Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many crimes were committed by foreign nationals in England and Wales in (1) 2023–24, (2) 2024–25, and (3) 2025–26; of those, what crimes were the most common; and in what counties they were most common.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a wide range of offences, including theft in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
However, data held centrally does not include if the defendant is a foreign national. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department intends to convene a meeting of stakeholders involved in preparing for the commencement of East-West Rail passenger services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, future staffing arrangements to be put in place, and driver training will need to have been completed. A start date for the first East West Rail services will be announced as soon as it is possible to do so and engagement with stakeholders will proceed once appropriate.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether when new rolling stock is introduced to a railway line she requires accessibility accessories such as Harrington Humps to be relocated to ensure compatibility.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not require accessibility features such as Harrington Humps to be relocated solely because new rolling stock is introduced. However, when new trains are introduced, operators and infrastructure managers are expected to ensure that stations and rolling stock remain compatible and meet applicable accessibility requirements, and this may include assessing whether platform modifications or the repositioning of accessibility features are necessary at specific locations.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons East-West Rail passenger services have not yet commenced.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, future staffing arrangements be put in place and driver training will need to have been completed.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimates her Department has made of the monetised costs of aircraft noise pollution for communities under Heathrow flight paths exposed to noise above 43dB.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely monetise the costs of noise from existing noise sources and has not made an estimate of such costs for communities under Heathrow flight paths exposed to noise above 43dB.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are available to passengers to report breaches of maximum passenger numbers on public transport services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Passengers who believe that maximum passenger numbers, crowding standards or other passenger welfare obligations have been breached can raise concerns directly with the relevant transport operator through its complaints process. If they are dissatisfied with the operator's response, rail passengers may escalate complaints to the Rail Ombudsman, while safety concerns relating to crowding can also be reported to the Office of Rail and Road. [orr.gov.uk], [nationalrail.co.uk], [railombudsman.org].
Complaints from passengers about a bus or coach operator should be made directly to the operator in the first instance. If the bus or coach operator has not responded to a complaint within 14 working days, or if the passenger is not happy with the response received, they can raise their complaint with Bus Users UK, an organisation that represents the interests of bus and coach users.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the business case for the HS2 link between Birmingham and Crewe, and if she will publish an update on the economic, connectivity and regional growth merits considered as part of that assessment.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s long-term intention to build a new line between Birmingham and Manchester, following the delivery of HS2 Phase One and Northern Powerhouse Rail. We are learning lessons from HS2 and undertaking further feasibility work to assess in detail the wider economic benefits different route options provide. Feasibility work is expected to conclude in 2028.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Heathrow Airport's current economic regulatory framework to provide incentives for investment in infrastructure resilience.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Civil Aviation Authority is the independent economic regulator of Heathrow Airport and is responsible for establishing the regulatory framework within which Heathrow operates. The framework is intended to provide incentives for efficient investment, including investment that supports the resilience of airport infrastructure, while protecting the interests of consumers. The Government continues to engage with the CAA on aviation resilience whilst respecting its operational and regulatory independence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 12229 on Railways: Infrastructure, what the total number is of rail infrastructure projects in England with an anticipated capital cost of less than £50 million that are currently delivering on site; and what proportion of those projects are forecasting completion after their original baseline completion date.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Of the rail infrastructure projects in England currently delivering on site with an anticipated capital cost of less than £50 million, 144 projects are forecasting completion after their original baseline completion date, out of a total of approximately 500 projects.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed West of England Line timetable changes on stations in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises that reliability and punctuality affect passenger benefits, journey times and wider economic outcomes, and these factors are considered when assessing any timetable changes.
Soil moisture deficit (SMD) caused significant and prolonged disruption to Southwestern Railway's West of England Line in 2025. Exceptionally dry conditions led to substantial shrinkage of clay embankments between Salisbury and Exeter, resulting in track movement and the imposition of multiple 40mph speed restrictions across long single-track sections.
Whilst other parts of the UK Rail Network also suffer from these issues, the unique nature of the West of England Line with long single-track sections and limited passing points means that the base timetable is unable to accommodate delays resulting from speed restrictions. Despite mitigation work, further record-breaking dry weather means SMD is again highly likely to affect the route this year.
During Autumn, seasonal conditions prevent trains on the predominantly single line track between Salisbury and Exeter from passing each other at their planned times. The single line track means that even small delays can make the timetable unworkable and lead to wider disruption. Removing some station stops with lower demand reduces the time spent in the single lines sections and reduces delays.
Where timetable changes are necessary, operators are expected to consider the effect on passenger travel times and seek to reduce disruption while ensuring services continue to operate safely and reliably.
The Department works with Network Rail and train operators to consider the impacts of timetable changes on passengers and local communities, including when temporary service alterations are required to maintain a safe and reliable railway.