theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Gareth Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of staff within the National Wealth Fund that did not previously work for the UK Infrastructure Bank. \p Darren Jones: The Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit on 14th October 2024 that the UK Infrastructure Bank would be transformed into the National Wealth Fund (NWF), This change took effect on that day. All UKIB staff were retained as part of the NWF.

To realise its ambition to catalyse more private investment and accelerate investable projects coming to market across the UK, the NWF will be expanding its team based at its headquarters in Leeds.

The number of roles at the NWF will be published in the “Staff Report” within the NWF’s Annual Report of Accounts, published following the end of this financial year.
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Sarah Green:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business property relief on family-owned property development companies. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares.

BPR is not available to businesses consisting wholly or mainly of dealing in land or buildings. Whether or not a particular property development company will qualify for relief depends on the nature of the business.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Noah Law:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT for admissions fees to indoor play centres for children under 12. \p James Murray: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

One of the key considerations when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. The Government therefore has no plans to zero-rate VAT on admission fees for indoor play facilities.

The Government keeps all taxes under review.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of halting changes to the threshold for agricultural property relief and business property relief. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

In 2021-22, the most recent year for which data is available, the median value of assets qualifying for agricultural property relief was £486,000 and three-quarters of estates claimed for agricultural property below £1 million. The data also shows that a very small number of claimants each year claim a very significant amount of relief – 40 per cent of the total Exchequer cost of the relief went to the top seven per cent of claims. It is not fair to maintain such a significant relief for a very small number of claimants, when this money could better be used to fund our public services.
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Graham Stuart:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on the threshold for agricultural property relief and business property relief of the proportion of commercial farms that are valued at over £1 million. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of bank branches on rural communities in (a) towns and (b) villages. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government understands the impact of bank branch closures on rural communities and the importance of face-to-face banking and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Over 200 hubs have been announced so far, and over 100 are already open.  Furthermore, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. As well as banking hubs, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office.
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Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make it his policy to prevent payments to people who were interned in the 1970s. \p Hilary Benn: Sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 have been found by the Northern Ireland courts to be incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations. The Government is committed to bringing forward new legacy legislation and as part of this we are looking at all conceivable options for addressing the complex issue of Interim Custody Orders and related compensation claims, in a lawful way.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Attorney General has provided the (a) Permanent Secretary and (b) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards a list of his (a) paid and (b) unpaid fees further to his past employment at Matrix Chambers. \p Lucy Rigby: As I set out to the House on Thursday 23 January, and the Attorney General repeated in the House of Lords on Monday 27 January, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process predates the appointment of the Attorney General and sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict.

This rigorous process for identifying and managing conflicts sits alongside the system relating to ministerial interests, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Both the Director General of the AGO and the Independent Adviser were provided with the Attorney General’s list of conflicts following his appointment.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has had discussions with the Prime Minister through (a) WhatsApp messages, (b) text messages, (c) email, (d) written correspondence and (e) verbal exchanges on (i) the potential impact of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on compensation liabilities for individuals interned during the 1970s and (ii) negotiations with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. \p Lucy Rigby: Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, and it applies to your question.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of council run youth centres in tackling youth crime in South Derbyshire constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This government recognises the vital role youth services play in reducing a young person’s likelihood of becoming involved in crime. This will be a vital element of our Young Futures Programme which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to intervene earlier to ensure this cohort is identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating more opportunities for young people in their communities, through the provision of open access to mental health and careers support.

In addition, in 2025/6 DCMS will launch the Local Youth Transformation pilot, which will support local authorities to build youth service capacity. They will also allocate over £85m of capital funding in 2025/26 to create fit-for-purpose, welcoming spaces for young people, including launching the new Better Youth Spaces fund, which will allocate at least £26m for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake renovations. This will also include completing the Youth Investment Fund projects.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of charging different licensing fees for people using firearms for (a) work and (b) recreation. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The issuing of firearms certificates is a matter for individual Chief Constables who are in turn held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners. The performance of forces is also being actively monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for firearms licensing, who is in the process of developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams.

