Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel, (b) the US and (c) other strategic partners in the region on Iran’s nuclear programme since June 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has had extensive discussions with Foreign Minister Sa'ar and Secretary Rubio on 22 June regarding how to tackle what remains of Iran's nuclear programme after major US and Israeli strikes on its facilities. Our objective is to encourage Iran to return to talks to reach a lasting diplomatic solution. We have also spoken to the Gulf Cooperation Council and other regional partners to this end since 13 June, as well as the Iranians on numerous occasions. We will continue to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal, including UN snapback if necessary, to reach a diplomatic solution.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent Iran resuming its nuclear programme.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Alongside his French and German counterparts, the Foreign Secretary continues to work with Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Araqchi towards a durable nuclear deal which ensures Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. Military action alone cannot solve this issue for the long term. We'll continue to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, including the snapback mechanism, if necessary.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s nuclear programme since June 2025; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of strikes from Israel and the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office continues to have regular dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at all levels, including via our Permanent Mission in Vienna and the Foreign Secretary. The Foreign Secretary last spoke to Director General Grossi on 26 June. We have taken every opportunity, including a public E3 statement on 30 June, to reiterate our support for the Director General and the IAEA's mandate in Iran, urging the Iranians to abide by their legal commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The IAEA has as yet not been able to report on the state of Iran's nuclear programme following US and Israeli strikes and I will not comment on intelligence matters in this response.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date she plans to bring the Greater Anglia franchise under public ownership; and when she plans to publish her (a) business plan for the management of the Greater Anglia franchise, (b) income and expenditure forecasts for the Greater Anglia franchise for each of the next five years, (c) plans for ticket pricing for each of the next five years, (d) plans for ticket office opening hours for each of the next five years, (e) the performance standards and targets for each of the next five years and (f) funding plans for (i) railway stations, (ii) tracks and signalling and (iii) rolling stock for each of the next five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Greater Anglia’s services will transfer into public ownership on 12 October 2025. A Services Agreement setting out Secretary of State requirements will be put in place for the new publicly owned operator, and this will be made available on the Department for Transport’s website in due course. The Services Agreement will require train operating companies to publish information on targets, outturn performance, and the ongoing development of the customer offer on a regular basis at stations, on their website and in other formats on request.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which rail infrastructure schemes on the Great East Main Line she will plans to implement; and which she has cancelled since July 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State updated Parliament on the 7th of July regarding those rail infrastructure schemes which will progress following completion of the Spending Review. We’re prioritising the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and freight and drive economic growth as soon as possible. The previous government had announced a number of schemes that were unfunded. The new station at Beaulieu Park is due to open on the Great Eastern Main Line by the end of this year.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her statement of 8 July 2025 on Road and Rail Projects, column 815, what is the forecast annual expenditure for each of the 50 schemes in each of the next ten financial years; and what is the total estimated cost of each scheme.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to providing transparency about our investment plans, to provide certainty and stability for industry and other stakeholders.
For schemes on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and Major Road Network (MRN), £24 billion of capital funding is being provided between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads. Scheme costs for the SRN schemes will be confirmed as part of the setting of the third Road Investment Strategy, planned to be published by the end of March 2026.
For MRN schemes, individual financial details cannot be provided as doing so would jeopardise procurement exercises and contract negotiations.
All rail projects referenced in the Secretary of State’s statement are fully funded from the £10.2bn allocated to enhancements over 2026/27-2029/30. We expect to provide further detail on scheme profiles in due course.
The National Infrastructure and Services Transformation Authority (NISTA) has also now published a first version of the Infrastructure Pipeline. All of the projects referred to in the Secretary of State’s statement are included in the Pipeline, although at a portfolio level. The Pipeline will be updated and improved every six months.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to have discussions with his Chinese counterpart on dissuading that country to collaborate with Iran on matters that are counter to UK security interests.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary recently met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit to discuss international security issues, including Iran. As P5 members of the United Nations Security Council, we must continue to engage China and all other relevant stakeholders as we try to find a diplomatic path to ensure Iran can never develop a nuclear weapon.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking a public consultation with the Chagossian community prior to the (a) announcement of the agreement with Mauritius over the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory and (b) signing of the UK-Mauritius Treaty on 22 May 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the full operation of the base on Diego Garcia. The UK Government regularly engages Chagossian groups and representatives at both official and Ministerial levels on a range of issues and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding for maintenance of the A12 will be made available in the (a) current and (b) next five financial years; and what proportion of that funding will be allocated for maintenance between junctions 19 and 25.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In total, over £5.6 million has been earmarked for improving various aspects of the A12 in the current financial year (2025/26) and about 7% of this is designated for works around junctions 19 to 25.
It is too early to set out what funding for maintenance of the A12 will be earmarked in the next five financial years (2026/27-2030/31). Over this period, National Highways will maintain a proactive approach to monitoring the condition and performance of the A12. Key activities will include weekly safety inspections to ensure the immediate safety of the network, annual visual condition inspections and machine-based surveys which will assist with identifying asset renewal needs. These activities form part of National Highways’ ongoing asset management strategy to ensure the A12 continues to meet performance standards and remains fit for purpose throughout the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) period.
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 July 2025 to Question UIN 66153 on Housing: Construction, if she will publish (a) the evidence, (b) criteria and (c) methodology used to assess the A12 widening scheme; and the scoring outcome of the A12 widening scheme against that criteria.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As set out in the answer of 14 July 2025 to Question UIN 66153, this Government inherited a series of commitments that could not be afforded and the decision not to progress the A12 (Chelmsford to A120) Widening Scheme was based on evidence assessed against a wide range of criteria including housing growth impacts and in line with the HM Treasury Green Book and the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance.
As examples of evidence, the Rt Hon Member for Witham has advocated for the A12 Widening Scheme in the House and in correspondence over many years and detailed information about the Scheme was published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, available here: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR010060.