Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 13067 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, whether her Department plans to require Network Rail to record centrally the (a) costs and (b) delays to projects arising from protected species survey, licensing and mitigation requirements.

The Department for Transport does not plan to require Network Rail to record centrally the costs and any delays to projects arising from protected species survey, licencing and mitigation requirements.

Network Rail must comply with species licencing requirements when delivering maintenance and enhancement projects. Network Rail has been working with Natural England to reduce the burden of species licencing through district level licences for some species.