Written questions by Holden.

When she expects her Department to issue a response to the call for evidence on a 2040 zero emissions airport target that was published in May 2023.

The Government is committed to delivering greener transport and supporting its missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are making great strides in transitioning to greener aviation, including work on sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation, and low-emission technologies. We are considering what role an airport decarbonisation target could play as part of our broader approach to decarbonising aviation. We will set out the next steps in due course.

Whether the former Secretary of State for Transport (the Hon Member for Sheffield Heeley) received and accepted a Ministerial severance payment.

Information relating to Ministerial severance payments are published in the annual DfT accounts.

Whether she has produced an impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant criteria.

The Department has completed an internal impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials will continue to monitor the grant and its impact, to ensure the scheme meets its objectives and assess its ongoing value for money.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 85351, whether the Government plans to publish the individual scheme costs for Strategic Road Network projects as part of the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), in line with the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 67864.

The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will include a total funding line for all enhancements to the strategic road network to be delivered during the period 2026-2031.

What plans her Department has to promote the uptake of electric vehicles at rental installations on airport sites.

The Department engages actively with airport operators and infrastructure users, including rental companies, to support the provision of accessible EV charging infrastructure at major transport hubs. We will continue to facilitate discussions between operators and charging infrastructure users.

What guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on 10mph speed limits.

Decisions on making local speed limits on roads in England rest with traffic authorities who have responsibility for roads in local areas. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance to assist authorities setting local speed limits, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2025 to Question 86751 on the Restoring Your Railway Fund, what the value was of the remaining funding anticipated for that programme prior to its reallocation under the Spending Review process.

At the time of the cancellation, the schemes announced by the previous government as part of the programme had forecasts totalling c.£600m over the period to 2029/30. The chancellor stated that the decision to close the RYR scheme saved £85m of funding for the programme in 2025/26, ahead of the Spending Review, the remaining forecast was unfunded.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82997 on Restoring Your Railway Fund, whether any (a) equality impact assessment and (b) screening was produced by any central government body in relation to the decision to cancel the fund.

The decision to close the Restoring your Railways programme was taken by the Chancellor as a cost saving measure in July 2024. The impact of this decision was carefully considered by HM Treasury and an equality impact assessment on the closure of the programme was completed by the Department for Transport.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86324 on DfT Operator: Standards, if she will publish copies of all written instructions issued by her Department to DfT Operator train operating companies since April 2024.

The Department does not routinely publish instructions made to train operators.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 85352 on Airports: Business Rates, whether the Valuation Office Agency has received any (a) formal challenges and (b) appeals from airports on their rateable values.

The Valuation Office Agency has not received any formal challenges or appeals from airports on their rateable values for the 2026 Rating List, as it is not yet live. The VOA cannot confirm details for the 2023 list because the numbers are too small and disclosure would breach confidentiality under legislation.

What the (a) process and (b) indicative timeline is for changing the eligibility criteria for the Electric Car Grant scheme, including (i) consultation and (ii) implementation stages.

All government grants, including the Electric Car Grant, remain under constant review to ensure they provide best value for money for the taxpayer. As stated when the grant was launched, the grant can be closed early or elements of the scheme amended, including the eligibility criteria, without notice. This enables the Government to effectively manage budgets.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of track access charges for operators outside Great British Railways following the implementation of the Railways Bill on applications for (a) new and (b) renewed access rights.

The Government is fundamentally reforming the track access charging framework by transferring the responsibility for who sets charges from the ORR to GBR. This is so the body who maintains the infrastructure (GBR) will be able to set charges appropriately to recover those costs associated with running services on its network. Regarding existing rights, the charges already in place will be honoured for the current control period (until April 2029).

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 85911 on Railways: Fares, what estimate she has made of the percentage of passengers travelling from (a) London, (b) York, (c) Newcastle and (d) Edinburgh who would experience fare increases under the demand-based pricing model trialled by LNER.

The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ‘Simpler Fares’ trial is running on routes from the London area to stations between and around Newcastle and Edinburgh. York is not a station in the trial. The trial aims to address the situation where some ‘peak’ trains run nearly empty while some ‘off-peak’ trains are overcrowded by adjusting pricing to reduce crowding, making travel more comfortable for passengers. The trial allows passengers to benefit from increased flexibility at lower prices than before, and LNER reports that, as of July 2025, around a third of the new Semi-Flexible (70 minutes Flex) fares sold in the preceding four weeks cost less than the old Super Off-Peak fare. The results of this trial will be carefully considered before taking any further decisions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86738 on Great British Railways: Finance, from which areas the Department expects to realise the over £1.2 billion reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the Spending Review period.

The reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the Spending Review period will be primarily driven by passenger ridership and revenue continuing to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings being made through public ownership.

What discussions her Department has had with other Government departments on proposals to make first cousin marriage unlawful.

By long-standing convention, the fact that I, or a fellow Law Officer, may have advised or not advised, as well as the content of our advice, is not disclosed outside government.As explained in Erskine May: “By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence."

Whether it is her Department’s policy that airline and passenger charges should be central considerations in decision-making on Heathrow expansion.

The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) provides the primary basis for decision making on development consent applications for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The ANPS is now under review following the Secretary of State's announcement in October. The Department is keen to see expansion happen in a manner that is efficient and maximises growth and economic opportunities for the whole country. Airline and passenger charges will be a key consideration within this; however, these are set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in its role as the independent regulator for the sector. When making decisions on these charges, the CAA must have primary regard to furthering the interests of users of air transport services, and controlling costs forms an integral part of this.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of an increase in fuel duty on (a) GDP and (b) employment levels in the (i) road haulage and (ii) logistics sectors.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government considers the impact of fuel duty on the economy, including households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85347 on Company Cars: Taxation, what estimate her Department has made of the revenue to be raised from changes to benefit in kind taxation for vehicles provided through such schemes, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those changes on the employee car ownership industry.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the proposed changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes were estimated to raise £875m across the scorecard. This costing and the tax impact and information note will be updated at a future fiscal event to reflect the six-month delay to the originally announced implementation date.

What discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on proposals to ban first cousin marriage.

The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with other Government Departments, including the Home Office, on a range of issues relating to marriage law.

Whether she plans to publish guidance on the handling of existing (a) contracts, (b) liabilities and (c) pension arrangements for Network Rail staff after their transfer to Great British Railways.

The Bill will not include operational and contractual details about transfer of property, rights, liabilities and staff into GBR or GBR's corporate structure.