Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 5451 on National Highways: Expenditure, how much of the expenditure on National Highways' in-house external affairs function since 4 July 2024 was spent on (a) salaries, (b) agency staff, (c) communications consultants, (d) stakeholder engagement events, (e) hospitality, (f) travel and (g) other expenditure.

For the period between 4 July and 31 May 2026, the National Highways in-house External Affairs Team's expenditure was as follows:

(a) £1.6 million on salaries.

(b) Zero spend on agency staff.

(c) £280,921 on a technical professional services’ public affairs contract, which includes the provision of stakeholder engagement events. An additional £3,045.60 was spent separately on stakeholder events in the period.

(d) see above.

(e) £29 on hospitality.

(f) £53,328 on travel (July 2024 to March 2026 based on latest verified reporting).

(g) £58,500 on other expenditure consisting of a stakeholder monitoring service and spend on stakeholder sentiment surveys.