Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials in her Department have been transferred or seconded to DfT Operator Ltd since 4 July 2024; and how many further transfers are planned.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As at today’s date, there has been one member of staff seconded to DfT Operator Limited since 4 July 2024 and 210 staff are planned to transfer to DFT Operator on 1 April 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers the Secretary of State has under the Pilotage Act 1987 to inspect, review or request information on the pilotage arrangements of competent harbour authorities; and whether those powers have been exercised since 2015.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are powers outlined in Section 12 of the Pilotage Act 1987 which enable scrutiny of pilotage provision in circumstances where there are joint arrangements between Competent Harbour Authorities (CHAs), dockyard ports or other actors. These powers have not been exercised since 2015.
Maritime pilotage has an excellent safety record in the UK. However, should there be an accident or incident involving a vessel under pilotage, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and/or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have powers to scrutinise any records which pertain to the incident as part of their investigations.
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 23 February 2026 to Question 112684, in which month she plans to publish that response.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has accepted all the recommendations of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) review and is looking to publish the Government’s response to the ORR review shortly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to improve organisational capacity and capability within the transport sector to minimise the impact of industrial action.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the challenges that industrial action can cause to the public. Responsibility for managing its impact on rail services rests with train operating companies and Network Rail. As the sector moves towards Great British Railways, greater integration is expected to improve coordination and deliver better outcomes for passengers.
The Government maintains regular and constructive engagement with maritime trade unions on seafarer rights, skills and training reform. Action is being taken to improve employment conditions for seafarers. The Employment Rights Act 2025 provides new powers to require higher standards on pay and safe working patterns, and implementing regulations will be introduced this year. Levels of industrial action in the maritime sector remain generally low.
In disputes between private employers and their employees over terms and conditions, it is for the employer to resolve such matters. The Government expects transport operators, including bus and aviation operators, to take all reasonable steps to minimise disruption and ensure that passengers reliant on their services can continue to travel.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of buses are (a) zero-emission and (b) non-zero-emission.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Statistics on the number and proportion of zero‑emission and non‑zero‑emission buses are published in the Department for Transport’s Annual bus statistics, table BUS06e (Vehicles operated by local bus operators). The tables are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work is being undertaken by her Department to identify cross-sector infrastructure interdependencies and single points of failure affecting the transport network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport is one of the UK’s 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Given the cross-sector infrastructure interdependencies, resilience across CNI, including transport, is critical to the UK.
My department is taking forward work to deliver the transport implications of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan, published July 2025, recognising the complex and interdependent nature of our critical transport operations. This includes carrying out a Criticalities Review; working with partners across the transport sector and government to improve our understanding of the interdependencies and single points of failure affecting the transport network. This will enable us to develop robust and informed measures to mitigate the risks and build resilience within the system.
Furthermore, as committed within the recently published Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport, the department is developing guidance to support transport operators to identify their upstream interdependencies and the cascading failures associated with climate risks.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps (a) in this financial year and (b) in future financial years to help reduce the fee deficit of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency keeps its fees under continual review. Any changes to fee levels would be subject to public consultation and Parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics plans to begin collecting data on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th March is attached.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which aspects of primary maritime legislation her Department considers may require amendment to enable the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels in UK waters; and what steps are being taken to introduce any changes.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has led a sustained programme of work since 2018 to assess and prepare the UK’s maritime legislative framework for the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated vessels. This has included the Maritime Autonomy Regulation Lab (MARLab), led by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the Future of Transport Regulatory Review, which consulted publicly on the regulation of maritime autonomous surface ships and remote operations.
Alongside this, Government has supported trials and deployment through introduction of a pilot remote operator training framework, new small vessel exemptions, and new certification routes, including Workboat Code 3, Annex 2. The experience and evidence gathered through these processes support broader regulatory development for Government.
In addition, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency were a partner in the Maritime Regulatory Innovation Framework between 2023 and 2025, working with industry and other partners to develop and test a supporting framework alongside existing certification processes. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency remain engaged and will work with project partners for the next and final stages of the project as they seek to verify and validate the framework as a valuable alternative process to meet Maritime and Coastguard Agency regulatory processes and requirements.
The Government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows, informed by this evidence and the need to align with international standards.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the Government intends to ensure that learning from regulatory sandboxes, including the Maritime Regulatory Innovation Framework, is scaled up and translated into permanent regulatory or legislative change to support the wider deployment of autonomous and remotely operated maritime vessels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has led a sustained programme of work since 2018 to assess and prepare the UK’s maritime legislative framework for the safe and lawful operation of autonomous and remotely operated vessels. This has included the Maritime Autonomy Regulation Lab (MARLab), led by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the Future of Transport Regulatory Review, which consulted publicly on the regulation of maritime autonomous surface ships and remote operations.
Alongside this, Government has supported trials and deployment through introduction of a pilot remote operator training framework, new small vessel exemptions, and new certification routes, including Workboat Code 3, Annex 2. The experience and evidence gathered through these processes support broader regulatory development for Government.
In addition, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency were a partner in the Maritime Regulatory Innovation Framework between 2023 and 2025, working with industry and other partners to develop and test a supporting framework alongside existing certification processes. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency remain engaged and will work with project partners for the next and final stages of the project as they seek to verify and validate the framework as a valuable alternative process to meet Maritime and Coastguard Agency regulatory processes and requirements.
The Government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows, informed by this evidence and the need to align with international standards.