Written questions by Holden.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of Benefit-in-Kind rates for zero-emission company cars.

The Government publishes annual statistics on HMRC’s taxable benefits in kind for company cars and company car fuel. These reports document the number of benefit in kind recipients, the CO2 emissions of company cars and their total taxable value. The latest statistics for the tax year 2023-24 were published in June 2025, and are accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefits-in-kind-statistics-june-2025/benefit-in-kind-statistics-commentary-june-2025(opens in a new tab) The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

What assessment the Government has made of a) annual levies and monitoring charges associated with environmental mitigation and disposal sites used by UK ports, b) the consistency of fee structures across different regions, and c) the cumulative impact of these charges on port operators and logistics businesses.

a) ‎ The assessment annual levies and monitoring charges associated with environmental mitigation and disposal sites used by UK ports is undertaken by the ports who collect the fees. Ports are required to review their port waste management plan and get it re-approved every five years. The waste management plan amongst other specifications sets out the fee, and how this is calculated. Any major changes will require the port to review and change their port waste management plan before the five-year period. MCA surveyors' review, inspect and approve port waste management to ensure compliance with the regulations. b) Ports are required to calculate their fees as mandated by the regulations, which means the ports can recover their cost and the ‘polluter’ pays. These fees will vary due to regional variances in the cost of waste management in the different regions. c) A post implementation review of the regulations was also undertaken and published in 2023. The review found that the regulations were fit for purpose and were achieving the policy objectives and indicated that although industry had the opportunity to communicate any impacts of the requirements to the MCA, no significant concerns have been raised.

What recent assessment her Department has made of a) the structural condition of the A180 between the M180 and Immingham Port, b) the adequacy of current life-extending works to support projected increases in HGV traffic, c) the number of delays to freight movements arising from ongoing National Highways works on the A180 and adjacent links, and d) the expected timetable for completing those works.

There are no current Life Extension Works (LEW) underway on the A180. A LEW scheme was completed in 2024/25 on this section to provide an operational life extension of 5+ years and intended to ensure the section remained safe and operational, until a planned reconstruction scheme in Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), planned to be undertaken in 2030/31. As part of the design activity related to the planned RIS3 reconstruction scheme, traffic management options and journey time impact studies will be undertaken to ensure impacts to road users are minimised.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost of upgrading and expanding monitoring and stabilisation works on Victorian railway embankments; and whether she plans to publish a timetable for funding for this infrastructure.

Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, is responsible for maintaining the integrity and safety of the rail network to ensure passenger and freight services can operate reliably. Network Rail manages Victorian-era embankments—some over 150 years old—as part of a comprehensive, risk-based earthworks strategy. Its approach comprises policies, monitoring, maintenance, and engineering interventions. It is spending over £1bn on drainage and earthworks in 2024-2029 to ensure the integrity of the rail network, which includes embankment stabilisation.

If he will make a comparative assessment of the carbon intensity of (a) domestically produced oil and gas and (b) imported liquefied natural gas in the last 5 years.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has published annual Emissions Monitoring Reports since 2021. These contain figures for carbon intensity or emissions intensity (relating to carbon dioxide and methane) of domestically produced oil and gas compared to fossil fuels from other sources, including imported Liquefied Natural Gas. The latest report and methodology can be accessed online:Emissions Monitoring Report 2025Emissions Monitoring Report 2025 methodology

What assessment he has made of the impact of the North Sea oil and gas sector on employment and economic growth; and what steps he is taking to safeguard jobs in the offshore energy sector.

Our oil and gas sector significantly contributes towards our economy, and directly employs tens of thousands of highly skilled workers right across the UK. However, the natural decline of oil and gas in the North Sea has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. On 26 November the Government published its North Sea Future Plan. This sets out how we will protect current jobs in oil and gas, while also securing the next generation of good jobs. This includes a new North Sea Jobs Service to provide end-to-end support for the current workforce to access new opportunities.

What steps she is taking to support ports wishing to offer onshore power supply connections to cruise line customers.

On 25 March, the Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports. This call for evidence focused on potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth and how ports are managing their future energy demand, including the provision of shore power to customers such as cruise operators. We are considering the responses to the call for evidence and will set out next steps in due course. In September, we announced an additional £448m of Research and Development investment for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. Through previous rounds of UK SHORE funding, we have already funded shore power projects, including nearly £20m for a shore power installation at Portsmouth International Port, which will soon allow visiting cruise ships to connect. Future rounds of funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions. Given the importance of securing grid connections to providing shore power, the Government is working closely with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on fundamental reforms to the connections process, which will reduce the connections queue and prioritise progressing viable projects.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 87433 on Hereditary Diseases, which NHS trusts and other data providers are submitting incomplete information on parental consanguinity to the National Disease Registration Service congenital conditions dataset; what the rate of completeness is for each provider; and what action is being taken in respect of providers not meeting required data standards.

Since assuming responsibility for the registration of congenital and rare conditions in 2015, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) has focused on improving the accuracy of case completeness and strengthening regional coverage to monitor trends in congenital and rare conditions. NDRS is reviewing the data items recommended for reporting of congenital conditions, including which information should be collected through specialist congenital condition registration datasets and which is better captured for all pregnancies through the Maternity Services Data Set. NDRS has not assessed completeness of the consanguinity field at a provider level. NHS England is working to improve the recording of consanguinity. NDRS continues to work closely with reporting trusts, maternity services, and clinical teams to improve the quality and completeness of congenital condition data, supported by a dedicated data liaison function.

If he will take steps to prioritise domestic oil and gas production over imports.

