Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the average time taken by Transport for London to process and issue private hire vehicle driver licences.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades but ultimately the licensing process is left at the discretion of local authorities. We work closely with Transport for London on a range of issues but the operation of private hire driver licensing is a matter solely for them and it would not be appropriate for ministers to comment or intervene.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport connections at Worplesdon station in Woking constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been undertaken, as Worplesdon is a lightly used local station. Passengers tend to use Guildford or Woking stations for wider travel.
Under public ownership, Southwestern Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, including services in the Woking area. In the assessment of options, wider economic impacts will be a consideration, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway, meeting passenger demand and improving operational performance.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, given the forthcoming report of the Cranston Public Inquiry into the tragic loss of 27 lives in the English Channel in November 2021, has she undertaken a review of Channel small boat search and rescue operations and the capability provided by UK Border Force.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Cranston Public Inquiry will shortly be publishing its report into the tragic loss of 27 lives in the English Channel in November 2021.
Operational risks are assessed daily by the joint HM Coastguard and UK Border Security Command teams tasked with the delivery of small boat SAR. The capability that the Home Office provides through UK Border Force is an essential and welcome addition to the small boat SAR response network.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been cancelled on the South Western Railway network since it was nationalised.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed on the South Western Railway network in August 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been delayed on the South Western Railway network since nationalisation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much South Western Railway has spent on KPMG’s services to develop a business case for the infrastructure investment.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Expenditure on external consultants is a matter for train companies to manage. The Department has agreed challenging budget targets with every train operating company, including South Western Railway, and officials discuss spending against these budgets on a regular basis.
Expenditure on specific contracts cannot be shared as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much South Western Railway has spent on external consultants since May 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Expenditure on external consultants is a matter for train companies to manage. The Department has agreed challenging budget targets with every train operating company, including South Western Railway, and officials discuss spending against these budgets on a regular basis.
Expenditure on specific contracts cannot be shared as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of improving transport connections from Woking.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under public ownership, South Western Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of their timetable which will include reviewing connections from Woking. In the assessment of options, wider economic impacts will be a consideration, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway, meeting passenger demand and improving operational performance.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Treasury on the cost of a rollout of smart ticketing across newly nationalised routes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are overhauling the complex fares and ticketing system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare. The rollout of smart ticketing solutions will play an important role in achieving this and improving the passenger experience.
We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless ticketing to further stations in the Southeast, with an additional 49 stations to be rolled out this year. Additionally, we have announced plans to launch PAYG in both Manchester and the West Midlands, expanding PAYG to more than 90 additional rail stations in 2026. Furthermore, digital pay as you go trials are part of plans to modernise our transport system. The first trial launched at the beginning of September in the East Midlands, with three remaining trials launching in Yorkshire from the end of September.
We are working closely with Train Operating Companies to deliver these projects, with public ownership and the move to Great British Rail (GBR) ensuring we are delivering for both passengers and taxpayers across the network.