Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the changes in costs for the A12 widening scheme following the decision taken by the Secretary of State to pause that scheme in July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The A12 scheme was deferred by the previous Government, adding to the overall cost of the scheme as set out in the table below.
Date | Estimated outturn cost | Source |
December 2014 | Expected cost category £100m–£250m | Published list of RIS1 schemes and cost bands https://www.ciht.org.uk/media/4382/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdf |
March 2016 | Funding envelope of £750 million | Published Options Appraisal Report: A12 Chelmsford to A120 Options Assessment Report OAR.pdf |
September 2022 | £1,045-1,268 million | Published Funding Statement for Development Consent Order: Microsoft Word - TR010020_APP_1.1 - Introduction to the Application |
In July 2025, following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government took the difficult decision not to proceed with the A12 scheme, to provide certainty for the public.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has asked National Highways to update its business case for the A120 dualling scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
During the second Road Period (2020-2025) National Highways has been considering improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey as a possible future major enhancement to the network as part of the Road Investment Strategy pipeline.
The last formal iteration of the business case for these proposals was developed in 2022/23. Affordability and deliverability assessments have been further tested since then to inform decision making and investment planning for RIS3 and beyond. The third Road Investment Strategy is due to be published in March 2026 and will include an updated pipeline of future enhancement schemes.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) total value of fare evasion incidents on Greater Anglia services in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The most recent Ticketless Travel Survey data we hold for Greater Anglia covers rail industry period 5, starting on Sunday 26 July 2025, to rail industry period 7 ending Saturday 17 October 2025. The overall revenue-at-risk was £4.685 million, and the portion of revenue-at-risk is 3.527 per cent.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer given 17 November 2025 (UIN 88239), if she will publish the evidence provided to her in relation to the A12 Widening Scheme by (a) the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) other agencies to inform her decision to cancel the A12 Widening Scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The evidence provided to the Secretary of State for Transport in relation to the A12 Widening Scheme by (a) the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) other agencies, formed part of a much larger body of evidence that informed the Spending Review and subsequent decisions.
There are no plans to publish officials’ advice and evidence base to Ministers that informed the Spending Review and subsequent decisions, as has been the usual practice of successive administrations, including the one the Rt Hon Lady served in.
Detailed information on the analysis of the A12 widening scheme, conducted in accordance with the HM Treasury Green Book and the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance, was published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, available here: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR010060.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the income to the Exchequer from the Greater Anglia franchise in (a) the 2025-26 financial year and (b) each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on subsidy/premium for each operator will be published next year in the Department for Transport's annual report and accounts. Over each of the next five financial years I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. I expect Greater Anglia will remain a net contributor, with the exact contribution amounts and income levels to be agreed during the rolling business planning process.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce her plans for rail fares on the Greater Anglia franchise for 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The annual fares freeze will benefit passengers all across the country, including travelling on Greater Anglia. We are also taking other steps, to improve rail travel for passengers. This includes rolling out tap in tap out contactless PAYG alongside making it much easier for passengers to feel confident they are buying the right ticket. Passengers will start to feel the benefits very soon – from 7 December easier to understand fares will be available across key routes.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will publish the full comparative benefit cost ratios of the transport schemes which she announced as (a) approved and (b) cancelled on 8 July 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Business case documents, costs, and benefit cost ratios for major schemes, including for the Strategic Road Network and for relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department notified the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of its plan to cancel the A12 widening scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government inherited a series of unfunded commitments, including on the A12.
In July 2025, the Government announced that following the conclusion of the Spending Review it had taken the difficult decision to cancel the A12 (Chelmsford to A120) widening scheme, to provide certainty to the public.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was notified at the time. The decision was based on evidence, to which MHCLG contributed, assessed against a wide range of criteria, including housing impacts.
The A12 scheme had been repeatedly deferred by the previous Government, in which the Rt Hon Member served.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the cost-benefit ratio for the proposed A120 dualling scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s most recent formal assessment of the value for money (VfM) and benefit cost ratio (BCR) for the proposed A120 Braintree to A12 scheme was completed in February 2022.
Five options were assessed at the time, and the BCRs of each ranged from 1.52 – 2.37, meaning that the VfM range was medium to high. The costs and benefits values used at that time are now out of date, however, and BCRs and VfM ratings are only one part of the overall assessment of a scheme’s deliverability, alongside broader strategic considerations and affordability.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Questions 77047 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, when she will publish the services agreement.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Services Agreement will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.