demand at ports such as Southampton and Portsmouth International. While the Government does not directly fund increases in electricity network capacity, we support Ofgem in their work to incentivise electricity network companies to invest strategically, ensuring plans reflect emerging demands from electrifying sectors. Through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, Portsmouth International Port received nearly £20m of R&D funding to support a shore power trial.

If her Department will commission a specific inquiry into the motorcycle insurance market to examine underwriter withdrawals, geographic exclusions and pricing anomalies.

The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences

What the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in January 2026.

The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post and delivering practical car driving tests, will not be available until later in February.As of 30 December 2025, there were 1,618 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,542 FTE were available to deliver practical car driving tests.

How many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in January 2026.

The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post and delivering practical car driving tests, will not be available until later in February.As of 30 December 2025, there were 1,618 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,542 FTE were available to deliver practical car driving tests.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 101484 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, what estimate she has made of the average amount of public funding provided per chargepoint.

Information on the average amount of public funding per public chargepoint is not available. Most public chargepoints have not received any public subsidy.

With reference to her Department's report entitled Rail customer experience survey pilot report, published on 25 April 2024, what plans she has to use the survey findings to inform performance standards for public sector rail operators.

The Department uses customer insight data, including emerging findings from the newly introduced Rail Customer Experience Survey, to inform performance management of all train operating companies, including those which are publicly-owned. The Services Agreement for publicly owned operators also states that performance will be measured using the new survey when data allows.

What information his Department holds on the number of vacancies in the automotive manufacturing sector in (a) January 2024 and (b) each subsequent month up to and including the most recent month for which data is available.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th February is attached.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2026 to Question 106604, whether growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers carry equal priority in the rollout of Great British Railways branding.

As set out in the answers to the questions 100962 and 106604, both growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers are priorities Ministers have set industry leaders delivering the rollout of the Great British Railways brand. These are not mutually exclusive. Industry leaders will balance revenue growth with value for money as we move towards a railway that delivers better for customers and taxpayers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82998, whether the Department plans to extend the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme beyond March 2026; and what assessment has been made of the impact of project withdrawals, scope reductions and planning refusals on the delivery of additional HGV parking capacity.

There are no plans for further windows of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme (MFGS). To date 16 projects have been withdrawn by the operators. It is estimated that this is a reduction of up to 177 proposed additional HGV parking spaces. There are no significant impacts on the number of parking spaces where projects have undergone scope reduction.

What assessment has she made of requiring (a) regulatory and (b) policy frameworks to be in place before the Heathrow third runway project can proceed to its next phase.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the independent economic regulator, is currently considering options for the future regulatory framework for Heathrow, including how costs are controlled and risks are allocated, with a decision on a preferred regulatory model for expansion expected in the summer. The government is aware of the need for a clear direction of travel to enable investment.In parallel, the Government launched a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) on 22 October which is the policy framework that any future development consent order for expansion at Heathrow will be examined against. The Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the ANPS by the summer, alongside Parliamentary scrutiny in line with statutory processes.

With reference to pages 30 and 31 of the Government's report entitled Motor Insurance Taskforce: final report, published on 10 December 2025, whether the Department has concluded its consideration of penalties for the offence of driving a vehicle without motor insurance; and whether she has plans to increase the fixed penalty fine for this offence.

The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences

Whether her Department has measurable targets for helping to reduce average motor insurance premiums.

The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department issues to Natural England on the circumstances in which staff may not attempt to fight wildfires on land they manage.

Decisions on when and how Natural England (NE) staff respond to wildfire on land they manage are made by NE, and are dependent on the size of the fire, the training and equipment staff on site can access, and advice from the local Fire and Rescue Service. Defra has not issued any direct guidelines to NE on this subject but operational staff working on NE’S reserves at high risk of wildfire undertake Lantra-certified wildfire management training that Defra commissioned the Forestry Commission to develop.

Whether the Government’s view, as set out in paragraph 4.5.10 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports dated 4 June 2025, that there is no national resilience case for requiring climate resilience standards beyond those needed for commercial viability, will be applied consistently by decision-makers when considering development consent for port infrastructure.

