Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what upgrades will take place as part of the East Coat Mainline Programme in Huntingdon constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has invested £1.2bn in a package of route-wide infrastructure upgrades as part of the East Coast Main Line Enhancements Programme, the benefits of which are due to be realised through introduction of a recast timetable in this December, which will provide more frequent and faster services across the route. Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is also working closely with Network Rail and industry stakeholders to develop options for a long-term pipeline of investment on the East Coast Mainline. This work will consider Network Rail’s assessment of the congested infrastructure on the route – including those identified between Huntingdon North Junction and New England North Junction – and explore opportunities to mitigate these constraints.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of rail connectivity between Teesside and other major economic centres.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I recognise the important part that reliable rail connections play for a growing economy like Teesside. As well as allocating significant investment to reopen Hartlepool platform 3 in June 2024, which will allow more trains to pass through the station, we are working with train operators to make the best use of the available infrastructure and to improve reliability to deliver the services passengers need.
My department has regular discussions with Mayor Houchen and other Northern leaders on their aspirations for a more connected and reliable rail service across Teesside and the whole North East.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Pursuant to her Department’s Annual Account 2024/25, with reference to page 19, (a) what funding she will be providing to each Mayoral Combined Authority in each financial year through to 2029/30, (b) what funding she is making available to the proposed Greater Essex Mayoral Combined County Authority in each financial year through to 2029/30, and (c) what her forecast is of the annual reduction in support for the services covered by Train Operating Companies in each year of the Spending Review period; with reference to page 19, what her estimate is of the increased levels of ridership required to cover the planned reductions in her Department’s support for Train Operating Companies in each year of the Spending Review period; and with reference to page 348, if she will publish the lines of expenditure incurred in the estimated £250 million to be written off in respect of the cancellation of the A12 Widening Scheme and the A47 dualling scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On (a) and (b), at Spending Review 2025 ("SR25"), the government announced £15.6bn of funding for Transport for City Region settlements for 9 eligible Mayoral Combined Authorities ("MCAs") from 2027-28 to 2031-32. This funding builds on the funding allocated to eligible MCAs for years 2022-23 to 2026-27 via the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS). Mayoral allocations for TCR were published on gov.uk. Allocations for the final year of CRSTS (2026/27) are being confirmed with Ministers in the upcoming months.
For MCAs and other local areas outside of CRSTS/TCR, the department secured £2.3bn of funding for the Local Transport Grant (LTG) at SR25 and multi-year allocations and formula methodology were published on gov.uk. These allocations were calculated using a formula based on population and deprivation. Allocations were published based on the current Local Authority structure. Essex’s Local Transport Authority’s allocation for LTG is summarised in table 1 below. When it is established as a new MCAs, their transport funding will compromise the total of their constituent authorities. Table 1 includes the LTG allocations for other MCAs, a full breakdown of all areas can be found on Gov.uk.
Essex, and other areas, will also be eligible for other local transport grants and funding secured at SR25 such as funding for Buses, Highways Maintenance, Active Travel and Electric vehicle infrastructure. DfT Ministers are considering advice on these funds, and how they will be allocated across Local areas. Allocations will be released once Ministerial decisions have been made.
Table 1 – LTG allocations for Essex LTA and MCAs in receipt of LTG (full local allocations can be found on gov.uk).
Local Area | LTG Allocation | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 | Total |
Essex | Capital | 6.77 | 10.325 | 14.149 | 17.973 | 49.217 |
Resource | 1.08 | 1.08 | 1.08 | n/a | 3.24 | |
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Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority | Capital | 4.973 | 8.03 | 11.004 | 13.979 | 37.986 |
Resource | 0.819 | 0.819 | 0.819 | n/a | 2.457 | |
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Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority | Capital | 5.043 | 8.725 | 11.957 | 15.189 | 40.914 |
Resource | 0.853 | 0.853 | 0.853 | n/a | 2.559 | |
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Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority | Capital | 31.879 | 36.854 | 41.075 | 45.295 | 155.103 |
Resource | 1.063 | 2.259 | 2.263 | 5.585 | ||
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Hull & East Yorkshire Combined Authority | Capital | 19.895 | 22.879 | 25.538 | 28.197 | 96.509 |
Resource | 0.634 | 1.403 | 1.407 | 3.444 | ||
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Lancashire Combined County Authority | Capital | 44.998 | 50.844 | 56.676 | 62.507 | 215.025 |
Resource | 1.349 | 3.117 | 3.123 | 7.589 | ||
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York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority | Capital | 20.407 | 22.072 | 24.529 | 26.985 | 93.993 |
Resource | 0.767 | 1.353 | 1.352 | 3.472 |
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of visual field testing for driving license holders diagnosed with glaucoma in (a) North Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) vision testing supplier, Specsavers, currently has 360 stores across England that provide visual field testing for DVLA purposes. In Norfolk six stores offer this service with the closest stores to North Norfolk constituency in Norwich or Wisbech.
