theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 45218 on Competition and Markets Authority: Public Appointments what steps is he is taking to help ensure adequate (a) scrutiny and (b) accountability of the new chair of the Competition and Markets authority to prevent conflicts of interest. \p Justin Madders: As set out in the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) Framework Agreement, the performance of the CMA Chair is reviewed annually by the responsible Director General within the Department for Business and Trade in accordance with the Chair’s duties and in consultation with the CMA Board. As noted in my previous answer, a new Framework Agreement will be published later this year.

The CMA has published its own Conflicts of Interest Policy and also publishes a register of interests of all of its Board members.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will legislative steps to ensure job advertisements do not ask about political views. \p Justin Madders: Employers should follow a fair process when recruiting. They must not discriminate, in terms of the Equality Act 2010, and they must comply with data protection legislation. Compliance involves being clear what information is collected about candidates and how it will be used for recruitment purposes; and collecting only the information that is relevant and necessary for recruitment.
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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to help attract green inward investment to (a) Huddersfield and (b) other northern towns. \p Sarah Jones: Green investment is a cornerstone of the UKs drive for growth, as set out in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper. For Huddersfield and towns across the North, we actively showcase investment opportunities to potential investors, and provide account management services for investors already in the region to help them build and scale. This is demonstrated by our work to support the £50m investment of Syngenta in Huddersfield, to build technology that will improve crop yields, announced in March this year.
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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) high streets and (b) town centre shop fronts in (i) Huddersfield and (ii) similar towns. \p Gareth Thomas: This government is supporting high street businesses in Huddersfield and in similar towns by reforming business rates, empowering communities to address vacant high street properties through high street rental auctions and tackling anti-social behaviour and crime in town centres through the Crime and Policing Bill.

In April, we announced a Licensing Taskforce that will suggest improvements to our licensing regime to foster vibrant hospitality and cultural sectors on the high street.

Government support in Huddersfield includes £16.7m from MHCLG for the Open Market project to provide a new market that is fit for the future and is part of the council’s programme to drive footfall and demand across the high street. The Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, led by MHCLG will also provide £20 million of long-term funding to 75 places over the next decade targeted on local projects prioritised by the community, including those on the high street.
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Luke Myer:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's trade policies promote resilience in (a) steel, (b) energy, (c) advanced manufacturing and (c) other strategically important domestic supply chains. \p Sarah Jones: This government recognises the importance of secure and resilient supply chains to the UK’s growth and economic security. DBT is strengthening the UK’s resilience both through sector programmes and the upcoming Trade and Industrial Strategies. These Strategies, which are unreservedly pro-business, will outline more on our plans for resilience-building, including in the growth and foundational sectors targeted by the Industrial Strategy.

In collaboration with business, we are already acting to bolster the resilience of key UK industries, for example reviewing all options to ensure a secure future for our domestic steel industry and building a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain through the Automotive Transformation Fund.
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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed cut to (a) the Universal Credit health element and (b) PIP on survivors of domestic abuse. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information required to make such an assessment is not readily available. This is because to identify survivors of domestic abuse would require manual processing of claimant information, and the information would only be available where it is included in departmental records.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) directly invite the views of disabled people and (b) directly engage with stakeholder groups on the Pathway to Work proposals. \p Sir Stephen Timms: This government strongly values the input of disabled people and representative organisations, and that is why we have brought forward this Green Paper and opened a public consultation. The consultation welcomes all views, and we hope that a wide range of voices will respond before it closes on the 30 June 2025.

We have published a full suite of accessible versions of the Green Paper to ensure that everyone can engage. Our schedule of virtual and in-person public consultation events across the country will further facilitate input and help us to hear from disabled people and stakeholders directly. The events accommodate any reasonable adjustments for individuals who wish to attend, including re-imbursing travel costs and arranging accessible venues and accessibility requirements such as BSL interpreters or stenographers for attendees.

We are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve stakeholders and disabled people in our reforms. In addition to the consultation itself, we will establish ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas. Our wider review of the PIP assessment, led by myself, will also bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in Liechtenstein claimed Personal Independence Payment in each year since 2020. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. This is because we only centrally record if a PIP claimant is abroad, not the individual country.

