Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 123864 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will provide a breakdown of the funding allocated at (a) Autumn Budget 2024, (b) Spending Review 2025 and (c) Autumn Budget 2025 by (i) support for electric vehicle uptake and (ii) investment in charging infrastructure.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The funding breakdown is as follows:
Autumn Budget 2024: £120 million for zero emission vehicle uptake and £200 million for charging infrastructure.
Spending Review 2025: £1.4 billion for zero emission vehicle uptake and £400 million for charging infrastructure.
Autumn Budget 2025: £1.3 billion for zero emission vehicle uptake and £200 million for charging infrastructure.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 122888, whether her Department has set a timetable for the further work required to develop plans for a North–South line between Birmingham and Manchester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. Further work will be carried out in collaboration with local partners on what will be delivered and when, but we expect the delivery timelines for this line to follow the completion of HS2 and NPR.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the Equal Experts Discovery Report, including appendices and supporting research materials, before further public expenditure on the Alpha and Beta phases of the BNG metric digitisation programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation National Highways has undertaken with (a) local authorities, (b) businesses and (c) residents regarding the proposed closure of junction 38 of the M6.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 2023, National Highways has undertaken extensive engagement on the Lune Gorge project, including plans for M6 Junction 38, to understand its impacts and identify ways to reduce disruption. This has included meetings with Members, local authorities, industry bodies, residents and local businesses. National Highways has held over 60 engagement meetings and events, including four public information events in May and August 2025.
In addition, National Highways has established a Stakeholder Engagement Group to support ongoing communication with local stakeholders as the scheme progresses. The Department and National Highways recognise the importance of meaningful engagement for schemes of this scale and duration.