Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what oversight arrangements exist between her Department and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority regarding the delivery of rail infrastructure schemes receiving Government funding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department engages regularly with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) on the progress of rail schemes being delivered in the region, including those funded through the Government’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) and the Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement. This helps to ensure issues related to integration of rail infrastructure schemes with the wider network are considered and managed effectively, ensuring they progress smoothly.
Forums include, but are not limited to, the locally chaired Leeds Senior Steering Group, the Leeds Station Board and the Leeds Station and Rail Partnership Forum. From this year (2026/27), WYCA will report on its use of CRSTS funding through the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail station construction projects completed since 2020 exceeded their original approved budgets.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not centrally hold information on the original approved budgets and final outturn costs of all rail station construction projects completed since 2020. This information is held across a range of programmes and delivery bodies. Establishing how many projects exceeded their original approved budgets could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much departmental expenditure has been incurred in developing the proposed Freight Plan since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Work to date has been conducted within departmental staff time.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what actions she is taking in response to the Comptroller & Auditor General's disclaimed opinion on the 2024-25 Whole of Government accounts.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury recognises the seriousness of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s disclaimed opinion on the 2024-25 Whole of Government Accounts and is taking action in three key areas:
o The disclaimer reflects systemic issues in the local government audit market, including delays in audited accounts and a lack of audit assurance.
o Government is progressing wider audit system reforms and legislation to restore local audit capacity and timeliness, which are critical to resolving the underlying cause.
o HM Treasury has reduced the level of missing data in 2024‑25, while continuing to include available (including unaudited) data to maximise transparency to Parliament.
o This reflects a deliberate approach to ensure WGA remains a comprehensive and timely picture of the public finances, even while wider audit issues are being resolved.
o The 2024‑25 WGA represents the final year of the recovery plan, with actions already taken to return reporting timetables to normal and support improved data submission.
o For future years, the Government will continue to work across departments and local government authorities to restore full audit assurance to WGA over time, recognising this as a priority for accountability and scrutiny.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of compensation payments arising from the Liverpool Street Station redevelopment scheme to (a) train operating companies, (b) Transport for London and (c) other affected parties.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The plans have been designed to keep the station open and operational. The detailed and careful phasing of the works means that compensation payments are not a material consideration and have been accounted for as part of the works. They are not hidden costs. Neighbouring interests have also been captured as part of the financial viability assessment and shall be negotiated at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Liverpool Street Station redevelopment scheme has been assessed against HM Treasury Green Book and major project value for money criteria; and whether the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority has provided advice, scrutiny or review of the scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The project has been assessed against the HM Treasury Green Book. The project has not been reviewed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of cycling usage data used by local authorities when preparing business cases for active travel schemes; and what guidance her Department issues on the verification of such data before public funding is approved.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport has not made a formal assessment of the accuracy of cycling usage data used by local authorities. This is the responsibility of the local authority. Active Travel England provides guidance and tools to assist local authorities in performing effective appraisal. This includes identifying and assessing the suitability of data for business case development. The guidance supports good assurance and validation of data.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the competitiveness of the emerging autonomous vehicle market; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce regulatory and operational barriers to market entry.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 established the legal framework for regulating automated vehicles in the UK. In May 2026, the Department for Transport established a new Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme, creating a clear legal route for commercial pilot deployments.
These pilots are an important opportunity to improve regulatory and public understanding ahead of full implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act in the second-half of 2027.
Automated Vehicles technology continues to develop with major global players expressing interest in bringing automated passenger services to GB. Further to this, the UK’s Code of Practice for UK trialling continues to support research and development of technologies, including for wider use cases.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7116, what proportion of cancellations on (a) Thameslink and (b) Great Northern services in the latest 12-month period were attributable to driver shortages.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There has been a 40 per cent reduction in traincrew-related cancellations across Thameslink and Great Northern in FY 2025/26 compared with FY2024/25. This is partly as a result of a sustained driver recruitment campaign, which is supporting improved reliability.
GTR inform us that for the period between 25 May 2025 and 30 May 2026, traincrew-related issues accounted for 20 per cent of cancellations on Great Northern services and 33 per cent on Thameslink services, showing more work is needed to maintain momentum in this area.
Addressing cancellations caused by traincrew on Greater Thameslink Railway services is a priority for the Department for Transport Operator going forward.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7033, what estimate was made in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate cost-benefit analysis of the increase in average airfare per passenger in each year from 2025 to 2040 arising from compliance with the mandate.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise the need to protect consumers and factored this into the design of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate through the inclusion of a buyout option for obligated suppliers, which protects end users (passengers) from excessive costs.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Cost Benefit Analysis publication provides an assessment of the ticket price impacts of the SAF Mandate (Section 4) and a thorough validation of the price assumptions against literature and market data (Section 3) The full cost benefit analysis is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66601969dc15efdddf1a872d/uk-saf-mandate-final-stage-cost-benefit-analysis.pdf.