Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92677 on London North Eastern Railway: Fares, how many tickets introduced or sold under the LNER demand-based pricing trial for travel between 1 August and 12 December 2025 were priced higher than the equivalent previously available ticket types, broken down by( a) Semi-Flexible tickets and (b) Standard Advance tickets, for journeys from (i) London, (ii) Newcastle and (iii) Edinburgh.

The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) trial is making more flexible options available to passengers and making it easier for passengers who are able to travel at less busy times to benefit from cheaper tickets on less crowded trains. Through this trial, all tickets except the Flexible (formerly Anytime) ticket are priced according to demand. This means prices vary according to availability. Unlike the old super off-peak ticket, it is possible to purchase the Semi Flex ticket for what were previously peak times when the Anytime ticket was the only ticket available that had flexibility. Therefore, the relative pricing between super off-peak tickets and semi flexible tickets cannot be validly compared.The vast majority of passengers on routes covered by the trial will find Fixed or Semi-Flexible fares to be the same price or cheaper than the former super off-peak fare, and there are more Fixed fares available than before. For the specific period referenced, LNER has not published those statistics to date, although the period between 1 August and 12 December has also not yet concluded and therefore sales data is incomplete at this stage.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92685 on Railways: Reform, whether she will request that the Office for Budget Responsibility or the National Audit Office examine and validate the Department’s estimates of (a) the £200 to £400 million set-up and transitional costs and (b) the projected £110 to £150 million annual savings from bringing rail services into public ownership.

We have no current plans for the Office for Budget Responsibility or the National Audit Office to examine or validate these estimates. The Office for Budget Responsibility provides economic and fiscal forecasts and scrutinises government performance against its fiscal rules. It does not examine the financial details of individual Departmental investment projects at a granular level. The National Audit Office published a value for money report on rail reform in 2024. We are focused on delivering long overdue reforms to the railway promised by the last Government, which will put the interests of passengers and taxpayers at the heart of our railway again.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90806 on Railways: Contracts, in what circumstances track access rights would be extended; and what role (a) she and (b) Great British Railways will have in decisions undertaken by the Office of Rail and Road.

Further to the answer from 21 November to Question 90806, the government is maintaining its commitment to honour existing rights in Schedule 5 of track access contracts until they expire. As existing contracts expire, operators will move on to new GBR model access contracts. It will be for GBR as the directing mind for the railway to decide whether existing rights represent best use of the network and whether they are extended. The ORR will be a robust appeals body for GBR’s access decisions, ensuring fairness, and able to impose remedies on GBR to correct a decision that is not consistent with its statutory duties, SoS issued guidance or its own AUP.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90403 on the Electric Car Grant, if she will publish the internal impact assessment produced for the Electric Car Grant criteria.

The Government does not plan to publish the internal impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials continue to monitor the grant and assess its impact.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92692 on South Western Railway: Rolling Stock, if she will publish in full the modelling and departmental assessments associated with the new rolling stock leases.

The Department's internal modelling draws upon a number of sources and data from third parties which is not publicly available and is commercially sensitive, and therefore unable to be released.

What analysis she has undertaken of the impact of the Railways Bill on private sector investment and innovation within the rail industry; and if she will publish that analysis.

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the impacts on Business Environment.

What steps her Department is taking to help prepare the maritime sector for the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

We are working closely with the sector as part of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority to ensure that maritime operators will be sufficiently prepared to join UK ETS from July next year.Regulators are running a voluntary onboarding period from next month which will help the sector engage with the ETS ahead of July and give them extra time to become familiar with how it works.Additionally, the Authority will allow for ‘double-surrender’ for maritime operators for the first two scheme years, giving maritime operators extra time to familiarise themselves with UK ETS, and the digital systems.

What assessment she has made of whether it is possible to carbon offset all flights; and what are the commercial or other mechanisms for doing so.

The Government is supportive of the role of carbon markets in driving cost-effective decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including through the global carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA, and aviation’s inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). Such measures complement other Government action to achieve net zero aviation by 2050, including on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and airspace modernisation. Airlines may also choose to offset their emissions voluntarily or offer this to customers. The Government supports businesses engaging with voluntary carbon markets in a way that complements deep emissions cuts, using high-integrity credits to finance additional climate action where immediate abatement is not possible.

How her Department will measure the impact of the Railways Bill on private sector innovation in the rail industry; and what baseline data has been established to assess the impact of that Bill on levels of innovation.

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the impacts on Business Environment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90404 on the Electric Car Grant, what assessment she has made of the value for money of the Electric Car Grant.

