Department for Transport

We work with our agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps the UK’s businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest in transport infrastructure to keep the UK on the move.



Secretary of State

Heidi Alexander
Secretary of State for Transport

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Paul Kohler (LD - Wimbledon)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Transport)

Conservative
Gareth Bacon (Con - Orpington)
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Liberal Democrat
Baroness Pidgeon (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Transport)

Scottish National Party
Graham Leadbitter (SNP - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Transport)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Lord Moylan (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Transport)
Jerome Mayhew (Con - Broadland and Fakenham)
Shadow Minister (Transport)
Ministers of State
Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Lilian Greenwood (Lab - Nottingham South)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Mike Kane (Lab - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Simon Lightwood (LAB - Wakefield and Rothwell)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Thursday 10th July 2025
Disabled Bus Passes
Adjournment Debate
Select Committee Inquiry
Friday 27th June 2025
National Policy Statement for Ports

The Transport Committee is carrying out an inquiry into the Government’s proposal for a revised National Policy Statement for Ports …

Written Answers
Friday 11th July 2025
Aviation: Alternative Fuels
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to take steps to prevent aviation fuel suppliers …
Secondary Legislation
Monday 7th July 2025
New Heavy-Duty Vehicles (Carbon Dioxide Emission Performance Standards) (Vocational Vehicles) Regulations 2025
These Regulations introduce a procedure to identify heavy-duty vehicles that have been misreported as vocational vehicles and to correct such …
Bills
Wednesday 14th May 2025
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill 2024-26
A Bill to Make provision about sustainable aviation fuel.
Dept. Publications
Friday 11th July 2025
15:12

Department for Transport Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Jun. 26
Oral Questions
Nov. 05
Urgent Questions
Jul. 10
Adjournment Debate
View All Department for Transport Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Transport does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Introduced: 18th July 2024

A Bill to make provision for passenger railway services to be provided by public sector companies instead of by means of franchises.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th November 2024 and was enacted into law.

Department for Transport - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations amend Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/79.
These Regulations introduce a procedure to identify heavy-duty vehicles that have been misreported as vocational vehicles and to correct such misreporting for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2019/1242.
View All Department for Transport Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

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Petitions with most signatures
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22,490 Signatures
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6,080 Signatures
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5,123 Signatures
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Department for Transport has not participated in any petition debates
View All Department for Transport Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Transport Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Transport Committee
Ruth Cadbury Portrait
Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Transport Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Rebecca Smith Portrait
Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Transport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Katie Lam Portrait
Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Transport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Laurence Turner Portrait
Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Baggy Shanker Portrait
Baggy Shanker (Labour (Co-op) - Derby South)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Alex Mayer Portrait
Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Olly Glover Portrait
Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Elsie Blundell Portrait
Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Catherine Atkinson Portrait
Catherine Atkinson (Labour - Derby North)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Scott Arthur Portrait
Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Steff Aquarone Portrait
Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Transport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Transport Committee: Upcoming Events
Transport Committee - Private Meeting
15 Jul 2025, 4 p.m.
View calendar - Save to Calendar
Transport Committee - Oral evidence
Rail investment pipelines: ending boom and bust
16 Jul 2025, 9:15 a.m.
At 9:15am: Oral evidence
Lord Hendy CBE - Minister for Rail at Department for Transport
Alan Over - Director General for Major Rail Projects Group at Department for Transport
Alex Hynes - Director General for Rail Services at Department for Transport

