Written questions by Holden.

Whether she plans to adopt working parking taxes.

The power to introduce a workplace parking levy sits with the local traffic authority.

What plans she has to support the roll out of automated train operation technology on (a) rail, (b) light rail, (c) Tube and (d) metro lines.

There are already a number of automated systems currently in use on various networks, the most notable being the Docklands Light Railway. Semi-automated systems are also operational on parts of Thameslink, the Elizabeth line and several London Underground lines. Further roll out would be subject to a full assessment of regulatory, technical and operational factors.

With reference to paragraph 5.91 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the treatment of double cab pick-up vehicles on (a) SMEs, (b) the self-employed and (c) people who work in the construction industry; and what estimate she has made of the number of taxpayers impacted by those changes in 2025-26.

Double Cab Pick Up vehicles (DCPUs) have in the past been treated as goods vehicles for tax purposes, rather than cars. Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, DCPUs must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, based on their primary suitability. At Autumn Budget 2024, the government had to make difficult decisions, and in the given fiscal situation was not willing to legislate to change this treatment and provide a significant tax break worth hundreds of millions per year for these vehicles. The transitional arrangements put in place meant that this would not affect the capital allowances treatment of any business that already owned a DCPU, or that purchased one before April 2025; and businesses that purchase or have purchased a DCPU after this date will still be able to deduct the cost from their taxable profits at 18% or 6% per year. Under the transitional arrangements for Benefit-in-Kind treatment, anyone who accessed a DCPU before 6 April 2025 will not be impacted until the sooner of disposal of the vehicle, 5 April 2029 or when their lease expires. In addition, there are alternatives to DCPUs (such as Single Cab Pick Ups, or 4x4 vans) that are still treated as goods vehicles.

What information (a) her Department and (b) Great British Railways holds on (i) the trade union agreements with each railway operator and (ii) the operating practices on employees rights in each railway operator.

The Department for Transport does not hold any records of individual trade union agreements or operating practices relating to employee rights for each individual railway operator. These matters are managed directly by the operators themselves. Great British Railways does not currently exist as a statutory body and therefore holds no such information.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of insurance premium tax on the cost of car insurance; and whether she plans to increase insurance premium tax.

Last year, we established a cross-government motor insurance taskforce with a strategic remit to set the direction for UK government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing car insurance premiums. The taskforce's final report will be published in the autumn. Insurance pricing is a decision which is affected by a wide range of factors, and the taxes that insurers pay are just one part of this. There is additionally no guarantee that any reductions in IPT would be passed on to consumers. We keep all taxes under review and the Chancellor makes decisions at Budgets in the context of the overall public finances

What substantive proposals her Department received relating to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, other than from (a) Heathrow Airport Limited and (b) the Arora Group; and from which organisations.

The Department received seven proposals for consideration through a structured internal assessment process.The assessment process is designed to ensure that each proposal is examined carefully and consistently against the criteria set out in the Secretary of State’s 30 June letter. This includes a review of the proposals’ overall feasibility, their timelines, the costs and revenues associated with the scheme, details of the scheme’s financing and funding, the environmental impacts and mitigations, and deliverability of the scheme.While we are not disclosing the names of promoters or details of their proposals at this stage, a further update will be provided in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64832 on King Charles III: Artworks, if he will provide a hyperlink to the breakdown of the take up for (a) UK Government departments and (b) arm's-length bodies on gov.uk.

His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up including UK Government departments and Arms Length Bodies, wider public authorities and other eligible institutions can be found at www.gov.uk/government/news/conclusion-of-his-majesty-the-kings-free-portrait-scheme

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 65879 on Ethics and Integrity Commission: Correspondence, if he will publish correspondence from external organisations on the Ethics and Integrity Commission received since 4 July 2024.

The Cabinet Office does not routinely publish public correspondence.

What steps her Department has taken to strengthen guidance to help ensure bus lanes operate only (a) when buses are running and (b) when traffic is heavy enough to cause delay to buses.

It is for local authorities to decide whether bus lanes are appropriate on their network, and to set the times of operation. The Department published Local Transport Note 1/24: Bus User Priority in March 2024 which includes advice on all aspects of bus priority including the design of bus lanes and their times of operation. LTN 1/24 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-user-priority-ltn-124.

What role (a) her Department and (b) its agencies will play in making agreements with trade unions on the nationalised railways.

As the employers, Network Rail and individual train operators, including those owned by DfT Operator Ltd, are responsible for negotiating agreements with the trade unions, under established collective bargaining arrangements. The future role of Great British Railways in this process has still to be determined.