The total number of PIP claimants living abroad can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset. You can use the ‘Geography’ and ‘Month’ filters to restrict to claimants living abroad from 2020. You will need to expand ‘National – Regional – LA – OAs’, ‘DWP policy ownership’ and then select ‘Abroad’.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.
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Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults living in temporary accommodation receive the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The shared accommodation rate does not apply in temporary accommodation.

Temporary Accommodation is defined as housing that a claimant has been placed in by a local authority or housing association to meet the local authority’s statutory homelessness duty or to prevent homelessness.

Costs for housing support to those in private rental accommodation are subject to the Local Housing Allowance. The Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) applies to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit claimants who are under 35 years of age, living on their own, and renting privately.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to disability benefits set out in the (a) Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025 and (b) report entitled Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts, published on 26 March 2025 on demand for (i) NHS and (ii) adult social-care services. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling local authorities access to up-to-date Universal Credit claimant data for all claimants in their area. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the benefits of further Universal Credit data sharing with Local Authorities to support vulnerable citizens.

DWP is working on a project to do exactly this, and aims to have delivered a test version to a small group of LAs by Spring 2026. Subject to this test being successful, we will roll this out to all LAs during the rest of 2026.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed disability benefit changes on children's educational attainment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed disability benefit changes on rates of homelessness. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed changes to disability benefits on demand for local authority social care services. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the four-point minimum eligibility threshold on the ability of people with (a) fluctuating illnesses and (b) Myalgic Encephalomyelitis to claim PIP. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rate of clawback on Universal Credit on people employed with (a) irregular and (b) low incomes. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty across the UK. As announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget, a new Fair Repayment Rate has now been introduced from 30 April 2025, reducing the Universal Credit (UC) overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s UC standard allowance. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.

The Department has also committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty.

A key part of UC’s core design is that it supports customers with their finances. As part of our work to review UC, we are working with expert stakeholders to understand the impacts and causes as well as considering the ways in which we can better support customers who experience irregular or fluctuating household income.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to disability benefit on demand for NHS services. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has yet been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support veterans who were advised to claim Personal Independence Payment instead of Armed Forces Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Veterans are able to access the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), which provides compensation for injury or illness caused or made worse by Service on or after 6 April 2005. For serious injuries and illness, the AFCS provides a tax-free index-linked income stream known as the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP). The Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) is an additional allowance which provides financial support for eligible service personnel and veterans who have an AFCS GIP. It is an alternative to PIP (and other disability benefits), based on separate eligibility criteria, but paid at the same rate as the combined enhanced daily living and mobility components. The eligibility criteria for AFIP is not due to change.

If a veteran is advised to claim PIP rather than AFIP, it is most likely due to the fact that they would not be eligible for AFIP. If the long-term condition or disability is not service-related or if the GIP is below 50% of the veteran's salary, then PIP would be considered rather than AFIP.
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when a person who reached state pension age before 2016 would become entitled to their basic state pension. \p Torsten Bell: The basic State Pension was available for those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.

Men were eligible for basic State Pension at age 65. Women born prior to 6 April 1950 were eligible for the basic State Pension at age 60.

Following changes to the State Pension age due to the Pensions Act 1995, women born from 6 April 1950 to 5 April 1953 were eligible for the basic State Pension on a phased basis between 6 May 2010 and 6 March 2016. They had a State Pension age of between 60 years and one day and 63 years.

Details can be found in Table 1 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f02e640f0b62305b84929/spa-timetable.pdf
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people who accumulate points across multiple Personal Independence Payment activities, but do not score four points in any single activity, to retain their entitlement. \p Sir Stephen Timms: PIP is an important, non-means tested benefit for disabled people and people with health conditions – regardless of whether they are in or out of work. However, the rate of increases in claims and expenditure is not sustainable and has outstripped the growth in disability prevalence. Changes are needed that will control the spend on the welfare bill, while continuing to support those people with higher needs relating to their long-term health condition or disability.

In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we will introduce a new eligibility requirement to ensure that only those who score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity will be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. This requirement will need to be met in addition to the existing PIP eligibility criteria.