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Transport Committee: Previous Inquiries
Young and novice drivers Coronavirus: implications for transport e-scooters HS2: update NATS: failure in air traffic management systems Railway network disruption over Christmas Work of the Department for Transport 2010-15 The work of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Volkswagen Group emissions violations Operation Stack inquiry Vehicle type approval inquiry All lane running inquiry Surface transport to airports inquiry Road traffic law enforcement inquiry Road haulage sector: Skills and workforce planning inquiry Maritime Policy and Coastguard Modernisation inquiry The Department for Transport and rail policy Investing in the railway NATS inquiry Network Rail: update Strategic river crossings Motoring of the future Smaller airports Government motoring agencies - the user perspective Transport's winter resilience: Christmas 2013 Transport's winter resilience: rail flooding Security on the railway The cost of motor insurance: whiplash Airports Commission: Interim Report Draft National Policy Statement on National Networks Cycling safety: follow up High Speed Rail: follow up Offshore helicopter safety Access to ports Transport and the Olympics The work of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) Local authority parking enforcement Cost of motor insurance: whiplash Aviation Strategy Competition in the local bus market Access to transport for people with disabilities Low Carbon Vehicles Marine Pilotage Land Transport Security Road Freight Road Safety Rail 2020 Rail franchising Transport's winter resilience The Work of Network Rail Local decision making on transport spending Better roads Maritime strategy Safety at level crossings Drink & drug driving law Transport and the economy Cost of motor insurance Bus services after the Spending Review Licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles Effective road and traffic management Impact on transport of adverse weather conditions Sulphur emissions by ships Cable theft on the railway Work of the DVLA and DSA Draft Civil Aviation Bill Flight time limitations Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) reform Coastguard Service Regional breakdown of public transport expenditure Cancellation of the InterCity West Coast franchise competition Passenger transport in isolated communities Cancelled Rail electrification schemes inquiry Intercity East Coast rail franchise inquiry Traffic Commissioners inquiry Active travel inquiry Local roads funding and governance Pre-appointment hearing on ORR inquiry Rail timetable changes inquiry BMW vehicle recall inquiry Freight and Brexit inquiry Health of the bus market inquiry Network Rail priorities inquiry Taxi and private hire reform in England inquiry HS2: update with Allan Cook inquiry Pavement parking inquiry Road Safety inquiry Trains fit for the future? inquiry The work of Highways England inquiry Williams Rail Review inquiry Priorities of the new Secretary of State for Transport inquiry Departmental policy and performance: Update with the Secretary of State inquiry Railways: Update with the Rail Minister inquiry Road safety: young and novice drivers inquiry Road safety: mobile phones inquiry Community Transport inquiry Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) inquiry Policy priorities for the Department for Transport inquiry Aviation and Brexit inquiry Mobility as a Service inquiry Rail infrastructure investment inquiry National Drowning Prevention Strategy one-off session Transocean Winner incident and emergency towing vessels one-off session Maritime Growth Study inquiry Airspace management and modernisation inquiry Vauxhall vehicle fires one-off session Airports National Policy Statement inquiry Volkswagen emissions follow-up session Drones inquiry HS2: CH2M contract one-off session Rail compensation one-off session Rail franchising inquiry Rail technology: signalling and traffic management inquiry Improving the rail passenger experience inquiry Airport expansion in the South East inquiry Bus Services Bill inquiry Urban congestion inquiry Departmental priorities and annual report and accounts one-off session High Speed Two one-off session Rail safety inquiry Vauxhall Zafira B fires one-off session Trains fit for the future? Self-driving vehicles Accessible transport: legal obligations National Networks National Policy Statement Strategic road investment Our future transport Minimum service levels for rail Future of transport data Strategic transport objectives Buses connecting communities Managing the impact of street works Rail investment pipelines: ending boom and bust National Policy Statement for Ports Active travel Departmental policy and performance: Update with the Secretary of State Health of the bus market Local roads funding and governance Pavement parking Priorities of the new Secretary of State for Transport Railways: Update with the Rail Minister Road Safety Road safety: mobile phones Road safety: young and novice drivers Trains fit for the future? Williams Rail Review The work of Highways England

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact Avanti West Coast’s non-tilting 110mph (a) Class 805 and (b) Class 807 trains on the capacity of the West Coast Main Line.

The new Avanti trains of classes 805 and 807 will make a material improvement to journeys formerly made on the Voyager trains, and will not reduce the capacity of the West Coast main line.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to electrify the North Wales main line.

