Written questions by Holden.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

The information below relates to Defra and the Environment agency only.Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £996k on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities.Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £278k on the purchase of electric vehicles.The Department estimates that the capital cost of the electric vehicles purchased is approximately £50k (£4.1k per vehicle) higher than comparable diesel models.The Department is working towards a government target of 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions by 31 December 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on compliance with ecological mitigation and enhancement conditions attached to planning permissions; and if he will publish post-occupancy monitoring data on the implementation of (a) bird boxes, (b) hedgehog highways, (c) tree planting and (d) other biodiversity features.

Monitoring and ensuring compliance with ecological conditions attached to planning permissions are matters for local planning authorities who already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, to use as they consider appropriate. For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025. In respect of post-occupancy monitoring, my Department does not collect the data requested. Officials in my Department have engaged with Natural England and local planning authorities about the monitoring of biodiversity enhancements, particularly in relation to the implementation of biodiversity net gain.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the enforcement of ecological conditions attached to planning consents; and whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Natural England and (b) local planning authorities on improving post-occupancy inspections of biodiversity enhancements.

Monitoring and ensuring compliance with ecological conditions attached to planning permissions are matters for local planning authorities who already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, to use as they consider appropriate. For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025. In respect of post-occupancy monitoring, my Department does not collect the data requested. Officials in my Department have engaged with Natural England and local planning authorities about the monitoring of biodiversity enhancements, particularly in relation to the implementation of biodiversity net gain.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77156 on Rolling Stock: Leasing, whether any of the train operating companies transferred into public ownership since July 2024 have seen rolling stock leasing arrangements novated unchanged to the new public sector operator; and what the total annual cost to the public purse is of those unchanged existing agreements.

We are transferring currently franchised services into public ownership as current contracts expire, after they reach their contractual break point or if the contractual right to terminate is met - avoiding the need to pay compensation to the current operators for early termination. The services of three train operating companies have transferred into public ownership since July 2024, South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia. The leasing arrangements for both c2c and Greater Anglia were novated on their existing terms. The Government had already been covering the costs of these since the pandemic. The annual cost of rolling stock to operators is published on an annual basis by the Office for Rail and Road.

What steps she is taking to help protect (a) police officers, (b) immigration officers and (c) other public sector workers from online harassment by people who film and publish deliberately confrontational encounters with them on social media platforms.

Nobody should face harassment in person, on social media or anywhere online.The Online Safety Act (OSA) introduced a number of communication offences, including the false communications offence and which could include videos uploaded online. This offence captures communications where the individual knows the information to be false but sends it intending to cause harm, or intending for it to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to a likely audience.The Act requires services, including social media platforms, to implement robust measures to reduce the risks that users post illegal content, and to reduce the risk of users coming across this content. Moreover, platforms should also have their own terms, community guidelines or options for people to submit complaints to them and potentially have content removed, even if it may not be in breach of the Online Safety Act.Anybody who believes online material may be in breach of the Online Safety Act or falls short of the social media provider’s policies should report it to the relevant company. We expect companies to take their legal obligations seriously.It is a criminal offence to engage in behaviour that intentionally causes another person harassment, alarm, or distress, or for a person to pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment. In some circumstances, the repeated filming of an individual could be captured under these offences. It is for the police to decide whether a particular offence applies in any given circumstance.

What information his Department holds on the number of (a) marriages and (b) other unions between (i) first cousins and (ii) closer relatives in each nation of the UK in each year since 1997; and whether the Office for National Statistics (A) collects and (B) plans to collect such data through (1) the census, (2) birth records and (3) linked administrative datasets.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82990 on Railways: Essex, what estimate her Department has made of the capital cost of that proposal; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposal on (a) efficiency and (b) emissions.

As per the answer of 27th October, Initial assessments indicate that electrifying the branch between London Gateway and Thames Haven Junction would improve the efficiency and reliability of rail freight while reducing emissions. We will continue to work closely with Network Rail and other industry partners in assessing the viability and affordability of this proposal.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82992 on Railways: Freight, which schemes set out in the Spending Review were identified as having potential for increasing the capacity for freight on the routes; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those schemes on freight network performance.

The government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and that is why we are committed to supporting its growth. The Spending Review confirmed a number of infrastructure schemes across the country to help support the economy, housing and jobs. These include £3.5 billion for the TransPennine Route Upgrade and £2.5 billion for the continued delivery of East-West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge. Both projects will deliver benefits for rail freight, as well as passenger services. Options are currently being developed for the Transpennine Route Upgrade to provide increased capacity for rail freight from east and west coast ports to inland terminals.

Whether she plans to require MOT tests to check that (a) front windows and (b) windscreens comply with legal light transmission limits.

Driver visibility is an important safety consideration at the MOT, with the tester required to check the driver’s field of vision for obstructions. This includes inspecting the windscreen and front side windows for excessive tinting and discolouration. The MOT tester will fail the vehicle if the windscreen or window are excessively tinted and visibility through the swept area of the windscreen, or of an obligatory external mirror, is seriously affected. This approach aligns with legal light transmission levels that are intended to ensure the driver has good visibility of the road for safety purposes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82740 on Electric Vehicles: Grants, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd November is attached.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement a national ban on pavement parking; and whether she has held recent discussions with (a) Guide Dogs and (b) other relevant charities on this matter.