Specsavers is contractually required to ensure that an optometrist is available within a 25-mile radius of a customer applying for a licence. Where this is not possible Specsavers engages with local independent stores to provide the necessary services (typically this has only been in the Highlands of Scotland)
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to her oral answer in response to the question from the hon. Member for Lichfield of 16 July 2025, Official Report, Column 282, over what period that £445 million covers; and what the allocated spending is in each financial year.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Following the Spending Review, the UK Government is investing at least £445m into Welsh rail infrastructure upgrades, with the vast majority of this funding to be spent within the Spending Review period.
This investment will mean new stations and more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales. The UK Government is working in collaboration with the Welsh Government, Network Rail and Transport for Wales, through the Wales Rail Board.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what further steps she plans to take to make rural bus routes sustainable.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in rural areas in North Dorset. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Dorset Council has been allocated £3.8 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming additional funding of around £900 million of revenue funding each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve employment opportunities for young people in rural areas.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our cross-Government plan to get people into and progress at work. A key focus is on supporting young people into employment, education or training. This is why the Government is implementing a Youth Guarantee – ensuring all 18-21-year-olds have access to training, an apprenticeship or help to find work, to prevent them becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age.
DWP already provides 16-24-year-olds with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by Work Coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.
For example, we are running a pilot of hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes in partnership with UKHospitality, which is being rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunities, half of which are in rural and/ or coastal areas.
Following a successful trial in the north-east of England, we have issued guidance to Jobcentres on how best to support people to overcome transport barriers that hinder them from securing and remaining in work.
Youth Hubs and Jobcentres across the country are also promoting the Flexible Support Fund, which can cover transport costs for job interviews, training and Jobcentre visits.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of potholes in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Shropshire Council, as a local highway authority, has been allocated the following highway maintenance funding since 2015:
Year | Highways Maintenance funding for Shropshire Council |
2015/16 | £16,498,000 |
2016/17 | £16,160,000 |
2017/18 | £18,756,250 |
2018/19 | £20,588,000 |
2019//20 | £16,948,396 |
2020/21 | £30,253,000 |
2021/22 | £20,599,000 |
2022/23 | £20,599,000 |
2023/24 | £26,880,000 |
2024/25 | £23,218,000 |
2025/26 | £33,680,000 |
The Government has already provided an additional £500 million increase for local highway maintenance this financial year. As a result of this increase, Shropshire Council will receive up to £9.1 million more in additional funding.
Building on this, at the spending review the Chancellor announced that the Government will be providing £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country. This funding increase will allow National Highways and local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network, delivering faster, safer and more reliable journeys.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support community rail in the north of England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to support the community rail sector across the north of England, including through funding for station adoption groups and Community Rail Partnerships. This support is delivered via train operating companies and through the Community Rail Network (CRN), who provide access to grants and resources to its members. As we move towards establishing Great British Railways, the role of Community Rail will be more important than ever. Community Rail will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities in the north of England.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support the wider community utility of rail stations in the north of England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to support the community rail sector across the north of England, including through funding for station adoption groups and Community Rail Partnerships. This support is delivered via train operating companies and through the Community Rail Network (CRN), who provide access to grants and resources to its members. As we move towards establishing Great British Railways, the role of Community Rail will be more important than ever. Community Rail will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities in the north of England.