Together with industry partners, we have identified a number of improvements on the North Wales Main Line which will deliver more immediate passenger benefits, including increasing the frequency of services in 2026, which will serve to strengthen the business case for future electrification. Following the Spending Review, we are funding these improvement works as part of the wider £445 million investment to enhance rail infrastructure across Wales — unlocking economic potential, improving connectivity, and supporting communities.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to take steps to prevent aviation fuel suppliers from charging compliance risk premiums to mandated volumes of sustainable aviation fuel.

We recognise that SAF is more expensive than jet fuel. This is why the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate has been designed to protect against excessive costs. The SAF Mandate also has a built-in review process so the Government can take action to change scheme parameters if necessary. The pricing of SAF are commercial decisions for the market though we are working to further understand interactions between the SAF Mandate and SAF pricing. We are engaging with relevant stakeholders – including airports, airlines, fuel suppliers and trade associations to do this.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that there (a) are new jobs and (b) is growth of the sustainable aviation fuel industry in Scotland.

We are supporting the UK SAF industry in a range of ways. We are building demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the SAF Mandate, introduced in January this year. We have introduced legislation to deliver a revenue certainty mechanism to support potential SAF producers across the UK. We also run a grant funding scheme, the Advanced Fuels Fund, for which £63m of funding is available in 2025/26 for the producers of SAF.

Together, these measures will give investors the confidence to support the commercial scale production of SAF in the UK, creating green jobs and developing skills.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to include upgrades to the A483 in North Shropshire in the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3).

Whilst I cannot commit to upgrades at this stage in the process of setting the next Road Investment Strategy, I can confirm National Highways is investigating a range of options to improve the safety performance of the A483 in North Shropshire which will be considered for possible delivery.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which technologies will deliver improved wifi access on the East Coast Main Line.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail and industry to look at solutions to improve connectivity on trains, which includes rolling out rail 5G on the rail network.

Following the spending review, funding has been made available to invest in low earth orbit satellite connectivity, to improve passenger mobile connectivity. We also continue to work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to develop further interventions on the railway.

The department has been working with Network Rail to deliver improved connectivity on the rail corridor. Project Reach, which will renew fibre optic cables & address signals in mainline tunnels and stations was signed 26 June 2025 between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave .

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Civil Aviation Authority's requirement that commercial pilots cease commercial air transport operations at the age of 65, regardless of (a) medical condition and (b) licence status, in the context of the State Pension age.

Pilot age limits ultimately derive from standards and recommended practices set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which sets age limits globally. Standards and recommended practices are kept under review and the CAA actively participates in these reviews.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the bus fare cap to £2.

The Government has made no assessment of reducing the bus fare cap to £2.

The Government is committed to ensuring bus travel remains affordable, and stepped in to prevent a cliff-edge return to commercial fares by investing over £150 million to introduce a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, replacing the £2 cap.

Under the plans of the previous administration, the £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Autumn 2024 Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain a cap on bus fares beyond this point.  Maintaining the cap at £2 for the entirety of 2025 would have cost an estimated £444 million. The £3 cap represents a significant saving for taxpayers whilst ensuring bus services remain affordable.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services in the Spending Review by confirming additional funding to extend the £3 cap by over a year until March 2027 as part of dedicated funding to maintain and improve bus services long-term.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to issue compensation for denied boarding automatically.

An assessment of the merits of automatic compensation for denied boarding has not been made.

Provision of automatic compensation to passengers for denied boarding would present some practical challenges that would need to be fully considered through a full public consultation ahead of any potential legislative reforms.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with airlines on the (a) accessibility and (b) clarity of compensation claim processes; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of claims procedures on passengers.

Under UK law, airlines are required to provide written information to passengers affected by flight disruptions, setting out the rules for compensation and assistance.  This information must be clear, easy to understand, and available in accessible formats.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers.