This will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them. This means that people who have lower needs only in the daily living activities (scoring three or less for each activity) will no longer be eligible for the daily living component of PIP.

Our intention is that this change will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting public education campaigns to raise awareness of (a) the presence of toxic substances in period products and (b) safer alternatives to period products. \p Seema Malhotra: Period products are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which requires all products to be safe and for consumers to be provided with information on the potential risks of a product. Through the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, the Government has committed to consult on this matter to ensure that any changes to the safety provisions of these products are robust and consistent.

Studies carried out in the EU on chemicals in period products found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health. If a product were identified as unsafe, the Office for Product Safety and Standards would seek to remove it from the market, rather than run a public awareness campaign.

More widely, UK Health Security Agency is considering the information available to members of the public with respect to chemicals, and looking to publish a new website to give consumers access to more information on the chemicals they use in their everyday lives.
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John Lamont:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment the Government has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Bridget Phillipson: The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity for women and single-sex service providers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice; the government will engage them as necessary as they progress this work. All government departments should follow the ruling.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she expects the Equality and Human Rights Commission to update its code of practice following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Bridget Phillipson: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The EHRC are currently updating their Code of Practice to reflect the ruling. The Government is engaging with them on this and expect them to work quickly and thoroughly, hearing from a wide range of voices. Ministers will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of access to internships and work placements by people from different socio-economic backgrounds. \p Bridget Phillipson: Our Opportunity Mission will break down the barriers to opportunity for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. This means ensuring that everyone can access training opportunities, including internships and work placements, that support them to thrive in work and in life.

That is why the Government is following through with our manifesto commitment for two weeks’ worth of work experience for all pupils in secondary school and has recently invested £18m in supported internships for those with SEND. We are embedding work placements within T Levels and we’ve also announced funding for 40,000 industry placements as part of the Construction Skills Package
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on private financing options for the second phase of High Speed Two. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government’s current focus is the safe delivery of High Speed Two (HS2) between Birmingham Curzon Street and London Euston at the lowest reasonable cost. While we will not reverse the decision to cancel Phase 2 of HS2, we recognise concerns about connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester and continue to review the position we inherited on rail infrastructure.

The Department is currently reviewing options to collaborate with the private sector on the delivery of the HS2 Euston station. As part of this, officials are engaging with stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the available private finance options that could deliver value for money for taxpayers.

Minister Hendy met with Mayors Burnham and Parker last November, following the publication of the Midlands North-West Rail Link plan; the Mayors’ plan involved leveraging private capital to build a new Birmingham to Manchester railway line. The Department is currently reviewing a range of options for enhancing northern rail infrastructure while ensuring value for money for taxpayers.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the (a) sale and (b) import of devices which allow the 15.5 mph speed limit to be removed. \p Simon Lightwood: Whilst the department has no plans to make an assessment on this, product safety laws already set requirements for the safety of consumer products placed on the market. This includes e-bikes and related accessories. Manufacturers and importers must ensure that their products comply with this legislation, and distributors must not supply products that they know, or should know, to be dangerous.

The Government’s Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will provide powers to further strengthen our product safety framework.
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact unrepaired potholes on (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. The Department’s highway maintenance funding is to enable local highway authorities to look after all parts of their highway networks, including cycle lanes and footways. It is up to individual local highway authorities to assess the impacts of their highway maintenance programmes on all road users, and to satisfy themselves that they are complying with their responsibilities under the Highways Act 1980.

Local highway authorities should consider the needs of all road users, especially vulnerable groups such as cyclists and pedestrians, when planning their highway maintenance programmes. Potholes, and poorly maintained pavements, have particular impacts on cyclists and pedestrians. The consequences of hitting a pothole can be far worse for a cyclist than for a driver, for example, and poorly maintained pavements can result in trips and falls as well as putting some people off walking altogether.
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to provide sustainable road surfacing. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. Decisions on road surfacing materials used in highway maintenance activities are a matter for each local authority based on local needs and priorities.

