Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of negotiating improved business travel mobility arrangements with the European Union.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Improved business travel mobility arrangements with the EU would benefit individuals and businesses in both the UK and EU, likely increasing trade between us and the EU and increasing our GDP over time. The UK government is committed to supporting UK businesses to trade more easily with our biggest trading partner, the EU.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the stability of funding for national active travel programmes.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
At the 2025 Spending Review, the Government announced £616 million of capital funding for active travel over the years 2026/27 to 2029/30. Long term funding settlements for local authorities will be agreed as part of wider Integrated Settlements for Mayoral Strategic Authorities and consolidated local transport settlements for other authorities.
The Government also announced £15.6 billion in total by 2031-32 for the Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlements, supporting them to invest in their local transport priorities, including promoting modal shift from cars to public transport, walking and cycling.
The Government plans to offer long term funding settlements over the 2025 Spending Review period for other national active travel programmes run by wider organisations, such as Bikeability and the National Cycle Network, following the conclusion of DfT business planning.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation on European business representatives attending trade events and conferences in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
ETAs have been introduced to strengthen the security of our border. They also make travel easier by further digitising our immigration and borders system, ensuring millions of visitors, including business travellers, enjoy a seamless experience. The department does not hold data on numbers of visitors attending trade events and conferences.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87814, what proportion of mileage claims are made using a). HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates and b). employers own assessment by 1). employees and 2). the self-employed.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The rate at which employees are reimbursed for undertaking business mileage in their personal vehicles is a matter between employers and their employees. As such these are exempt from reporting to HMRC, and the Government does not routinely collect the information requested.HMRC recently published research on benefits-in-kind and expenses. Of those employers surveyed, 41% of employers reimbursed mileage for employees using their own car for business travel, of which 37% reimbursed at the Approved Mileage Payment Rate and 4% at another rate.
The research report can be found here: Research with employers on Benefits in Kind and expenses - GOV.UK
Self-employed people are able to choose whether to use the simplified mileage rates or claim actual expenses and capital allowances for a vehicle. HMRC published research carried out in 2023 which showed that 29% of self-employed people who use vehicles in their business use the simplified mileage rates.
The research report was published on 28 May 2025 and can be found here: HMRC Mileage Rates Research - GOV.UK
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what targets for emissions reduction will apply to Great British Railways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We remain committed to addressing the environmental challenges faced not only by rail – which is already a comparatively low-emission way to travel – but across transport. We will set out long term environmental expectations for GBR through the Long-Term Rail Strategy and these will also be outlined in GBR’s business plan.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to ensure there are easy, accessible, diplomatic routes for ambassadors and high commissioners to utilise during travel to and from the United Kingdom.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) regularly liaises with missions and airports to assist with the transit arrangements for ambassadors and high commissioners entering or leaving the UK, as well as other international visitors travelling to the UK on official business.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86664, on Ministers: Official Cars, how much has been invoiced to each department in each month since July 2024; and how much has been paid through an internal transfer for the Cabinet Office in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government Car Service (GCS) transferred to the Cabinet Office from the Department of Transport, as a result of a machinery of government change, on 1st April 2025. Therefore all invoicing data prior to that date remains with the Department for Transport.
Invoicing data post April 2025 is included below. A significant proportion of invoicing activity was paused during the transition period which resulted in two invoicing runs for April 2025 with costs normalising in subsequent months.
Charges to the Cabinet Office include services provided to No10, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leaders of the House of Commons and House of Lords, and the Cabinet Secretary, in addition to core Cabinet Office ministers.