Section 104(3) Planning Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State to decide an application in accordance with any relevant national policy statement, except to the extent that one or more of subsections (4) to (8) applies.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104868, what the service standard wait times at passport control are, and what assessment the Department has made of the economic impact of passenger delays at the border.

Border Force publish data on the percentage of sampled measurements cleared within service standards, with the target of 95%.The service standard is 25 minutes for passengers using eGates or queues where the majority of passengers are GBR/ EEA/ B5JSSK nationalities / 45 minutes for passengers using queues dedicated to other nationalities.The latest published data was Quarter 3 2025 (Jul-Sept) which showed 97.9% of sampled measurements were cleared within service standards.

A) what estimate his Department has made of the average additional cost per passenger ticket on domestic ferry services arising from the inclusion of domestic maritime within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme from 2026; b) what estimate has been made of the average additional cost per vehicle crossing; and c) whether these estimates vary by route type, including island-mainland, short-sea, and longer-distance domestic routes.

The Government has not produced estimates of the additional cost per passenger ticket arising from the inclusion of domestic maritime within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. The Impact Assessment considers costs at sector-level rather than by route or fare type, as ticket prices and commercial decisions vary widely and cannot be robustly modelled. The Assessment finds compliance costs are modest relative to operators’ overall costs and does not identify significant consumer price impacts, but notes early evidence from the EU Emissions Trading System suggesting short‑sea shipping routes and ferry fares increased by 3-11% under comparable carbon pricing.

Whether his Department has identified general dental practices participating in locally commissioned schemes to provide prioritised oral healthcare for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

The Government is working to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe, and effective dental care.NHS England has produced guidelines which aim to ensure that patients across England with a diagnosis of cancer, including oral cancer, have equitable access to oral healthcare. This could include oral health assessments, prevention, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in primary, either National Health Service or independent, community, secondary, or tertiary care settings. This would be provided as part of a multi-disciplinary team care plan. Ongoing oral health management for the duration of the cancer therapy would take place. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/ The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the South West a number of pilot models are being trialled, for example, if a patient does not have 'a usual dental practice’ and has primary dental care requirements, they will be referred to specific general dental practices, referred to as cancer action support practices, based in ICBs where the pathway is running. Participation in schemes supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment does not create any automatic entitlement to additional contractual or financial support. Any supplementary funding, including through flexible commissioning, is determined locally and subject to commissioner discretion, identified local need, and available resources.

What steps NHS England is taking to encourage integrated care boards to commission prioritised oral health pathways for patients undergoing cancer treatment; and whether practices that participate in such schemes are eligible for additional contractual or financial support.

The Government is working to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe, and effective dental care.NHS England has produced guidelines which aim to ensure that patients across England with a diagnosis of cancer, including oral cancer, have equitable access to oral healthcare. This could include oral health assessments, prevention, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in primary, either National Health Service or independent, community, secondary, or tertiary care settings. This would be provided as part of a multi-disciplinary team care plan. Ongoing oral health management for the duration of the cancer therapy would take place. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/ The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the South West a number of pilot models are being trialled, for example, if a patient does not have 'a usual dental practice’ and has primary dental care requirements, they will be referred to specific general dental practices, referred to as cancer action support practices, based in ICBs where the pathway is running. Participation in schemes supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment does not create any automatic entitlement to additional contractual or financial support. Any supplementary funding, including through flexible commissioning, is determined locally and subject to commissioner discretion, identified local need, and available resources.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 101488, what information her Department holds on revenue lost due to fare evasion by individual train operating companies.

Deliberate fare evasion reduces revenue needed to support the railway and disadvantages passengers who pay the correct fare. The Department does not hold data on revenue lost to fare evasion at the level of individual train operating companies. Industry estimates from the Rail Delivery Group indicate that fraud and ticketless travel result in at least £350–£400 million in lost revenue annually. In June 2025, the Office for Rail and Road published its independent review of revenue protection practices. The Department has accepted the review’s recommendations in full and will publish its formal response shortly.