With regard to charging different fees for firearms used for work and recreation, HM Treasury guidance specifically rules out any two-tier system of fees. It states that “different groups of customers should not be charged different amounts for a service costing the same, eg charging firms more than individuals”.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a statutory duty for fire and rescue services to respond to flooding events. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.

The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is preparing reviews on the operation of sections (a) 73 and (b) 74 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 in accordance with those sections. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Section 73(5) and Section 74(7) placed a duty on the Secretary of State to prepare and publish a report on the operation of sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, as amended by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The Government published this report on 17 December 2024. It can be viewed at the following link: Police protest powers, June 2022 to March 2024 - GOV.UK.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to introduce a national strategy to reduce the exploitation of children in county lines drug trafficking. \p Dame Diana Johnson: A crucial part of our Safer Streets mission is tackling the gangs that entice children and young people into crime. That includes those who run county lines through violence and exploitation.

An estimated 14,000 children are identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation. That is why this Government’s manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new offence of child criminal exploitation, which we will bring forward as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Through the County Lines Programme, the Home Office is also targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade.

The Programme provides specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and we will deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to roll out further support through prevention partnerships to deliver interventions to support children when and where they need it most.

Policing activity delivered through the Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has produced modelling on the number of irregular migrants it expects will be eligible for settled status in the next ten years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: No. The Government’s Plan for Change makes clear our commitments to reduce both irregular migration and overall net migration.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle illegal drug (a) use and (b) dealing in market towns. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government recognises the considerable impact of drug use and dealing on individuals, families and communities across the country, and tackling this is a vital part of our missions to deliver safer streets and improve health outcomes.

That is why we are taking a collaborative, cross-government approach to drugs at a national level. We are dedicated to driving down drug-related harms through prevention and treatment, while acting quickly to stop the criminals peddling these harmful substances.

Local drugs partnerships across England provide a whole-system, multi-agency response from police, probation, public health, the NHS and other local partners.
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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) police officers and (b) public-facing police staff participating in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Training on mental ill health and autism is already integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits must complete.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has produced an e-learning course on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost is to accommodate an individual asylum seeker by Scottish local authority. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. This is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed. The number of hotels in use at present is 218. Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use; however, nine are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in office.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

This Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, including reviewing all spending to ensure the best value for money for the British taxpayer.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to end the use of hotels in Runcorn and Helsby constituency to house people and families seeking asylum. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. This is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed. The number of hotels in use at present is 218. Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use; however, nine are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in office.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the potential cost to the public purse was of financial incentives to Controlled Voluntary Returns in Quarter three of 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes all available information on returns expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to consult with LGBTQI+ sector (a) organisations and (b) individuals on the review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy is ongoing and external engagement is taking place during the first quarter of 2025. A range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), will be invited to view and comment on any proposals for reform, as part of this external engagement work.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January to Question 24556 on Asylum: Interviews, what proportion of asylum interviews were conducted remotely in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Most asylum interviews are now conducted remotely using video conference facilities outside of Home Office locations.

The number of substantive asylum interviews is published online in tab ASY_05(M) in the Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK however this does not provide a breakdown of the number of asylum interviews conducted remotely. This information could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Further information regarding asylum interviews is available on gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/conducting-the-asylum-interview-process.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of how many hotels will be required as temporary accommodation for people seeking asylum in Northern Ireland by the end of 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain. We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.

Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use across the UK; however, ten are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in office.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).

In terms of the accommodation of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland, it remains the case that only those claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 23577 on Deportations, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of recording this information centrally. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the letter I sent him on 11 December 2024 regarding the collection of official statistics.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the reply by the Minister for Security to the urgent question of 28 January 2025 on the Extremism Review, if she will publish the (a) analysis and (b) capping paper from the Counter-Extremism Sprint reported in the report entitled Extremely confused, published by Policy Exchange on 28 January 2025. \p Dan Jarvis: Internal advice and analysis has never routinely been published, and there are no plans to change that practice. However, as I made clear in my reply on 29 January, these are not Government plans and this is not Government policy.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the decision by the United Arab Emirates to impose sanctions on (a) Cambridge Education and Training Center Ltd, (b) IMA6INE Ltd, (c) Wembley Tree Ltd, (d) Waslaforall, (e) Future Graduates Ltd, (f) Yas for Investment and Real Estate, (g) Holdco UK Properties Limited and (h) Nafel Capital. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 23462 on the 16th January 2025.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish any correspondence between her Department and the (a) Planning Inspectorate and (b) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the application to build a new Chinese Embassy. \p Dan Jarvis: The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.