The figures provided represent total charges to departments, inclusive of all associated costs such as Transport for London (TfL) congestion charge, as well as travel and subsistence claims submitted by drivers in the delivery of the service.
| APRIL'25 | APRIL'25 | MAY'25 | JUNE'25 | JULY'25 | AUG'25 | SEPT'25 |
Cabinet Office | £17,137.64 | £147,019.31 | £139,361.51 | £141,827.02 | £151,582.27 | £136,375.57 | £140,471.82 |
DESNZ | £335.24 | £20,423.45 | £19,957.72 | £19,994.24 | £19,973.80 | £19,817.6 | £19,936.66 |
MHCLG | £11,014.28 | £28,028.18 | £26,206.87 | £26,601.78 | £24,697.07 | £21,547.82 | £24,222.77 |
DCMS | £460.27 | £11,817.33 | £11,278.62 | £10,767.89 | £12,396.33 | £10,369.77 | £11,201.70 |
DEFRA | £1,897.57 | £22,009.46 | £20,611.41 | £21,209.77 | £22,049.17 | £20,135.75 | £21,124.97 |
DFE | £1,508.99 | £10,139.11 | £9,803.15 | £10,111.25 | £10,604.71 | £10,179.54 | £10,349.44 |
DFT | £1,233.32 | £20,266.75 | £20,389.25 | £20,491.14 | £21,162.53 | £20,066.73 | £20,509.47 |
DHSC | £1,831.9 | £30,597.56 | £30,469.06 | £31,465.41 | £32,053.88 | £29,629.62 | £31,758.00 |
HMT | £455.42 | £10,364.09 | £10,373.00 | £10,125.42 | £10,212.20 | £10,184.02 | £10,379.37 |
Home Office | £2,186.06 | £29,943.21 | £30,064.45 | £30,331.18 | £30,799.75 | £29,478.79 | £30,137.43 |
Business & Trade | £2,730.98 | £31,360.47 | £30,597.59 | £31,538.60 | £31,334.28 | £29,492.09 | £31,319.65 |
AGO | £1,682.59 | £10,941.86 | £10,701.09 | £11,221.40 | £11,860.04 | £9,940.09 | £10,422.28 |
HoC | £146.28 | £1,799.98 | £2,225.43 | £2,781.79 | £1,986.99 | £ - | £1,545.44 |
DWP | £698.19 | £10,386.77 | £9,925.09 | £9,992.94 | £10,111.26 | £9,940.09 | £10,142.51 |
NCA | £ - | £9,730.49 | £9,649.47 | £9,664.47 | £9,756.77 | £9,649.47 | £9,679.47 |
MOJ | £9,310.03 | £38,424.85 | £34,963.20 | £35,597.71 | £39,936.80 | £3,2694.29 | £32,980.11 |
Scotland Office | £648.12 | £9,689.83 | £9,608.12 | £10,254.40 | £10,369.88 | £9,406.25 | £10,163.82 |
DSIT | £1,195.05 | £21,067.14 | £21,634.16 | £22,223.55 | £22,081.34 | £20,115.41 | £21,210.24 |
DWP | £1,055.09 | £9,752.29 | £9,975.41 | £10,440.70 | £10,505.24 | £9,574.47 | £10,093.31 |
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer to Question 50271 on Holiday Accommodation: Bedfordshire, when he expects to publish that impact assessment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The consultation- Package travel – updating the framework 2025 - GOV.UK closed 30 June 2025. The government is now analysing responses.
The government response will be published by the end of the year.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the relationship between access to core utilities and population retention in remote rural areas.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Despite this we know that people living in rural areas often have greater distances to travel to access essential services and can struggle to access other core utilities.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making including the provision of utility infrastructure should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support essential infrastructure in rural communities at risk of depopulation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural policy is a devolved matter. Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics including rural population trends, and rural service provision in The Statistical Digest for Rural England.
Net internal migration within England tends to be towards rural authorities, and in 2023 the rate of this migration was higher than in 2013; the exception to this is 15- to- 19- year-olds for which there is net migration from rural authorities, reflecting the movement of students.
Despite this we know that people living in rural areas often have greater distances to travel to access essential services and can struggle to access other core utilities.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making including the provision of utility infrastructure should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.