The Department encourages and supports innovation and best practice in road surface repairs in various ways. It has started the task of updating the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will include new advice on matters such as surface treatments. The Department is also providing £30 million to the ADEPT ‘Live Labs’ research programme, enabling local authority-led consortia to trial innovative low-carbon ways of looking after their networks. One of the projects within the Live Labs programme is enabling novel resurfacing materials to be tested and evaluated through the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to encourage active travel in rural areas. \p Simon Lightwood: We have recently announced £222.5 million to local authorities outside London for the delivery of active travel schemes and £30 million for upgrading the National Cycle Network. Much of this investment will go to rural areas. Active Travel England (ATE) also provides training for local authority staff to enable delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development.

Additionally, ATE has worked with the ten National Parks in England to help them develop better links to rural towns and villages. ATE is developing specific guidance for good practice application in rural areas and expects to publish this shortly.
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the classifications of (a) mobility scooters and (b) powered wheelchairs on people with mobility aids outside those classifications. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department is committed to delivering a transport network which puts passengers and their needs at its heart. We want to see disabled passengers able to make the journeys they want and need – doing this easily, confidently, with dignity and without extra cost.

We recognise the need for modern regulation that is designed with, and meets the needs of disabled people, and will continue to work closely with a range of stakeholders to help us develop this work.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of privately owned e-scooters in England. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department estimates that across England between 760,000 and 1.2 million people aged 16 and over own an e-scooter.

The Government aims to deliver an integrated transport system that reduces emissions, improves journeys, and gives people choice over how they travel, and we are carefully considering how micromobility can help to deliver these objectives. No decision has yet been taken, however, on bringing forward e-scooter regulations. The Department will consult on any new proposed regulations before they come into force.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve access to public transport in North West Norfolk. \p Simon Lightwood: The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to providing access to services and keeping communities connected. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Norfolk County Council has been allocated £15.9 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services across the area.

Rail services in North West Norfolk are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.

The government also launched its plan to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy which will set the long-term vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve all people who use it, including those in North West Norfolk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of passenger numbers on Thameslink services in (a) 2030 and (b) 2040. \p Simon Lightwood: In line with our published guidance, the Department has developed a number of possible rail demand scenarios in both the medium and long term. The Department considers a wide range of evidence for our project appraisals and policy decisions and seeks to use the most up to date inputs to aid in these decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_338

Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to limit the speed of e-scooters. \p Simon Lightwood: E-scooters used as part of the ongoing e-scooter trials are already limited to 15.5mph.

Privately owned e-scooters remain illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and enforcement is a matter for the police. No policy decisions on micromobility or e-scooter regulations have yet been made. The Department will consult on any new proposed regulations before they come into force, including on maximum speeds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_339

Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the bus fare cap on passenger numbers. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is investing over £150 million to deliver the new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025 to help keep bus fares affordable. Under the plans of the previous administration, the £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain a cap on bus fares beyond this point.

The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap was published on 12 February. An evaluation of the £3 fare cap is due to be commissioned in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_340

Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the likely readiness of hydrogen-powered aircrafts for commercial use at the planned completion of the expansion of Heathrow Airport; and what steps her Department is taking to align aviation decarbonisation initiatives with future airport infrastructure developments. \p Mike Kane: The government recognises the potential decarbonisation and growth benefits that new forms of zero-emission aircraft using hydrogen could provide. However, construction and operational timelines of any Heathrow Airport expansion remain a matter for the scheme promoter.

The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals must be delivered in line with the UK’s legal, climate and environmental obligations. The government will set out detail on plans for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year, including for aviation.

Also, the Jet Zero Taskforce, convening representatives from government, industry, and academia, has established a dedicated Task and Finish Group to review barriers to the commercial operation of zero-carbon hydrogen aircraft.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_341

Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the capacity of the West Coast Mainline between Crewe and Manchester. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government is committed to improving rail connectivity across the North and working with local leaders, as set out in our manifesto.