The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary submitted written representations to the Planning Inspector on 14 January. That letter is publicly available and it explains the factors the Home Office have considered.

We have no plans to publish any further information relating to these.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the breakdown by country is of Foreign National Offenders deported between 4 July and 31 December 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on foreign national offenders returned by their nationality and country of return in the Immigration Systems Statistics quarterly release. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending September 2024, which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK. The latest data is for September 2024, with data up to December 2024 due to be published on 27 February.

I can also confirm that between 5 July 2024 and 4 January 2025, 2,580 FNOs have been returned either by enforced or voluntary return; this is an increase of 23% compared with the same period 12 months prior.

The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on the proposed electronic travel authorisation scheme in Northern Ireland. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was introduced on 25 October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. It will be extended to eligible European nationals on 5 March 2025, and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 2 April 2025.

Individuals arriving in the UK, including those crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, will need to continue to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework, including the requirement to obtain an ETA if applicable.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the next National Road Traffic Projections. \p Lilian Greenwood: The National Road Traffic Projections were last published in December 2022. The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update in due course.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23517, on Crime: Westminster Bridge, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) unlawful parking and (b) unlicensed pedicabs on Westminster Bridge; and if she will initiate discussions with the relevant responsible authority. \p Simon Lightwood: Westminster Bridge is owned and managed by Transport for London (TfL). Ministers and officials have regular conversations with TfL on a variety of issues but decisions about unlawful parking and unlicenced pedicabs on Westminster Bridge are solely for them to make.

However, the Department for Transport has recognised the need to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London through the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. This legislation will be applied through regulations that TfL are currently consulting on until 7 March 2025.
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of free travel for carers on (a) improving access to essential services and (b) promoting inclusivity for (i) disabled people and (ii) people with chronic illnesses. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

An assessment has not been made of the potential impact of free travel for carers, however, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring balancing ponds owned by National Highways to Internal Drainage Boards. \p Lilian Greenwood: No such assessments have been undertaken on the potential merits of transferring ownership of balancing ponds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-03 conversation_164

Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s annual budget was in each year between 2018-19 and 2024-25. \p Mike Kane: The MCA’s annual budget each year from 2018/19 – 2024/25 as follows:

Source

Resource Budget £

Capital Budget £

Total Budget £

2024-2025

Parliamentary Main Supply Estimate

443,735

21,842

465,577

2023-2024

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

416,594

39,479

456,073

2022-2023

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

416,168

38,401

454,569

2021-2022

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

389,891

61,184

451,075

2020-2021

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

376,693

43,171

419,864

2019-2020

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

365,273

16,327

381,600

2018-2019

Parliamentary Supply Estimate

349,055

11,866

360,921
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the bus fare cap on vulnerable people. \p Simon Lightwood: On 1 January, the government introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London until 31 December 2025. The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the £3 cap, which replaced the £2 cap, and will ensure millions of people, including vulnerable people, can continue to access affordable bus fares and better opportunities all over the country.

If the government had not taken action, the bus fare cap would have ended and fares would have jumped back up to their previous levels on 1 January which could have meant fares soaring above £10 on the most expensive routes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made representations to the Mayor of London on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Action Plan. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State has not made any representations to the Mayor of London on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Action Plan. The Government sets the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle sector and issues guidance to assist them in doing this. Transport for London is the licensing authority for London. The Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan is a matter for the Mayor of London and Transport for London.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on enforcement of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023. \p Mike Kane: Officials from the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have regular meetings to discuss enforcement of the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. Department for Transport officials held a training session for Maritime and Coastguard Agency inspectors on the requirements of the legislation in November 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that all public-facing transport staff participate in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government wants to focus on how transport can be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it – delivering on our pledge to put people at the heart of what we do on transport and enabling them to live healthy, fulfilling lives without barriers to opportunity.

