Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that all proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport will avoid unnecessary cost and delay, including options that would require construction over the M25.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is clear that any expansion at Heathrow must be delivered in a way that minimises cost for passengers and customers. The scheme will be privately financed, including both the core runway infrastructure and any related improvements to surface access. Promoters are expected to engage constructively with relevant authorities, such as National Highways, to develop solutions that support the wider transport network and minimise disruption.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce additional independent oversight mechanisms beyond the Office of Rail and Road.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
GBR will be required to deliver transparently. As the single shareholder of GBR, the Transport Secretary will have oversight of GBR, supported by independent monitoring and scrutiny by ORR. An independent Passenger Watchdog will also ensure passenger interests are clearly represented.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has produced an impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant criteria.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has completed an internal impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials will continue to monitor the grant and its impact, to ensure the scheme meets its objectives and assess its ongoing value for money.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her policy that the views of airlines operating long-haul services should be central to determining the necessary length of a third runway at an expanded Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As the users of an expanded Heathrow Airport, the views of airlines will be vital for informing the Heathrow Expansion programme. To that end, as part of the invitation for scheme proposals for Heathrow Expansion, the department asked promoters to provide views from airlines on their proposals. The Secretary of State has also met with key senior airline representatives to understand their views.
On 22 October, we formally commenced the review of the ANPS and set out our intention to announce a single scheme to inform the review. Any final details of any scheme, including the runway length, will be considered further as part of the review and by promoters in preparing their DCO applications.
If any amendments are needed as a result of the ANPS review, we will consult on a revised ANPS by next summer which will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide views. In addition, we are also planning to hold stakeholder roundtables during the review, including with airlines.
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 7 November 2025 to Question 86322 on Charging Points and Hydrogen Fuelling Stations, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of public funding allocated specifically to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure since April 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All public funding for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure since April 2024 has been invested through our delivery partners Innovate UK, part of UKRI. Innovate UK assess value for money of applications submitted for research, development and demonstration projects as part of a standardised process. In addition, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport have commissioned an independent monitoring study to assess the outputs and early outcomes from all schemes included in the Innovate UK Land and Maritime Transport Portfolio from 2022. This study is expected to report in autumn 2026.
As part of the original business case for ZEHID, the programme as a whole had a VfM assessment of very high value for money noting that, as is typical for R&D projects, the final scope of the projects has changed. Ongoing evaluation activities are underway as part of the programme.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to publish annual data on passenger (a) complaints and (b) resolutions under Great British Railways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
ORR publishes biannual statistics on the volume and cause of complaints made to train operating companies, including the response times. We expect ORR to continue to collect and publish core industry data in the future.
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 30 October 2024 to Question 85351, whether the Government plans to publish the individual scheme costs for Strategic Road Network projects as part of the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), in line with the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 67864.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will include a total funding line for all enhancements to the strategic road network to be delivered during the period 2026-2031.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to promote the uptake of electric vehicles at rental installations on airport sites.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department engages actively with airport operators and infrastructure users, including rental companies, to support the provision of accessible EV charging infrastructure at major transport hubs. We will continue to facilitate discussions between operators and charging infrastructure users.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, what is the policy rationale for legislating for byelaws which can ban vaping outside bus stops.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour on the bus network. The Bus Services Act 2025 provides Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) with the power to create byelaws, should they wish to do so, and deploy officers who can deal with low level anti-social behaviour and fare evasion on buses.
These measures give LTAs greater flexibility to ensure that passengers feel safe and will make it easier for LTAs to prevent behaviours such as vaping, smoking and causing a nuisance on their bus networks. It will be up to LTAs to decide which behaviours they most need to target with these powers and the Government will be publishing guidance for LTAs which will emphasise the need for
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on the coordination of services in London.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
GBR will maintain and strengthen collaborative arrangements with Transport for London (TfL), recognising its role in operating London Overground and Elizabeth line services on the national network and supporting seamless journeys across modes. London is integral to the rail network: in April 2023 to March 2024, it accounted for 952 million passenger journeys, the highest of any region. We will continue to engage with TfL and the Greater London Authority on the organisational design of GBR to ensure effective coordination. The design of GBR is being developed alongside the passage of this legislation.