The Electric Car Grant makes electric vehicles more affordable by cutting the upfront costs of electric vehicles. In doing so, it accelerates the transition to zero-emission driving and has already helped over 35,000 drivers make the switch.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of stray dogs taken in by local authorities in the last year that were (a) reclaimed by their owner, (b) rehomed, and (c) euthanised.

The Department does not collect this data. The obligations for dealing with stray dogs are laid down in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The responsibility for implementing these obligations lies with each local authority.

Pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34154, if she will launch that review.

The government is considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing in a manner that takes account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. More details will be set out in due course.

What contingency plans her Department has for mitigating the impact on the planned 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars and vans if the delivery of 300,000 operational public electric vehicle charge points by that date is not achieved.

The National Audit Office’s report last year outlined that the number of public chargepoints being installed is on track to meet 300,000 chargepoints by 2030. The majority of these will be delivered by industry, which has already committed £6 billion of private sector investment in UK charging infrastructure before 2030.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90824 on Great British Railways: Disclosure of Information, whether the data published by the Office of Rail and Road will include annual figures on passenger complaints and the number of those complaints resolved.

The Office of Rail and Road currently publishes the number of complaints closed by train operators on a bi-annual basis. There is no distinction between the number of complaints received and the number resolved. Train operators are obliged to provide certain information to the ORR as part of their current licence agreements. In the future, the Passenger Watchdog will set the consumer standards in the licences, including standards on complaint handling and reporting. While the detail of what data operators must share after GBR is established is to be decided, we do not expect any reduction in the level of transparency of complaints data.

With reference to the consultation outcome entitled Lowering the minimum age requirement for train drivers from 20 to 18 – outcome, updated on 7 May 2025, when she plans to respond to the coordinated implementation plan submitted by the industry.

The Department intends to make an announcement shortly.

With reference to the answer of 21 July 2025 to Question HL9428, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of unfunded freight schemes on her Department's (a) rail freight growth and (b) modal shift targets.

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to delivering growth and supporting modal shift to lower-carbon modes of freight transport. We have committed to the rail freight growth target of a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050. The recently laid Railways Bill sets out that the Secretary of State will provide GBR with growth targets for rail freight. As was the case during the development of the 2050 target, we will make informed forecasts about the future capability and capacity of the network when developing any further rail freight growth targets. Network Rail has a regulated target of a 7.5% increase in rail freight by the end of Control Period 7 (March 2029). In the first year of reporting rail freight grew by 5%, which is significantly ahead of the 1.5% annual growth forecast.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90803 on Transport: Apprentices and Training, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the impact of the removal of Level 7 apprenticeship funding for those over 22 on workforce availability in the transport sector.

The Department for Transport has been in regular contact with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding Level 7 apprenticeships, including most recently as part of preparations for a Transport Select Committee session discussing skills for transport manufacturing. Analysis done by Skills England on Level 7 apprenticeship funding has shown that in the majority of areas, including transport, there are appropriate substitutes or alternatives to progress at Level 7 for those over 22, which will support workforce availability. This was factored into the decision that was taken on Level 7 apprenticeships. We know there has been a large decline in young people starting apprenticeships – around 40% over the last ten years. We currently have around 800,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training. Therefore, we are looking to reverse this trend and our focus is on making sure Government funding supports young people starting out in their careers, rather than those already in work with higher prior qualifications. We also know that Level 7 apprenticeships can be valuable for young people, so the Government will continue funding them for learners under 22 as part of our reforms.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 92100 on Great British Railways: Environment Protection, if she will take legislative steps to require Great British Railways to publish an annual environmental performance report.

There are no plans to legislate for a specific annual report on environmental performance. Reporting requirements for GBR will be set as part of GBR design, ensuring transparency in GBR’s delivery. We expect that GBR will include detail in its Integrated Business Plan and its annual report and accounts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 88878 on Train Operating Companies: Contracts, what is a GBR model access contract what its key terms and conditions are, and how it differs from existing rail track access agreements.

As part of GBR’s new role in determining access to its network, GBR will develop and issue Model Contracts. This will set the rights and obligations between an operator and GBR for the use of GBR's network. The provisions of the model contracts must be consistent with requirements in legislation and GBR’s AUP.

Pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025 to WPQ 89594, what the difference will be between the Operator of First Choice and the previous Operator of Last Resort in the Framework Document.

The Framework Document is being reviewed and updated following the change of role from the DfT Operator of Last Resort to the Operator of First Choice and the transfer of circa 200 DfT staff to DFTO on 31 March 2026 which moves more operational functions into DFTO. The new Framework Document will be published on gov.uk.