Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 19483 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, what assessment she has made of the risk that publishing the names of Network Rail projects to which protected species licences apply, without publishing the precise location of protected species, would result in the (a) disturbance, (b) persecution or (c) collection of protected species.

Network Rail’s position is that publishing project or site names could, in some cases, allow the location of protected species to be inferred and thereby increase the risk of disturbance, persecution or collection. It therefore does not publish a project or site list for protected-species licences, while continuing to meet its legal and regulatory obligations.