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, how many protected species licences have been applied for (a) by and (b) on behalf of Network Rail in each of the last five years, broken down by species.

An organisational licence is a licence which permits an organisation to undertake activities (that are specified within the licence) which would otherwise require individual standard licences. Standard licences typically contain site- or project-specific conditions. Where Network Rail cannot use non-licensable techniques, it will apply for standard licences. Network Rail continues to explore the opportunity for organisational licences where application of multiple licences would be inefficient for them and the regulator.

Based on information held centrally by Network Rail the following protected species licences have been issued to, or on behalf of, Network Rail in England and Wales since 2021. These figures have not been subject to a further validation exercise with all Regions and Functions and are therefore a best estimate available.