Every parliamentary written question tabled by Shivani Raja this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 161–180 of 485 · this parliament
With reference to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123235, whether her Department held discussions with garage owners or representative bodies on the practicality and administrative feasibility of conducting
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, to create a fair tax system whilst also taking steps to ensure that driving an electric vehicle (EV) remains an attractive choice for consumers...
What specific directions her Department has issued to the Civil Aviation Authority since the publication of the Regulation Action Plan to prevent the introduction of new regulatory or administrative burdens on
The Department for Transport issues an annual priorities letter to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The most recent letter outlined the Department’s expectations for the CAA for the financial year 2026/27 and has been published. The letter referenced t...
With reference to his Department's press release entitled £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads, published on 25 March 2026, over what period will the £1 billion funding pac
The £1 billion in funding to support businesses to transition to zero emission commercial vehicles is classified as capital expenditure. The £171 million allocated to the Depot Charging Scheme is part of the £1 billion total, alongside £877 million for th...
What assessment she has made of the risk that increased student visa refusal rates may cause otherwise compliant sponsors to breach the 5% refusal threshold.
The tighter Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) metrics, set out in the Immigration White Paper on 12 May 2025, will come into effect in June. Metrics will not be changed according to fluctuations in student visa refusal rates, which vary over time due to c...
Whether she plans to ensure that horse riders are included within the design and provision of active travel routes; and what alternative arrangements will be available for equestrians where such provision is no
New or upgraded traffic-free paths or quiet country lanes can be designed to be attractive and safe for equestrians as well as walking, wheeling and cycling although in some situations it may not be possible to accommodate their needs. Active Travel Engla...
If she will make an assessment of the potential benefits of introducing provision for an embedded (a) mentor and (b) counsellor in every school in England through (i) internal staff and (ii) external providers.
The department is currently working to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs).As at March 2025, 52% of pupils and learners were supported by MHSTs (70% of pupils in seconda...
What the expected date is for the commencement of on-site works at Bransty Tunnel, and what the expected date is for the full reopening of the Cumbrian Coast Line at Bransty Tunnel.
Network Rail has set up a dedicated Whitehaven Recovery Taskforce to address flooding and structural issues at Bransty Tunnel linked to historic mining activity. Detailed inspections are complete, and a permanent repair solution has been independently ver...
What expenditure has DfTO undertaken on public affairs companies, and for what purposes, since 4 July 2024.
DFTO have not used a public affairs company since 4 July 2024.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Chile; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and a
The Department for Transport (DfT) has a statutory requirement under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to monitor port security in the British Overseas Territories. The visit in 2025 was to deliver security assessments of ISPS ...
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Indonesia; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occas
The Department for Transport (DfT) works with international partners to contribute to safety, security and resilience, ensure international connectivity, and boost UK trade and investment. The official visits to Indonesia supported DfT’s ongoing internati...
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Nigeria; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Nepal; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
The Nepal flights were an ‘additional journey’, which is for DfT staff posted overseas. Such journeys are to enable staff and accompanying dependents at qualifying hardship posts to take a break away from local conditions during their posting. This was for an SEO plus partner as an additional journey from their posting in New Delhi. Total costs are only the flight costs totalling £332.10. This is in line with DfT policy and agreed at senior civil service level.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Mozambique; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Brunei; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Two officials, one Grade 6 and one SEO travelled to/from Brunei at a total cost of £5,374.73 which was signed off in advance by a Senior Civil Servant, in line with departmental policy. The purpose of the trip was to conduct detailed multilateral air services negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to update air services arrangements. It was not possible to conduct these negotiations remotely.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to the Cayman Islands; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of bail conditions in reducing reoffending and protecting the public in cases involving persons under the age of 18 accused of violent offences.
The Government is clear that when the courts are considering bail for children charged with violent offences, public protection should always be the foremost priority, alongside reducing the risk of offending. For children, there is the option of imposing Bail Intensive Support and Supervision which includes high levels of contact, monitoring, structured activity and in some cases electronic tags.While evidence specifically on the effectiveness of different bail conditions on reducing offending or protection of the public is limited, there is evidence on the factors that reduce the chances of a child offending. The key principles of lowering the risk of offending include therapeutic rather than punitive responses, and family-based interventions that draw on community support and address wider needs, such as education and health. A strong and robust bail package is expected to address these key principles to ensure public safety.
What recent steps her Department has taken to support school leavers to access (a) further education opportunities and (b) work placements; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those steps in delivering long-term employment outcomes.
The department is taking a range of steps to support school leavers to access further education (FE) opportunities and work placements.The government is improving careers advice in schools so that all young people understand the full range of pathways available to them, including FE, apprenticeships and employment, and feel confident navigating a changing labour market.We are also committed to guaranteeing every young person access to two weeks’ worth of high‑quality work experience during secondary education. This more flexible model provides multiple, meaningful workplace experiences across key stages 3 and 4, helping pupils develop employer‑valued skills and supporting successful transitions into FE and work.In 2024/25, a pilot flexible work‑experience model reached over 2,500 pupils across 66 schools and is being scaled in 2025/26, with enhanced support for up to 750 disadvantaged schools. From 2026/27, additional support will expand provision in alternative provision schools.Effectiveness is monitored through the Future Skills Questionnaire, which shows rising career readiness, pathway awareness and confidence, all of which are associated with improved long‑term employment outcomes.
What steps she is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) business education to (i) secondary school students and (ii) further education students.
The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report in November 2025. The department is engaging with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.Teaching at GCSE business studies can build on the financial education being taught in earlier key stages in citizenship and maths.
What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of violent robbery offences committed by persons under the age of 18; and what steps she is taking to tackle those trends.
This Government established a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce in October 2024 to respond to surges of 14% of this violent form of robbery in the year before the General Election, a significant proportion of which involves young people. We brought together Chief Constables and policing partners from the seven areas which collectively accounted for approximately 70% of the national problem.The Taskforce scrutinised police performance in real time and identified common solutions to shared operational challenges, including a specific focus on under-18 knife-enabled robbery along school routes and transport hubs.The Knife-Enabled Robbery Group now continues this relentless effort, achieving promising results, with knife robberies now down by 15% overall across these seven areas (Oct 2025 vs year to June 2024). Knife robberies are also down nationally by 10%. These results demonstrate the impact of our targeted and evidence-led approach.Our new Plan to Halve Knife Crime ‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope’ sets out how we will support young people and stop those at risk from turning to crime. This includes the roll out of over 50 Young Futures Panel pilots across England and Wales to identify thousands of children at high risk of knife crime who were falling through the gaps.
What steps her Department is taking to raise attainment levels for disadvantaged students in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.
The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap will be halved. This equates to 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.We are driving standards through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system and recruiting 6,500 additional teachers, as well as taking action to address barriers to learning.Alongside this, schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant. In the 2026/27 financial year we will be providing £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding across all state-funded schools in England, an increase of 2.2% per pupil from the 2025/26 financial year. In the 2025/26 financial year Leicester received £23,112,193 of pupil premium funding, and the East Midlands received £260,716,608.