The Government is committed to delivering a transport network which allows disabled people, including those with less visible impairments, such as autism, to travel easily and confidently, with dignity and without extra cost.

Having clear accountability and appropriately trained staff acting to support passengers, whether disabled or not, to make the journeys they want and need to make is essential. To support this, many staff working on our public transport network already undertake disability awareness training.

The Government expects Local Authorities and Transport Operators to lead this process and we want to empower them to do this. That is why we are bringing forward the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, and undertaking wider reform on our railway, including the establishment of Great British Railways with a customer-focused culture.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of recycling (a) cement, (b) concrete and (c) asphalt for road maintenance and construction was in each year between 2014 and 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The costs involved in recycling materials used in road maintenance and construction are a commercial matter for highway authorities, and the Department does not hold data on this. The Department encourages local highway authorities to consider the use of recycled road materials where feasible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of peer age passenger restrictions for newly qualified drivers aged under 21. \p Lilian Greenwood: Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driver Licensing, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic collisions on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-03)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the maintenance regime for balancing ponds owned by National Highways. \p Lilian Greenwood: The maintenance requirements of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are governed by a robust set of standards - the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) - and National Highways determines the maintenance works to be undertaken on all assets, based on the GM701 standard which details asset maintenance requirements. While no specific assessment has been made by the Department on the effectiveness of the standards for maintaining SRN balancing ponds, standards are continually evolving in line with best practice.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-03 conversation_172

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of maintaining balancing ponds owned by National Highways. \p Lilian Greenwood: Maintenance costs for the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are borne by National Highways and their financial systems do not categorise spending to the level of sub-asset class granularity. I, therefore, cannot provide a reliable estimate for the costs of maintaining balancing ponds.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of accidents in England involved lane-keep assist intervention in 2023/24; and what steps she is taking to tackle concerns over the safety of such systems. \p Lilian Greenwood: This information is not held by the Department.

The internationally harmonised requirements for lane-keep assist systems that are mandated for UK vehicles provide assurance that they operate safely. Where there is evidence of genuine safety concerns with such systems, the Department will raise this at an international level with an aim to amend the regulatory requirements to address this.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve driver (a) awareness of and (b) education in the (i) limitations and (ii) proper usage of lane-keeping assist systems. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) has developed a range of products to improve awareness and education of lane-keeping assist systems and other advanced driver assistance systems. The DVSA has also developed guidance to support the introduction of self-driving vehicles.

This includes updating the Highway Code and introducing new guidance to a range of DVSA publications, such as their Essential Skills, Better Driving, and Theory Test for Cars publications. The DVSA have also created 18 videos on ADAS in their Essential Skills video series.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the reliability of lane-keeping assist technologies (a) in challenging environmental conditions and (b) generally. \p Lilian Greenwood: Lane keeping technology is designed to assist drivers but they must remain attentive and are still responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle at all times. Lane-keeping assist technologies must be approved to internationally agreed technical requirements that provide assurance of the safe operation of these systems. Manufacturers are free to determine the extent to which their system operates across a range of environmental conditions provided it is considered safe by the approval authority. The UK is an active participant in the negotiation of these requirements and has recently been involved in the development of a new regulation specifically to allow more sophisticated driver assistance systems. This new regulation gives approval authorities clearer direction on assessing the safe functioning of these systems, benefitting manufacturers when making the case for allowing their system to operate across a wider range of environmental conditions.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of Alexander Irvine, published on 18 October 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is considering the recommendations of the Fatal Accident Inquiry with the relevant medical advisory panel.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is expected to support jobs and create opportunities for business growth in every part of the UK. An impact assessment was published regarding the UK's accession to CPTPP and the potential long-run economic impact of the agreement. The analysis detailed the prospective impacts on all the UK’s regions and nations and demonstrated that UK GDP could increase by £2.0 billion every year in the long run.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 January on United Kingdom 's Trade Envoy Programme, HCWS392, whether any United Kingdom Trade Envoys appointed by the former Prime Minister are still in post. \p Gareth Thomas: Of the 32 Trade Envoys appointed, three are still in post from the previous administration. Many of the previous government’s Trade Envoys are no longer parliamentarians.