theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much their Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers since 5 July 2024. \p Steve Reed: The department has not spent any money on media or voice training services for Ministers since 5 July 2024.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Leader of the House, if she will make an estimate of the average cost to the public purse of answering a written parliamentary question. \p Lucy Powell: The information requested is not held. The cost to the public purse of answering written PQs depends on numerous factors, including the size of parliamentary teams, volumes of parliamentary questions submitted, and the complexity of the question asked (and required policy work to answer it), amongst other factors.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work) sets out: “There is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850.”
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Josh MacAlister:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Main Top Level Budget areas offer flexible working to all employees (role permitting), and legislation provides a day-one right to submit a request for flexible working.

Foster Carer’s Leave is available, including up to five days Special Paid Leave (SPL) during assessment for approval as a foster carer; up to five days SPL during the approval process or when the child is in placement, and up to 10 days SPL at the start of a planned permanent placement. If both parents are employed by the MOD, then one can receive 10 days and other a maximum of five days.

Other support (beyond flexible working and Foster’s Carer’s Leave) available to foster carers comes in the form of family leave, other categories of special leave and pastoral provision, such as from line-management, networks and the Employee Assistance Programme.

Paid time off for training and developmental activity is available when it is undertaken in the course of benefiting a MOD role.

For those Arm’s Length Bodies that employ public servants, responsibility for their human resources policies is delegated to the organisation and it has not been possible to confirm each organisation’s policy regarding foster carers in the time available for a Parliamentary Question.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans in Northern Ireland (a) to access UK-wide veterans' services and (b) in other ways. \p Al Carns: This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access the appropriate support they require wherever they live in the UK. In Northern Ireland, the Office for Veterans Affairs, within the Ministry of Defence has established a local presence to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans wellbeing. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently announced the appointment of David Johnstone as the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner.

Specialist statutory support for veterans resident in Northern Ireland is delivered by the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) and a £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland by linking veterans with local services to ensure they are receiving the help available.

Veterans resident in Northern Ireland can also access a range of UK-wide support, including the Career Transition Partnership. The Reducing Veterans Homelessness (RVH) Programme includes the referral pathway OP FORTITUDE supporting veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust supports the Thrive Together Programme, which operates across the UK. In Northern Ireland, this is led by the charity Brooke House.
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Steve Witherden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the rules on request to review ARAP rejections within 90 days of receipt when a person is in (a) a life-threatening situation and (b) has limited access to the internet. \p Luke Pollard: We understand that Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) applicants often face difficult circumstances where it is not always easy to request a review of a decision finding their application ineligible within 90 days of receiving an outcome letter. Where an individual has compelling circumstances that prevented them from meeting this deadline, a late review request may be considered. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific circumstances of each individual.

This policy remains unchanged following the announcement of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which will draw Afghan resettlement into a single delivery pipeline whilst retaining the current eligibility criteria of individual schemes such as ARAP.

The full policy and process regarding ARAP reviews is published online and can be found on Government web pages.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the (a) number of days and (b) proportion of expected lifespans that naval vessels spend in maintenance. \p Maria Eagle: All Royal Navy ships rotate through planned operating cycles involving maintenance, upgrades, repair, training and deployment. This results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness at any one time in accordance with the Long-Term Operational Programme (LTOP) and operational needs.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have used AI in the last 12 months. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence is experimenting with a range of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to increase productivity and efficiency across the Department. That includes the use of informational chatbots, machine learning applications and generative AI to manage large volumes of data, automate laborious or repetitive tasks and support policy work (summarising documents, drafting emails, generating meeting minutes etc).
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published. \p Mike Kane: The Department keeps all of its policies under review, to ensure they are aligned to the Government’s priorities and delivering the best possible outcomes for the public.

It is standard practice for any new administration to review the policies of its predecessors.

Where appropriate, we publish details of our reviews on gov.uk. This includes information on the independent reviews, public consultations and taskforces that have been launched, completed and published between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements to differentiate between male and female physiology car manufacturers must fulfil in safety testing. \p Lilian Greenwood: For the majority of vehicle safety testing, it is not necessary to differentiate between male and female physiology to deliver the desired outcome. For example, where a force is required on a brake control or to release a seat belt buckle, that force will be set well within the physical capabilities of most males and females.