The EU conducted an assessment of the potential impact of the claims procedure on passengers as part of its proposed 2013 reform to Regulation 261, finding that some passengers were being discouraged from claiming their rights even when entitled. The UK has not carried out any further assessments on this issue since then.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of driving tests in Sherwood Forest constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.

From previous recruitment campaigns for driving test centres that serve the Sherwood Forest constituency, three new driving examiners (DE) have completed their training and are now conducting tests. One at Ashfield and two at Nottingham (Colwick) DTCs.

From recent recruitment campaigns, a potential DE is currently undertaking training for Ashfield DTC. DVSA has also made offers to eight potential DEs, two for Ashfield, three for Worksop and three for Nottingham (Colwick) who will start their training at the earliest opportunity.

DVSA will be undertaking another recruitment campaign and will again advertise for posts in the local area.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the aviation sector.

This Government has shown that it will support the UK aviation sector by backing airport expansions that promote economic growth while meeting climate and environmental standards, as well as ending years of uncertainty by inviting proposals for a third runway at Heathrow.

We have introduced a package of measures to encourage the production and use of homegrown Sustainable Aviation Fuel, positioning the UK as a world leading destination for this new market.  The new revenue certainty mechanism will provide a price guarantee for SAF producers that will boost jobs across the country. This delivers on the UK’s clean energy and growth missions.

We have also recently announced the go ahead for the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) which will improve confidence in the delivery of airspace modernisation in the UK, fulfilling a key manifesto commitment to enable quicker, quieter and cleaner flights.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 June 2025 on Dart Charge, HCWS708, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the fare to cross Dartford Tunnel on levels of demand on that crossing.

Our assessment is that the change in charges will mean there are fewer car journeys at the Crossing than would have been the case otherwise, and that this will enable more goods vehicle journeys to be made.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will visit Llynclys Crossroads in North Shropshire constituency to assess the impact of potential design changes on road safety at that junction.

The Secretary of State would be interested to learn more about the particular issues with Llynclys Crossroads, but existing diary commitments mean she is unable to commit to a visit at this stage.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to (a) reduce pavement parking and (b) encourage the removal of obstacles for pedestrians with visual impairments.

The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially people with mobility or sight impairments and those with prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to its pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking and deal with other obstacles on the pavement.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding she has provided for rail electrification in the (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28 financial years.

Funding for rail enhancements is provided at portfolio level and allocated to individual schemes rather than to types and categories of works. Electrification is included in the scope of a number of schemes included within the £10.2bn funding for rail enhancements confirmed at the Spending Review for 2026/27-2029/30, including within the £3.5bn for Transpennine Route Upgrade, and £2.5bn for East West Rail, both of which feature electrification as part of their scope.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made with (a) Network Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink on the provision of lifts at Leagrave Station.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This included Leagrave railway station. We expect to provide an update to stakeholders during the summer.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Motor Insurance Taskforce has considered the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.

The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.

We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.

We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) consumer representatives and (b) regional insurers in Northern Ireland have been consulted by the Motor Insurance Taskforce.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.

The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.

We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.

We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Motor Insurance Taskforce's final report; and whether it will include regional breakdowns of findings and recommendations.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.

The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.

We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.

We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Motor Insurance Taskforce (a) has analysed and (b) will publish regional insurance pricing data.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.

The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.

We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.

We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that the recommendations of the Motor Insurance Taskforce are implemented equitably in all regions; and how she plans to monitor this.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.

The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.

We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.

We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

We have provided a response based on the number of accepted requests via the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy. This does not include staff working overseas on official business postings, with the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy focusing on staff who are assigned to offices within the UK but have sought permission to temporarily work remotely overseas for exceptional reasons. The response to this question also only refers to DfT core, rather than wider group DfT.

On 3rd July 2025, DfTc had 4 members of staff with permission through our Working Remotely Overseas Policy to temporarily work outside of the UK. These members of staff are working from the Netherlands, India, Malawi and the United States of America.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice, published in December 2017, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Appendix B.

