Written questions by Holden.

Whether she has (a) undertaken work, (b) commissioned research and (c) had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on (i) revenue modelling and (ii) impact assessments on potential options for replacing Fuel Duty with (A) distance-based and (B) pay-per-mile road pricing since July 2024.

Fuel duty is projected to raise £24.4bn in 2025/26 and will remain in place. 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 Chancellor meets with her Ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events.

What estimate she has made of the total cost of electric vehicle (a) incentives and (b) tax reliefs for fleet and company car (i) leasing and (ii) purchases to the exchequer; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of those schemes.

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 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.

With reference to her Department's consultation outcome on Street Works: Fines and Lane Rental Surplus Funds, why the implementation timeline was changed.

The date for laying the statutory instrument was adjusted slightly to allow time to ensure the legislative changes would fully deliver the intended outcomes and this included further engagement with stakeholders. The statutory instrument was laid in Parliament on 13 October. A 12-week notice period following this was always intended to give industry stakeholders and highway authorities sufficient time to understand and prepare for the new regulatory requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made of the welfare conditions of animals kept by local authorities in public parks.

Defra has made no specific assessment of the welfare conditions of animals kept by local authorities in public parks. Local authorities that keep or exhibit animals must comply with the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, which set statutory minimum welfare standards and are enforced by councils. These are supported by statutory guidance available here.Defra completed a post-implementation review of the 2018 Regulations in 2023, which found they have improved welfare standards and should be retained while identifying areas for refinement. The review can be found here.

Whether her Department issued any formal directions to DfT Operator Limited in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 in respect of (i) service performance and (ii) financial control.

The Department holds the individual DFTO Train Operating Companies (TOC) to account on both their service and financial performance, with close review of their performance against their service agreements. If the Department issues a DFTO TOC with a Notice to Improve, the TOC is required to publicise this, alongside an explanation for what has caused the failure and what they are doing to remedy it.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether local authorities are required to obtain a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 when (a) keeping and (b) exhibiting animals in public parks.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that kept animals, including those accommodated or exhibited in public parks, are cared for in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.Local authorities are subject to the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. These regulations require anyone in the business of keeping or training animals for exhibition to hold a valid licence and to comply with strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including requirements relating to the animal's environment, diet, health, and provision of appropriate care and supervision.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sustainable aviation fuel mandate on (a) airline operating costs and (b) the average price of a passenger ticket in each financial year to 2030-31.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer given to PQ UIN 78707 on 20 October 2025. The Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF Mandate sets out our assessment of the potential costs and benefits of the policy.

What assessment she has made of the cost of (a) electric and (b) hydrogen HGVs for small and medium-sized enterprises since July 2024; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (i) 2035 and (ii) 2040 end-of-sale dates for new diesel HGVs on (A) logistics costs and (B) delivery prices.

More needs to be done to ensure that UK haulage companies can switch to zero emission HGVs (battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell). This is particularly true as most UK haulage companies are SMEs and operate on small profit margins. As more zero emission HGVs are deployed, the costs of these HGVs should begin to fall due to economies of scale in manufacturing, which when combined with running and maintenance savings, should reduce the total cost of ownership and support a second-hand market.We are supporting UK haulage companies while seeking to minimise the impact of the transition on costs and delivery prices through programmes such as the Plug in Truck Grant, the £30m Depot Charging Scheme and the up to £200m Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator.We will shortly be consulting on options for the end of sales dates for new non-zero emission HGVs and will continue to support UK hauliers with appropriate incentives and clear regulatory approach.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to require large-scale commercial prize draws to return a statutory minimum percentage of proceeds to charitable causes.

This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place. Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators. DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.

How many people signed up to take part in the digital rail tickets trial scheme between Harrogate and Leeds (a) before and (b) after it began.

The Digital Pay As You Go trials are an opportunity for passengers to test cutting-edge technology and benefit from simpler, more flexible tickets. We have had good engagement from passengers across the trial routes so far, with 656 users on Trial 2. Before launch, 582 passengers expressed taking part in this trial. The Department and delivery partners are pushing for as close to 1000 participants per trial as possible to gather passenger views and effectively evaluate this innovative technology.

What the total cost was of the (a) rebrand, (b) design, (c) production and (d) promotion of the rebranded See it. Say it. Sorted. campaign.

The total cost for the relaunch of the See It. Say It. Sorted. campaign was £333,751.00 (+ VAT). This was the first update of the campaign since its launch in 2016. Rail operators are mandated by security regulations to print and disseminate the campaign materials at their own cost, so there are no additional costs of production or promotion.

How many HGV (a) parking and (b) roadside welfare upgrade projects funded through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Fund have been completed; and when each was (i) started and (ii) completed.