However, there are some contexts in which differing injury thresholds between the sexes is important. For this reason, the latest international vehicle regulation covering frontal impact protection uses crash test dummies representative of both male and female occupants. The Government is currently considering mandating this regulation as part of an extensive package of vehicle safety measures.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating funding to the Vauxhall roundabout project in the context of the potential impact of that project on other infrastructure projects in Great Yarmouth constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The A47 Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Junction scheme was cancelled due to a combination of cost increases and poor value for money. Great Yarmouth is benefiting from the Third River Crossing, a Norfolk Council scheme funded by DfT, and the National Highways scheme to improve Harfrey’s Roundabout. Given the poor value for money for the Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Roundabout scheme, there are no immediate plans for any funding allocation. Where areas are still experiencing issues with congestion, safety and the environment, we will continue to consider these issues in the context of other pressures and priorities for investment as part of future Road Investment Strategies.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that investment in cycling infrastructure is equitably distributed to rural areas. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has established Active Travel England (ATE) as an executive agency to provide dedicated funding and support for all authorities in England outside London, including in rural areas. ATE’s support includes training for local authority staff on to enable delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development.

Dedicated funding is provided to urban and rural areas of England using a formula based on population and capability level, with revenue funding to boost capability. Additionally, the Department provides funding for highways maintenance, which also includes maintenance of cycleways and footways, and is based on length of highways in constituent authorities.

In 2024, ATE also provided £1 million to 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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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of rural road conditions on (a) cycling and (b) horse rider safety. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government agrees that the condition of our local road network, both in rural and urban areas, has suffered as the result of a decade of underinvestment by the previous government. Poor road conditions can be particularly dangerous for cyclists and horse-riders, because they can cause vehicles to swerve at the last minute and because the consequences of hitting a pothole can be far worse for cyclists and horse-riders than for motorists.

To enable local authorities in rural areas and elsewhere to start to get on top of the highway maintenance backlog and deliver smoother, safer roads for all road users, the Government has already announced a £500 million funding uplift for local highway authorities for next financial year. Funding allocations to individual highway authorities were announced on 20 December, and Dorset is set to receive up to £25 million, a funding uplift of nearly £7 million compared to the current financial year. It is up to each local authority to decide how best to spend this funding, and in planning their maintenance programmes they should consider the needs of all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and horse-riders.
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Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report by Sustrans entitled The Cycling Opportunity, published on 11 September 2024, what steps she is taking to improve access to cycles for disabled people. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government agrees that everyone, including disabled people, should be able to make the most of the health and wellbeing benefits which cycling can bring. The Government has announced an additional £100 million of capital investment in cycling and walking infrastructure for the financial year 2025/26, and will say more on this shortly. As the Department develops its future plans for active travel, it will consider, alongside Active Travel England, options for enabling more disabled people to access adapted cycles, which are often much more expensive than other cycles. In the meantime, the Cycle to Work scheme already enables many disabled people to access adapted cycles at a reduced cost.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a single, universal app for bus Real-Time Information provision. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is working closely with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve the information available to passengers about their bus services. The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. Bus operators are obliged to have working systems to provide real-time information for bus services in order to fulfil the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations.

As part of this work, the government understands the importance of having real time information widely accessible in a range of spaces that passengers use, and is conscious of the need to continually consider new ways to improve access to real-time information, whilst staying in line with wider government digital and data strategies.

The government also recognises the importance of building local transport authority (LTA) capacity and capability to improving bus services. The government has allocated funding in 25/26 to each LTA in England outside London to support the capacity and capability of local areas. This builds on the work of the government-funded Bus Centre of Excellence which seeks to deliver a long-term programme of activities to support and upskill the bus sector.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria is used to determine funding allocations from Active Travel England to local authorities. \p Simon Lightwood: Active Travel England sets out allocations based on population level and capability level, with funding weighted to areas with higher levels of capability to maximise delivery. Local authorities with lower ratings receive support to increase their capability rating through revenue funding and engagement with Active Travel England.

In previous rounds of the Active Travel Fund, funding allocations were based on a competitive bidding round with final allocations based on assessed schemes submitted by local authorities.
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Mr Paul Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much compensation was paid under the delay repay scheme for journeys on Avanti West Coast in 2024; and how much and what proportion of this compensation was paid from the public purse. \p Simon Lightwood: Annual Delay Repay compensation figures are published by Financial Year for train operating companies on the Government website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation

Further compensation figures will be available later in the year.