What guidance (a) Network Rail, (b) her Department and its agencies and (c) Great British Railways have produced on trade union facility time for railways staff.

Facility time arrangements are matters for individual rail employers and the trade unions to agree, in accordance with trade union and labour relations legislation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53201 on Cabinet Office: Building, what major repairs are required to bring the building back into use.

36 Whitehall requires major repairs and refurbishment to bring back into use and is being actively considered as part of the plans for London's government office estate.

With reference to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority's Annual Report 2024–25, published on 11 August 2025, for what reason no evaluation was completed for the East Coast Mainline programme.

The Department has continued to work closely with Network Rail and industry stakeholders on development of the recast East Coast Main Line timetable, planned for introduction this December. This timetable will realise the benefits of the investment made through the Enhancements Programme, and so discussions are ongoing with the Department’s Research and Evaluation team, and NISTA, to develop a suitable Evaluation Plan for the Programme once the final details of the timetable have been formally confirmed.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the alcohol drink drive limit level on the viability of (a) pubs, (b) restaurants, (c) cafes and (d) other hospitality businesses in rural areas.

As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences such as drink driving and other matters of concern that have been raised. The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the THINK! Road Safety communications campaign on road (a) injuries and (b) fatalities.

The Department continues to run the THINK! Campaign. In 2025/26 it has delivered a paid campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drink driving and will continue to prioritise budget where it can have the most impact. The THINK! campaign has successful cut through and trust among young drivers. We consistently see high claimed action taken, including changing driving behaviour, and positive shifts in attitudes towards priority issues including drink driving and speeding. THINK! also promotes key road safety messages across its social channels and via ongoing radio advertising. The partner-led platform, THINK! 0%, continues to encourage drivers to always opt for 0% over an alcoholic drink if they’re getting behind the wheel. Assets are also made available for stakeholders and partners to promote. THINK! also supports road safety education for children via free resources for schools, parents and local authorities. The Government treats road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We continue to adapt and evolve our campaign strategy and will consider any requirements aligned to the future Road Safety Strategy.

Whether she plans to reduce the micrograms of alcohol drink drive limit in England and Wales.

As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences such as drink driving and other matters of concern that have been raised. The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

Whether the nationalised railways will be subject to (a) the Freedom of Information and (b) Environmental Information Regulations regimes.

Great British Railways will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 in accordance with the statutory provisions that apply to public authorities. This means that information held by these bodies can, in general, be requested under these regimes, subject to the usual exemptions and exceptions.

What the (a) punctuality, (b) reliability and (c) other quantified performance targets are for c2c Railway Limited under the Services Agreement with the Department for Transport; if she will publish those targets in full; what the defined outturn performance standards are for c2c Railway Limited under the Services Agreement; how each standard is measured; what minimum thresholds apply; what indicators and benchmarks are used to assess the continuing development of the customer offer for c2c Railway Limited under the Services Agreement; and how progress against those indicators will be reported.

The Services Agreement with c2c Railway Limited will be made available on the Department for Transport’s website in due course, which will set out the Secretary of State’s requirements for the publicly owned operator. c2c Railway Limited, along with other public sector operators, will be required to meet targets for punctuality, reliability, service quality and customer satisfaction every period, and it will also be required to publish its performance against these targets on a regular basis. In addition, a suite of Key Performance Indicators will be routinely monitored by the operator and the Department.

Whether DVLA is making use of AI for (a) Automatic Number Plate Recognition and (b) supply of traffic enforcement data to local authorities.

While artificial intelligence (AI) is not currently in use for these purposes, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is actively monitoring developments with AI technology and will consider where and how it could potentially be used to help improve processes in the future.

With reference to the document entitled Fixing the foundations: Public spending audit 2024-25, published on 29 July 2024, if she will publish the (a) equality impact assessment, (b) strategic environmental assessment and (b) environmental principles assessment produced for the Ministerial decision to cancel the Restoring Your Railway fund.

On 8 July 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer instructed HM Treasury officials to undertake a audit of public spending. The audit’s findings showed a forecast overspend on departmental spending of £21.9 billion above the resource departmental expenditure limit (RDEL) totals that had been set at Spring Budget 2024. Taking immediate action to respond to the spending pressure, the government cancelled the Restoring Your Railway programme as a cost-saving measure of £85 million. HM Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics in line with both our legal obligations and with our commitment to promoting fairness. HM Treasury also carefully considers the environmental impacts of decisions in line with the environmental principles policy statement duty and the recognition of long-term environmental targets to tackle climate change.