Ministers and Department officials have met with Guide Dogs and other relevant charities earlier this year to discuss pavement parking. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response soon.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82998 on HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, what plans she has for (a) unspent and (b) returned grant funding; and whether those monies will be (i) retained for driver welfare improvements and (ii) reallocated elsewhere within her Department’s budget.

As set out in my response to Question 85923, underspent specific budgets are reallocated to other priorities within DfT where possible. Any departmental underspend at the end of the financial year is returned to HMT. Under the terms of the Lorry Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Grant Scheme there is no provision for returned funding from operators. The Department issues payment for the monies operators claim only once the Department has reviewed appropriate evidence of the completed stages of works.

What the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year; and what estimate her Department has made of the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in each financial year between 2025-26 and 2029-30.

The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £9.60 per passenger journey in 2023/24 and £8.47 in 2024/25.  It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to circa £7.40 in 2028/29, primarily driven by a declining rail passenger services subsidy as passenger ridership and revenue continue to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings are made through public ownership.

What information her Department holds on (a) enforcement and (b) prosecution rates by police force following reports from members of the public of road traffic offences captured on (i) dashcams and (ii) other video evidence.

The Home Office does not hold the requested information.The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on police enforcement of road traffic offences as a part of the annual ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release. These statistics include information on the number of offences by outcome, including Fixed Penalty Notice, driver retraining and referral to court action.The latest publication, covering 2023, can be found on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023As part of these statistics, the Home Office publishes breakdowns on the number of camera-detected offences. However, these figures relate to offences captured by official traffic enforcement cameras and do not include footage submitted by members of the public via dashcams or other private video recording devices.Information on the prosecution outcome of offences referred to court action by the police is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

What information his Department holds on the (a) geographical and (b) demographic distribution of (i) consanguineous unions and (ii) high genomic inbreeding coefficients in each region; and whether these data are used in public health planning.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

Whether he has taken steps with Cabinet colleagues to make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of inbreeding on (a) socioeconomic, (b) educational and (c) health outcomes in each region of the UK.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the establishment of Great British Railways on the cost of rail services for passengers.

The Secretary of State will set the overall parameters for fares, reflecting their role in balancing affordability and taxpayer contributions to the railway, while Great British Railways (GBR) will set and manage individual fares for its services, creating a simpler, more consistent fares structure that passengers can trust. These decisions will be made in future once GBR is established. The new framework will also continue to safeguard existing statutory discount schemes, including those for disabled, senior, and younger passengers, currently delivered as railcards. There are no plans to withdraw other railcard schemes (e.g. Veterans or 26–30 railcards). GBR will have the flexibility to evolve these offers over time in line with passenger needs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82733 on Mobility Scooters: Pedestrian Areas, when her Department plans to commence the powered mobility device review; and what its objectives will be.

The powered mobility device review is already underway, and we intend to consult with the public before the end of the year, to ensure regulations are designed with, not for, disabled people. The consultation will also gather views on the Department’s proposed objectives for the review. We will work with a wide range of stakeholders once the consultation is published to ensure it reaches everyone who would like to contribute.

What information his Department holds on the incidence of (a) genetic and (b) congenital disorders associated with parental consanguinity in England and Wales since 1997; if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of incidence on public health; and if he will publish that assessment.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England is directed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to collect data and report on the prevalence of cancer, and congenital and rare conditions in England, and this includes genomic data where available. NDRS publishes official national statistics on the birth prevalence of congenital conditions in England, presented by geographical region and stratified by the presence or absence of a known genomic cause. Parental consanguinity is a data item within the NDRS congenital conditions dataset, but reporting remains incomplete across many data providers. As a result, the data is insufficient to support routine reporting on the birth prevalence of congenital conditions in consanguineous families. NDRS is working with hospital trusts to continually improve the quality and completeness of data. Other relevant initiatives include the Born in Bradford study, which provides valuable insights into congenital conditions and associated risk factors, including consanguinity, in a defined population. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/

Whether any NHS trusts (a) collect and (b) are required to collect data on (i) child and infant mortality, (ii) congenital anomalies and (iii) other health outcomes attributable to parental consanguinity.

The responsibility to collect and report child deaths is held by the commissioning authority and local authorities’ Child Death Overview Panels (CDOPs), not National Health Service trusts. The Child Death Review statutory guidance requires NHS trusts to provide CDOPs with information to review a child’s death. This is done on an individual basis from the child's medical records and not from centrally held data within the NHS trust. CDOPs and the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) cannot comment on “other health outcomes attributable to parental consanguinity” because the CDOP process only applies to live born children who die before their 18th birthday. The NCMD are preparing a thematic review of deaths to be published in 2026, which will report on the percentage of child death reviews that are attributed to chromosomal, genetic, and congenital anomalies, identifying consanguinity as a contributing factor.