Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in (a) April 2026 and (b) May 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the national average waiting time (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available), and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for car practical driving tests in April and May 2026.
Month | National average waiting time (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) | National median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) |
April 2026 | 22.3 weeks | 9.1 weeks |
May 2026 | 21.8 weeks | 9.7 weeks |
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2026 to Question 1283 on Department for Transport: Official Cars, what assessment her Department has made of the compatibility of collecting anonymised data on the manufacturing origin of its rental fleet with World Trade Organisation rules.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made an assessment on the compatibility of collecting anonymised data on the manufacturing origin of its rental fleet.
Our rental fleet data does include vehicle make and model but not where these were manufactured.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in January 2026 and each subsequent month.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not issued any Notices to Improve on any of the DfT Operator train operating companies in January 2026 and in each subsequent month because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms.
The DfT regularly engages with all operators on service performance and financial management, aligned with this Government's priorities on improving performance and reducing subsidy.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2026 to Question 2251 on Railways, what the intended date is for Great British Railways' day-one stand-up.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Great British Railways (GBR) design process is underway. We expect to stand up GBR within 12 months of the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Greater Anglia has made on (a) expanding its pay-as-you-go ticketing system in 2026 and (b) delivering the extra projected 11 million additional journeys of which three million were designated to be for contactless payment by the end of 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On Sunday 8th March 2026, Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless went live at 20 stations at Greater Anglia stations including Stansted Airport. In the four weeks ending 30 May 2026, these additional 20 stations generated around 200,000 taps, this is a 15 per cent increase on the prior four-week period. Greater Anglia is currently on track to see over three million contactless journeys annually across the additional 20 stations which now have PAYG with contactless.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Class 357 trains c2c has upgraded since 17 December 2025; and whether the full fleet upgrade will be completed by December 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A total of 20 trains (80 vehicles) have been painted to date since the 17 December 2025. The current programme is scheduled to conclude in December 2026, with 26 trains (104 vehicles) still outstanding.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much National Highways has spent on its in-house external affairs work since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways spent approximately £1.9 million on its in-house external affairs function between 4 July 2024 and 31 May 2026. This reflects staff costs and associated contracts for the External Affairs team over that period.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of UK vehicle production since 2020.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that UK vehicle production has been affected by global shocks since 2020. Output declined during the Covid19 pandemic and was further impacted by supply chain disruption and volatile consumer demand. We want to make the UK one of the best locations in the world to manufacture vehicles and we are working with industry to support recovery and strengthen long term competitiveness.
Our ambition to grow UK vehicle production to over 1.3 million cars and commercial vehicles by 2035 is backed by our £4 billion DRIVE35 programme. It will support the automotive sector through to 2035 by accelerating commercial scale‑up and increasing investment in zero‑emission vehicles, batteries and their supply chains. We are also investing in the infrastructure needed to support this transition, including a further £200 million for EV charging, in addition to the £400 million committed at the 2025 Spending Review.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its public bodies has spent on lanyards since 4 July 2024; what designs of lanyards have been purchased; and what the cost and number of each lanyard design purchased was.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This information would only be available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its public bodies has spent on lanyards since 4 July 2024; what designs of lanyards have been purchased; and what the cost and number of each lanyard design purchased was.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has spent nil on lanyards since 4 July 2024.