We recently published the Accessibility National Technical Specification Notice (NTSN), replacing the Persons with Reduced Mobility NTSN. The Accessibility NTSN preserves many specifications inherited from EU law while updating ones that did not have a clear case for change. This update was published following an extensive review and public consultation facilitated by the Rail Safety and Standards Board.

During our review and public consultation, we did not receive any feedback on the adequacy of Annex B. However, we keep all NTSN content under regular review and will consider any further feedback as part of our continuing monitoring.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has allocated to reducing the number of rail replacement services required on Thameslink services in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Department requires its train operators to use reasonable endeavours to provide alternative means of transport where they cannot provide their planned train service. Rail replacement bus services are typically provided when parts of the railway are closed for planned maintenance and upgrade work or unplanned maintenance and repair work. The Department does not specifically allocate funding for the purpose of reducing the number of rail replacement services.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of bridleways on supporting active travel nationally.

Bridleways have an important role to play in enabling active travel across the country. To support local authorities seeking to deliver active travel schemes outside of towns and cities, Active Travel England is developing specific guidance for good practice application in rural contexts and expects to publish this later this year. The guidance will explore how best bridleways (and other elements of the Public Rights of Way network) can be incorporated and integrated into existing and proposed active travel networks to expand their reach and connectivity. This will potentially have benefits for a range of different path users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects the West Midlands Rail Hub to be completed.

The first phase of Midlands Rail Hub, which enables additional trains between Birmingham and South Wales, and the South West, and on Birmingham’s Cross City Line is expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the document entitled Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance, published on 26 September 2024, what progress her Department has made on publishing its response to the recommendations in that report.

The report entitled Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance referenced was commissioned by the Department for Transport and was published on Gov.uk in November 2024. Alongside other research and evidence, it has informed policy development and funding decisions, and a formal response is not required.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56829 on Speed Limits, whether her Department has plans to update 20mph zone guidance for England.

We believe that traffic authorities are best placed to decide where lower limits will be effective on the roads for which they are responsible, and that consultation and community support should be at the heart of the process.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to include the safety of road workers in its Road Safety strategy.

This Government takes the safety of all road users seriously, including those who work on our roads. We are developing a Road Safety Strategy and further details will be shared in due course.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey Report 2025, published on 18 March 2025.

The Government is determined to help local authorities fix our local road network and has drawn on a range of evidence to develop policy and determine funding for local highway maintenance, including the ALARM survey that is commissioned annually by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

At the Spending Review the Chancellor announced we will provide £24 billion 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.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide additional funding for pothole repair in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads. In 2025-26, we provided an additional £16 million to invest a total of £60 million in improving the condition of Lincolnshire County Council’s local highways. The Spending Review announced that the Government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve roads across the country. This funding increase will significantly improve the long-term condition of England’s road network. Future funding allocations for local authorities and their highways, including Lincolnshire, will be announced in due course.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the criteria used to assess applications for transport Development Consent Order projects.

The Secretary of State sets out her considerations in her decision letters for each Development Consent Order. This will take into account relevant legislation, national policy statements and other relevant policy as well as national carbon budget commitments. She also follows public law considerations relating to good decision making and procedural fairness to ensure that interested parties have the opportunity to be heard. The Secretary of State takes account of the evidence before her, only considering relevant matters, and provides appropriate reasoning to support her decision making. Information about the Development Consent Order process and its requirements are available on gov.uk: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/decision-making-process-guide.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54870 on Parking: Fines, if she will publish the research provided by the (a) Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London, (b) British Parking Association and (c) Local Government Association.

The publication or otherwise of this research is a matter for the organisations that undertook it. It would not be appropriate for the Department to publish it.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's policy position is on 15 minute cities.

Local Government is at the heart of our transport ambitions. Traffic management schemes to promote walking cycling and public transport are a matter for Local Authorities because they know their areas best. Such schemes should always be developed through engagement with local communities. This is a long-standing policy and there are no plans to change it.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had discussions with Oxfordshire County Council on its planned introduction of traffic filters by Oxford in 2026.