Avanti West Coast also publishes periodic Delay Repay compensation paid out to passengers on its website at the following link:

https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/help-and-support/delay-repay#:~:text=You%20can%20claim%20Delay%20Repay%20if%20your%20journey,calculated%20against%20the%20scheduled%20timetable%20on%20the%20day.

Under the terms of the National Rail Contract, the Department ordinarily funds all Delay Repay spend.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that road network infrastructure is equipped to utilise safety technology in modern vehicles effectively. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department is aware of the growing availability of ADAS Advanced Driver Assistance Services in new vehicles and the data and connectivity applications that support them. The Department has supported a number of research and development activities in recent years to develop the standards required for ‘vehicle to infrastructure’, (V2I) communications and services that will enable infrastructure-based safety systems, and continues to work with the automotive and highway authority sectors to ensure that the technology used in highway network management will support V2I services as they become available in new vehicles.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the quality of road repairs in Shropshire. \p Lilian Greenwood: This 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. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, a total increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. Funding allocations to English local highway authorities for 2025/26 were announced on 20 December 2024, and Shropshire will receive up to £33.6 million.

Shropshire Council is the local highway authority for Shropshire and it is responsible for the condition of its local network. The Government does not set standards for road repairs: it is up to individual local highway authorities to satisfy themselves that they are complying with their responsibilities under the 1980 Highways Act. The Government publishes data annually on the condition of the local road network in England, including Shropshire, and the data is available on gov.uk.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled, Seven million more potholes to be filled next year as public urged to report roads in need of repair, published on 20 December 2024, what criteria her Department will use to establish whether authorities are entitled to the 25 per cent uplift. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department will provide more details shortly of the criteria that local authorities will need to meet to unlock the full funding uplift in 2025/26. In short, they are likely to be required to comply with certain reporting requirements; to

provide the Department with certain data about their networks and planned roads maintenance expenditure; and to demonstrate that they are complying with best practice.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring utility companies to coordinate the digging up of roads and pavements. \p Lilian Greenwood: My Department issues statutory guidance in the form of the Co-ordination Code of Practice as we know that effective planning and coordination of works can reduce congestion and impacts of works on local communities. Highway authorities have a duty to co-ordinate all works, including their own, and they are responsible for managing street works in their area.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support she is providing to local authorities to ensure best practice highway maintenance. \p Lilian Greenwood: This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew the local highway network. In addition to the funding that the Department provides to local highway authorities, it provides and endorses guidance such as the Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure. This recommends that local highway authorities take an integrated, risk-based approach to managing their highway infrastructure, and offers advice on all aspects of highway maintenance, from managing vegetation to the frequency of inspections recommended for various types of structures. It makes clear that local highway authorities should consider all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns, and not just the fixing of potholes.

The Department is committed to updating this guidance as soon as possible, and has begun scoping the changes that will be necessary.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on discussions to establish a direct rail link between London and Cleethorpes. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State knows the introduction of a direct train to London from Cleethorpes and Grimsby has been a longstanding local ambition. We are working with industry to understand the timetabling, financial, operational and infrastructure issues that would need to be resolved before a service to Cleethorpes could be introduced, once the East Coast Mainline timetable change has been implemented this December.

Infrastructure and operational assessments made by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Network Rail have confirmed that LNER services could call at Cleethorpes and Grimsby without major infrastructure changes. However, for LNER trains to serve Market Rasen station, significant infrastructure work, estimated to cost £15 to £20 million, would be required. The introduction of this service would be subject to funding and a thorough business case process.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of diesel train availability on the Twyford to Henley-on-Thames branch line. \p Simon Lightwood: Train operators are responsible for ensuring that they make adequate rolling stock available to meet the needs of their customers. Currently, there are no issues with the diesel fleet availability on this line.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to (a) increase (i) frequency and (ii) reliability and (b) decarbonise services on (A) the Henley branch line and (B) other branch lines. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department and operators continually review demand when assessing the need to increase frequency going forward. There are currently no plans to increase frequency on the Henley line. The Department also monitors reliability closely as operational performance is a key focus for the Secretary of State. Great Western Railway is developing plans that would decarbonise services on branch lines in the Thames Valley and these are currently being discussed with the Department.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to increase the availability of rolling stock suitable for (a) the Henley branch line and (b) other non-electrified branch lines. \p Simon Lightwood: Train operators are responsible for ensuring that they make adequate rolling stock available to meet the needs of their customers.