While we will not reverse the decision to cancel Phase 2 of HS2, we recognise concerns about connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester and continue to review the position we inherited on rail infrastructure. We will set out our plans in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_342

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of Network Rail's compliance with his Department's guidance entitled Rules on lobbying for Non-Departmental Public Bodies. \p Simon Lightwood: As a Non-Departmental Public Body, Network Rail is subject to Cabinet Office rules which prohibit attendance at party conferences and the use of consultancies for lobbying activities. I have received assurances from Network Rail that they adhere to the guidelines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_343

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on proposed changes to the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) cap. \p Mike Kane: There are no proposals to change the HEFA cap which forms part of the SAF mandate scheme introduced on January 1 this year. It is recognised that HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the scheme. To this end there is no cap on HEFA supplied under the SAF mandate this year or next, and thereafter the cap is applied gradually decreasing the contribution of HEFA to 71% in 2030. The SAF mandate does not cap the production of SAF in the UK. It enables more advanced sustainable aviation fuels to be developed whilst supporting a UK market for HEFA in a way which recognises sustainable feedstocks used to produce HEFA are finite.

Any proposals to amend or remove the cap would require legislation. They would be subject to public consultation and cabinet committee clearances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_344

Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the sale of private e-scooters on public safety. \p Simon Lightwood: Privately owned e-scooters cannot be legally ridden either on roads or on pavements. Enforcement of illegal and/or irresponsible e-scooter use is a matter for the police. Users can face fines and fixed penalty notices, criminal prosecution, points on their driving licence, and have their e-scooter impounded.

Statistics on road collisions are collected via data reported to the Department by police forces. Provisionally, there were an estimated 1,194 casualties in collisions involving private or rental e-scooters in year ending June 2024, compared to 1,413 in the year ending June 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_345

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed by more than 15 minutes on routes serving Chippenham railway station in the most recent 12 month period for which data is available. \p Simon Lightwood: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish statistics on punctuality and reliability of trains operating on the mainline network on a periodic basis.

The Train Operating Company providing services to Chippenham station is Great Western Railway. In the financial year 2024/25:

a) An average of 4.6% of services scheduled by Great Western Railways were cancelled.  (Source: ORR - Table 3124 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/table-3124-trains-planned-and-cancellations-by-operator-and-cause-periodic/).

b) On average, 96.6% of services run by Great Western Railway trains arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time  (Source: ORR - Table 3138 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/table-3138-train-punctuality-at-recorded-station-stops-by-operator-periodic/).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_346

Martin Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the Office of Rail and Road's statistics entitled Passenger Rail Usage, published on 20 March 2025, in the context of open access competition on the East Coast Mainline. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department recognises the wider benefits that can be provided by open access operators in the right circumstances, including increased competition which we have seen on the East Coast Main Line.

We welcome the publication of Passenger Rail Usage statistics published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on 20 March 2025. We continually monitor statistics published by the ORR and take account of them in our decision making where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_347

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that train station car parks offer alternatives to online payment methods. \p Simon Lightwood: Decisions regarding car parking at stations, including charges and payment methods, are an operational matter for train operators and Network Rail to make based on their local knowledge of the passengers and communities they serve. We encourage train operators to consult local communities and to consider each station’s needs and customer base when making decisions on charging at the car parks they manage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_348

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the Office of Rail and Road on the necessary provision of information by Network Rail to the Office of Rail and Road, so the Office of Rail and Road can take decisions on open access rail applications. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport works closely with both the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible. However, it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient and reliable operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_349

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the costs to LNER of operating once-a-day train services to (a) Hull and (b) Bradford. \p Simon Lightwood: London North Eastern Railway (LNER) already operates one service a day to Hull and two services a day, increasing to seven next month, to Bradford. The cost of these services are included within LNER's annual budget agreed by the Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-08 conversation_350

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent by the Great British Railways Transition Team since it was established; and how many external consultants were employed by that team on 28 April 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) was set up as a temporary organisation under the previous government to design and transition towards Great British Railways, including building cross-industry capability. Total funding allocated to GBRTT was: £20.9m in the financial year 2021-22; £54.4m in financial year 2022-23; £50m in financial year 2023-24; and £29.3m in financial year 2024-25. Total funding spent by GBRTT was: £12.9m in the financial year 2021-22; £52.7m in the financial year 2022-23, £41.3m in the financial year 2023-24; and £27.6m in the financial year 2024-25. No external consultants were employed by GBRTT on 28 April 2025. No staff have been employed by GBRTT since 31 March 2025.