The Department has not had discussions with Oxfordshire County Council on its planned introduction of traffic filters by Oxford in 2026. Local authorities are responsible for managing their roads and are accountable to their communities.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve rail (a) reliability and (b) performance to ensure people are able to access (i) work and (ii) educational opportunities.

We are starting to see train performance stabilise, following a decade of decline. We are working with the rail industry on a Performance Restoration Framework, with five clear areas of focus to recover performance to acceptable levels, including timetable resilience, staffing and keeping trains safely moving during disruptive events.

The Rail Minister is meeting with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled New dawn for rail as South Western services return to public hands, published on 25 May 2025, what her plans are for operators who fail to meet the standard required to become part of Great British Railways.

Great British Railways will set a clear quality standard for our railways, so a world class public service can be rebuilt. Ministers intend to recover performance to acceptable levels at all operators, ensuring their leadership has a relentless focus on performance and rigorous standards, held to account by Ministers. The focus is on supporting and challenging train operating companies to reach the tough standards that we will set.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what process her Department took to appoint Chiltern Railways as the operator of East-West Rail from Oxford-Milton Keynes.

The Department conducted a review to assess train operating companies’ level of capability and the degree of integration with the first stage of East–West Rail.

Chiltern Railways was assessed as providing the best fit and following a negotiation of commercial terms, a Deed of Amendment was signed enacting this in and it is now working on delivering the new, twice-hourly rail service between Oxford and Milton Keynes as early as possible.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Minister for Rail's letter to the hon. Member for Weald of Kent on rail, dated 14 April 2025, whether (a) the Minister for Rail and (b) officials in her Department had met with the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership before 14 April 2025 to discuss their public interest case for rail investment.

DfT officials met with Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP) representatives on 10 October to discuss the issue of international rail services serving Kent stations. Following this, DfT officials have maintained a dialogue with KMEP, including providing feedback on their public interest case.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) serious and (b) fatal incidents have occurred at level crossings in each of the last five years.

The number of fatalities and serious injuries at level crossings in Great Britain in each of the last five years is set out in the table below. This covers each reporting year and available data from April 2020 to March 2025.

Person type

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/2025

Fatalities (excluding suicide)

Pedestrian

7

7

4

0

5

Road Vehicle Occupant

0

0

1

1

0

Train Occupant

0

0

0

0

0

Total

7

7

5

1

5

Serious injuries

Pedestrian

4

1

9

3

4

Road Vehicle Occupant

1

0

0

1

0

Train Occupant

0

0

0

0

0

Total

5

1

9

4

4

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the National Underground Asset Register on roadworks in Broxbourne constituency.

The DfT is supportive of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) project. Strikes on cables and other underground assets are costly, lengthen the duration of roadworks and, most importantly, are a safety issue for those undertaking the works. Those excavating the public highway should already be taking all necessary measures to avoid strikes and safely plan their works, but anything that makes this process easier and reduces strikes can only be a benefit.

NUAR is improving the efficiency and safety of the way we install, maintain, operate and repair our buried infrastructure by providing secure access to data from public and private sector asset owners. These will include over 600 gas, water, electric and telecommunications companies and local authorities.

A specific analysis of the potential impacts of the NUAR on roadworks in the Broxbourne constituency has not been carried out. However, an impact assessment was delivered as part of the recent Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 which considered the impact of NUAR across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This assessment estimated the economic benefits of NUAR to be over £400m per year. This consists of benefits in efficiencies, reduced asset strikes and reduced delays to the public and businesses.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
25th Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the aviation sector to emissions in the UK, and of the impact on the UK's ability to meet climate targets.

According to the latest final UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, greenhouse gas emissions from domestic and international civil aviation in 2023 totalled 34.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This was 8 percent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.

The government is making great strides in transitioning to greener aviation, including by introducing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and introducing the SAF Bill to implement the revenue certainty mechanism.