The Government is in the early stages of formulating a rolling stock strategy which will include considerations around the timelines for new build, refurbishments, and potential cascades. Once established, Great British Railways will take the strategy forward providing a long-term approach to future rolling stock needs.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published. \p Hilary Benn: In line with the requirements under Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Office routinely publishes information on internal reviews in respect of any new, proposed or revised policies, and public consultations on GOV.UK.

Between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025, the Northern Ireland Office launched one public consultation on the use of Non-Jury Trials in Northern Ireland, which is currently ongoing, and completed an internal screening assessment of Non-Jury Trial Provisions under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.

In addition, the Department also published the findings of a Review of the Operation of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme on 29 August 2024.
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Jeremy Corbyn:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support households with increases to water bills. \p Emma Hardy: The Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

We are clear as Government that we expect water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported and access the support they are entitled to.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding she plans to provide to support UN peacekeeping operations in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27. \p Chris Elmore: For the 2025/26 peacekeeping fiscal year (July to June), the UK's mandatory contribution to the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Budget will be $245 million (4.7454 per cent) of a budget of $5.16 billion. Further funding will be required for the 2025/26 UK fiscal year following the Security Council's decision in September 2025 to establish a UN Support Office in Haiti, but the cost is yet to be confirmed. In addition, two UN Peacekeeping Operations are funded from the UN Regular Budget; the UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO). Their respective budgets for the 2025 UN Regular Budget fiscal year (January to December) are approximately $9.680 million and approximately $41.4 million. The UK's contribution to the UN Regular Budget is 3.991 per cent. UN peacekeeping budgets are negotiated from May to June so figures for the UK's contribution in 2026/2027 will be available once budgets are confirmed. The UK has forecast for the entirety of the UN Regular Budget for 2026, so it is difficult to provide individual figures for both UNMOGIP and UNTSO budgets until they are agreed.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of effectiveness of UK funding for (a) the United Nations Development Programme and (b) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. \p Chris Elmore: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) assesses the effectiveness, value for money, performance and relevance of UK funding to multilateral organisations including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), through annual reviews and continuously encouraging effectiveness in delivery and reform where necessary. The FCDO scrutinises UN budget proposals to ensure activities are effective and in line with UK priorities.
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in China on the recent detention of members of Zion Church; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the detention of Zion Church members in China. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. The UK remains committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken with international partners to support imprisoned human rights supports in China, in the context of reports of (a) torture and (b) denial of medical treatment. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 70115.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from detention in Hong Kong. \p Seema Malhotra: Jimmy Lai's case remains a high priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release him. The Prime Minister, and Ministers across Government, have urged the Chinese authorities to release Mr Lai. The Government has discussed the case with our international partners; and we welcome President Trump's public commitment to Mr Lai's release.

Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended Mr Lai's court proceedings throughout. We continue to press for consular access to our citizen.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much money has been granted to Inter Mediate (a) in what years and (b) for what purposes. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 25 September to question 70453.
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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the US Government on closing the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. \p Stephen Doughty: That is a matter for the US and the nations of those detained at the facility, which does not include the UK.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_8

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the African Union since 5 September 2025. \p Chris Elmore: The Foreign Secretary's future travel plans will be set out in the normal way in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_9

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of forming an international alliance to coordinate sanctions on countries that refuse to cooperate on the returns. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer he was provided on 31st January 2025 to question 26186.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_10

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) the killing of 15 Christians in the village of Marera, Mozambique on 1 August 2025 and (b) other recent attacks on Christians in Mozambique; and what discussions she has had with the Government of Mozambique on promoting religious freedom in that country. \p Chris Elmore: The UK is aware of a series of attacks by Islamic State Mozambique on civilians and security forces in the Chiure area in July and August of this year. The UK regularly engages with authorities and religious leaders as well as peacebuilding and humanitarian agencies both in the capital, Maputo, and Northern Mozambique (Cabo Delgado and Nampula), to address the problems of violence and instability. We also support programmes that support peacebuilding and resilience to violent extremism in the region. Ongoing challenges for religious communities remain, as Christian and Muslim places of worship continue to be affected. We are working multilaterally and bilaterally to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_11

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, 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. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_12

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Office of Rail and Road’s 2024–25 train operator statistics, whether she plans to use the data on (a) cancellations, (b) delay minutes and (c) compensation claims as a baseline for new rigorous performance standards. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_13

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, 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. \p Keir Mather: 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.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_14

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of (a) the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill and (b) the proposed Revenue Certainty Mechanism on average passenger air fares by 2030 and 2035; and whether passengers will be informed of any additional levies or costs arising from the scheme. \p Keir Mather: The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Bill provides the legislative basis for the SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM). The RCM will help producers get the investment they need to ramp up the production of SAF in the UK.