Our priority is a fair, orderly transition to homegrown clean energy to ensure energy security and protect billpayers. Further oil and gas exploration and production licences would not meaningfully increase UK production levels, nor would they change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas. The UK benefits from a secure and diverse energy system, drawing on multiple sources to reduce reliance on any single supply. Our ‘North Sea Future Plan’ sets out how we will implement our manifesto commitments in relation to domestic oil and gas production.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy on investment in North Sea oil and gas projects; and whether her Department has estimated the capital investment generated by reforming that levy before 2026.

The Government has carefully considered the potential impacts of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), including on investment. The Treasury publishes impacts in summary form for tax measures in tax information and impact notes (TIINs) alongside the Finance Bill. The most recent summary of impacts from the EPL can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.The Government is clear that the EPL will end in 2030, or earlier if the EPL’s price floor, the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM), is triggered. While it remains in place, the EPL is forecast to raise around £8.5 billion between 2025/26 and 2030/31, contributing towards funding vital public services. This is in addition to more than £11 billion in tax revenues already raised through the EPL since its introduction in May 2022.The Government is committed to providing the oil and gas industry with the long-term certainty it needs on the future fiscal landscape and to support capital investment. At Budget 2025, the Government announced the details of the EPL successor regime, the Oil and Gas Price Mechanism. This new regime is designed to respond to future price shocks once the EPL ends, to create a stable, predictable fiscal environment that ensures companies continue to contribute fairly when oil and gas prices are unusually high while supporting investment in the UK’s oil and gas sector.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 87433 on Hereditary Diseases, for what reasons reporting of parental consanguinity within the National Disease Registration Service congenital conditions dataset remains incomplete; what assessment he has made of the impact of this incomplete reporting on the accuracy and usefulness of prevalence data; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle this and improve compliance.

Since assuming responsibility for the registration of congenital and rare conditions in 2015, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) has focused on improving the accuracy of case completeness and strengthening regional coverage to monitor trends in congenital and rare conditions. NDRS is reviewing the data items recommended for reporting of congenital conditions, including which information should be collected through specialist congenital condition registration datasets and which is better captured for all pregnancies through the Maternity Services Data Set. NDRS has not assessed completeness of the consanguinity field at a provider level. NHS England is working to improve the recording of consanguinity. NDRS continues to work closely with reporting trusts, maternity services, and clinical teams to improve the quality and completeness of congenital condition data, supported by a dedicated data liaison function.

To publish all assessments his Department has made of the implications for UK energy security of importing approximately 40% of the UK’s energy in the last five years.

The Department and Ofgem jointly publish annual statutory security of supply reports, which provide a comprehensive assessment of the availability of secure and affordable electricity, gas and oil to meet the UK’s energy needs. These reports consider the contribution of both domestic production and imports to the UK’s overall energy security. The link to the most recent report is included below. Statutory security of supply report: 2024 - GOV.UK

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on prioritising access to the national grid for port electrification, including in relation to onshore power supply for ferries and cruise ships.

Reforming the connections process and investing in the grid is a key Government priority. This includes reforms that are expected to deprioritise over half of the existing queue based on readiness and strategic alignment with our strategy as set out in Clean Power 2030. Department for Transport Ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. These include discussions on the significance of getting sufficient grid capacity to electrify ports, for cruise and ferries to use shore power and policy options to accelerate connection dates for strategic demand customers, such as critical port sites. This is informed by the Department for Transport call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, published in March 2025, which posed questions on managing future energy demand at ports.

Pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to question 92688, what progress he has made on reducing regulation by 25% by 2029.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working within the framework set out in the ‘New Approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth’ (also known as the Regulators Action Plan – RAP) to identify potential administrative burden reductions. As part of the RAP, HSE committed to look at three areas: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR); Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and reforms to aspects of chemicals regulation for which HSE holds the policy lead. These three areas are in the process of consultation and/or call for evidence. The analysis of the responses will be used to inform the next steps in supporting the 25% administrative burden reduction target.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91465 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will provide the hyperlink to the electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics listing the number of public charging devices at local authority level.

The Department’s latest published statistics on the number of public charging devices at local authority level are available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6900f9b584b816d72cb9aab6/electric-vehicle-public-charging-infrastructure-statistics-october-2025.ods.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, whether her Department will begin collecting and publishing data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, if she will publish all assessment her Department has made of the impact of the absence of any data on drug testing on road safety policy and enforcement.

The Home Office does not collect data on tests conducted by police for drug driving.The Department for Transport is developing a Road Safety Strategy, the first in a decade and intends to publish by the end of the year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a weight-based system of vehicle taxation for cars.

Vehicle Excise Duty is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. For certain vehicle classifications, VED liability is partially calculated in accordance with the vehicle’s weight, reflecting the greater road damage caused by heavier vehicles. For example, Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) VED rates are set based on a vehicle’s weight, suspension and trailer. The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92061 on Great British Railways, when the Department expects to publish the rollout plan for Great British Railways branding; and whether that plan will include a timetable, cost breakdown and value-for-money assessment of the transition process.

Ministers will empower rail industry leaders to deliver an efficient and cost effective rollout of the Great British Railways brand, maximising value for money and growing revenue. The Department is working to finalise more detail on the rollout plan and will announce next steps in due course.

In the next two years, how many new oil and gas licences his Department will examine and what proportion he estimates will be approved; and what assessment he has made of the impact of licensing policy on the future viability of existing North Sea infrastructure.

The Government will legislate to meet its landmark manifesto commitment to end new licences to explore new oil and gas fields. To support existing fields and infrastructure, the Government will introduce new Transitional Energy Certificates for a managed, prosperous and orderly transition.The evidence suggests that even if new licenses were issued it would have only a marginal impact on overall production in the North Sea given it is a super mature basin which has been in decline for more than two decades.