The government makes regular assessments concerning the impact of aviation emissions on climate targets. A Carbon Budget Delivery Plan will be published later this year, detailing policies to decarbonise all sectors, including aviation, covering the carbon budget 4 - 6 period (2023 – 2037).

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of funding the National-Level Transport Scheme allocates to the (a) investigation and (b) completion of business cases; and to the immediate construction of schemes that are ready to build.

The department does not recognise the ‘National-Level Transport Scheme.’ and is therefore unable to provide an answer to this question.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has completed the capital review of transport projects.

The Capital Review was undertaken by an external panel of independent experts, and has now concluded.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth in Warrington South constituency.

The Government is committed to driving economic growth across all regions through a better-connected, more reliable and greener transport network.

As part of our long-term plan for transport, Warrington Borough Council has been allocated over £33 million from the £2.3 billion Local Transport Grant between 2026/27 and 2029/30. This streamlined funding will support local priorities such as easing congestion, enhancing public transport, and expanding active travel options, helping to boost economic growth, improve access to jobs and support local development.

Warrington is also in line to benefit from the Government’s £24 billion investment in road infrastructure during this period, supporting faster, safer and more resilient journeys across the country.

The Department has also provided over £600,000 to support work on the regeneration and masterplanning of Warrington Bank Quay station, which will play a key role in unlocking housing and economic opportunities. We are continuing to work with stakeholders on this and, as announced by the Chancellor in Parliament, we will set out this government’s plans for taking forward our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the coming weeks.

Together, these investments reflect the Government’s commitment to improving local transport in Warrington South and supporting long-term economic growth.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Avanti West Coast on the quality of public toilets at Stockport station.

The Department meets with Avanti West Coast (AWC) regularly to discuss issues impacting passengers, such as this and to ensure they are addressed as soon as possible.  The Rail Minister will also make sure that AWC arranges a meeting with you directly to discuss improvements that can be made for passengers.

AWC is responsible for day-to-day management of Stockport Station, including facilities management and cleaning. To help monitor performance and drive high standards of customer experience, the Department requires train operators to employ the Service Quality Regime, which consists of regular inspections of the condition and availability of assets such as toilets, as well as the cleanliness of stations and trains. Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail.  AWC works with Network Rail seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.

Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail.  AWC works with Network Rail, seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many schools have entrances which open directly onto a 70mph road in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) the East of England.

The Department does not hold this information.

Local traffic authorities are best placed to decide where lower limits will be effective on the roads for which they are responsible, as they are best place to respond with the local information they hold.

Earlier this month, 12 of England’s regional mayors signed a joint pledge to help more children walk, cycle or scoot to school safely through the delivery of a combined 3,500 miles of routes safely linking schools to homes, town and city centres, and transport hubs.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) operational cost and (b) salary of the Chief Executive of the Office of Road and Rail is; what assessment she has made of the (i) value for money and (ii) effectiveness of that office; and whether she plans to abolish that office.

The Office of Rail and Road’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2023/24 show a total expenditure of £40.77 million. This is detailed on page 53 of the report, available at:


https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-07/orr-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-web.pdf

The Chief Executive’s annual salary for 2023/24 is reported as being in the range of £170,000–£175,000, with performance related pay of £5,000–£10,000. This information is published in the Remuneration and Staff Report, available at:


https://www.orr.gov.uk/annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024/accountability-report/remuneration-and-staff-report

We would note that we expect the 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts to be published in the next few weeks on ORR’s website which will provide updated information.

The Department for Transport keeps the value for money and effectiveness of the ORR under ongoing review to ensure it delivers against its objectives efficiently and in line with public spending principles.

As set out in our consultation, the Government is committed to delivering a simpler, more accountable railway, ensuring clear responsibilities and an efficient system that delivers for passengers and freight.

The Government proposes that ORR will retain its key regulatory functions, including on safety and will have a robust and independent appeals function on access decisions, ensuring capacity allocation decisions remain fair and non-discriminatory. There are no plans to abolish the ORR.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)