The Government published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF RCM in May 2025. We expect the RCM to cause ticket prices to increase or decrease by up to £1.50 on an average ticket per year, which is expected to be within the range of normal year to year changes in air fares.

The Government has confirmed that the RCM will be funded via a variable levy on aviation fuel suppliers and will look to design the levy in a way that ensures transparency of costs. The Government will actively monitor and control scheme costs including through the setting of strike prices and by controlling the scale and number of contracts awarded.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_15

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the re-baselining of Connection Stages 2 and 3 of the East West Rail project; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Oxford–Bedford section can open to passengers before the end of the decade. \p Simon Lightwood: In the Spending Review in June, the Government announced £2.5bn of funding to progress the delivery of East West Rail. The Government has committed to accelerating work to deliver EWR services between Oxford-Bedford and the full Oxford-Cambridge service is subject to an application for a Development Consent Order and is planned to commence from the mid-2030s. An update will be provided on the project shortly.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_16

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome on Street Works: Fines and Lane Rental Surplus Funds, why the implementation timeline was changed. \p Simon Lightwood: 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.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_17

Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing commuted sums for maintenance within active travel capital funding. \p Lilian Greenwood: In the Spending Review we announced that we are allocating £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to support local authorities to both build and maintain cycling and walking infrastructure. This is in addition to almost £300 million for active travel between 2024/25 and 2025/26, which we announced in February.

It is for local authorities to determine how best to use the funding available to them, including what amount to set aside for maintenance purposes.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_18

Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the penalty for driving without (a) a license and (b) L plates. \p Lilian Greenwood: This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy, the first for 10 years. This includes the case for changing motoring offences.

More details will be published in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_19

Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle potential barriers to the provision of lighting on (a) walking, (b) wheeling and (c) cycling paths. \p Lilian Greenwood: Active Travel England (ATE) recognises that good lighting is essential for enabling safe and inclusive walking, wheeling and cycling, particularly during winter months and after dark.

The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over xx-xxxx-xxxx, which can be used by authorities to reduce barriers to the provision of lighting.

In addition, to address potential barriers to providing lighting, ATE Supports local authorities in relation to designing active travel schemes through guidance and our tools ensure that lighting is integrated into street design. Guidance is available such as in LTN 1/20 - Cycle Infrastructure Design (LTN 1/20), Manual for Streets, and Inclusive Mobility. In addition, the ATE Route Check Tool includes metrics for lighting coverage, visibility, and light pollution.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_20

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on road safety. \p Lilian Greenwood: The department has not made a recent assessment of the potential of adopting single/double summertime on road safety.

The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the best possible use of the available daylight.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_21

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding mandatory software updates to the MOT process for electric cars. \p Simon Lightwood: The MOT plays a vital role in keeping people safe on our roads. That is why the Department for Transport published a call for evidence in 2023 which sought views on how to keep it up to date. The monitoring of software updates for both electric and ICE vehicles is something that was raised in responses and is under consideration. Any proposals will, however, need to answer how to identify the software version on the vehicle and what the latest available version is.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_22

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy (a) of the rules governing utilities companies' use of the highway when carrying out emergency repairs and (b) the level of risk of abuse of those rules by utilities companies. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that street works, including emergency repairs by utilities companies, are managed efficiently and with minimal disruption. The current legislative framework provides highway authorities with effective powers to coordinate and oversee such works. We continue to review and strengthen these regulations to ensure charges remain proportionate and effective, and remain committed to working with local authorities, utilities, and stakeholders to deliver a modern and accountable street works regime.

We are also aware of concerns about the potential misuse of emergency permit rules by utilities companies. Available data shows no evidence of widespread abuse, with most immediate permits used for genuine emergencies or urgent repairs. The Department continues to monitor trends and engage with industry and local authorities and will update guidance to provide greater clarity on appropriate use. We remain committed to ensuring the system is effective, proportionate, and minimises disruption to local communities.