The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. These priorities were identified through the National Survey of Lorry Parking (2022) which also provided an estimate of the shortfall in on site overnight parking spaces in England. A total of 69 projects that received funding from the MFGS have been completed to date. Window 1 – Awarded on 11 September 2023Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces11Total number of outstanding projects2Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces1 Window 2 – Awarded on 4 March 2024Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces15Total number of outstanding projects4Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces0 Window 3 - Awarded on 10 October 2024Total Number of completed projects5Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces4Total Number of outstanding projects15Total Number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces9 Overall TotalTotal number of completed projects69Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces30Total number of outstanding Projects21Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces10

What estimate her Department has made of the shortfall in secure overnight HGV parking spaces in each year since 2023-24.

The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. These priorities were identified through the National Survey of Lorry Parking (2022) which also provided an estimate of the shortfall in on site overnight parking spaces in England. A total of 69 projects that received funding from the MFGS have been completed to date. Window 1 – Awarded on 11 September 2023Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces11Total number of outstanding projects2Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces1 Window 2 – Awarded on 4 March 2024Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces15Total number of outstanding projects4Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces0 Window 3 - Awarded on 10 October 2024Total Number of completed projects5Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces4Total Number of outstanding projects15Total Number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces9 Overall TotalTotal number of completed projects69Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces30Total number of outstanding Projects21Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces10

How many (a) new and (b) upgraded HGV parking spaces have been provided through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Fund; and when each was completed.

The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. These priorities were identified through the National Survey of Lorry Parking (2022) which also provided an estimate of the shortfall in on site overnight parking spaces in England. A total of 69 projects that received funding from the MFGS have been completed to date. Window 1 – Awarded on 11 September 2023Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces11Total number of outstanding projects2Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces1 Window 2 – Awarded on 4 March 2024Total number of completed projects32Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces15Total number of outstanding projects4Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces0 Window 3 - Awarded on 10 October 2024Total Number of completed projects5Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces4Total Number of outstanding projects15Total Number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces9 Overall TotalTotal number of completed projects69Total number of completed projects that include new parking spaces30Total number of outstanding Projects21Total number of outstanding projects that include new parking spaces10

What recent estimate she has made of total transport-sector emissions since July 2024; and if she will make an assessment of how that figures compares with projections made when the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate was introduced.

Transport was estimated to emit 111.8MtCO2e (megatonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2023, with 78.1MtCO2e from cars and vans. The ZEV Mandate came into force in 2024; it requires that, by 2030, 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans should be fully zero emission. In 2024, the Government estimated that this policy would deliver 420MtCO2e of savings by 2050, averaging a reduction of 5.8MtCO2e between 2028 and 2032 and 15.8MtCO2e between 2033 and 2037. The emission savings estimates have been slightly reduced by the flexibilities announced in April but by less than 3% overall.

Whether she plans to review Net Zero transport spending priorities.

The Department for Transport’s budget for day-to-day spending until 2028-2029, and until 2029-2030 for capital investment was set in June’s Spending Review. Delivering greener, safer and healthier transport to support the Government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050 while driving economic growth is a Departmental priority that we will deliver through a range of spend and non-spend measures. We are accelerating the transformation of existing industries, such as our automotive and maritime sectors, and supporting the growth of nascent industries here in the UK, such as sustainable aviation fuel.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to prevent large-scale commercial prize draws from being able to accept credit card payments from participants.

This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place. Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators. DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ensure that large-scale commercial prize draws are subject to the same advertising regulations as other gambling products.

This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place. Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators. DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) rural and (b) smaller local authorities can access funding to (i) trial and (b) adopt (A) faster, (B) cheaper and (C) lower-carbon road repair technologies.

The Department has made available £1.6bn in funding for local highway authorities to maintain their networks in 2025/26, a £500 million uplift compared to the previous year. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances, but the Department encourages the adoption of innovative technologies.The Department has funded Live Labs 2, a three-year (2023/24 to 2025/26), £30 million programme managed by ADEPT to support the decarbonisation of the whole local highways sector in the UK. It comprises seven projects, each in partnership between local highways authorities, the private sector and academia, focussing on different aspects of local highways maintenance, with lessons learned then available to the whole sector. It is founded on the idea that the sector acting together to innovate is more efficient than every authority acting on its own. A key aspect of the programme is testing, verifying and scaling low-carbon materials and technologies for improving road surfaces.

What assessment her Department has made of the total cost of the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme to date; whether any underspends or project delays have been identified; and what measurable increase in zero-emission HGV adoption has resulted.

The Government has committed up to £200 million to the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) to deploy zero emission HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites, most of which will be delivered by March 2026. ZEHID is making good progress with 295 of a possible 319 zero emission HGVs ordered to date (86 already delivered and in use by haulage companies) and 73 planned infrastructure locations (14 already operational). A few HGVs and infrastructure sites may be operational slightly after March 2026 and this is being carefully managed by Innovate UK, our delivery partner. All project spend is forecast to be complete by the end of the current financial year (March 2026), and while there has been some underspend against the project’s original budget, this was due to changes initiated by projects themselves as they refined approaches following original bids submitted in 2022.While ZEHID has been operational, there has been a measurable increase in zero emission HGVs, going from 478 when ZEHID launched in late 2022 to 1,158 in June 2025.