Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the investigation by London Centric into Lime Bike accidents.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Road safety is a top priority for this Government. That is why the licensing regime for shared cycle schemes which we are bringing forward through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will include minimum standard conditions to ensure a national baseline of safety.
We will consult in depth before implementing licensing, with safety being a core consideration. Licence conditions could include reporting and maintenance requirements.
Ministers and officials engage regularly with shared cycle operators, local authorities, and other groups to understand the challenges and opportunities these schemes can present.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will assess the potential merits of long-term reform to (a) vehicle identification systems and (b) enforcement systems in tackling number plate crime.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises the impact of number plate fraud and is committed to addressing this issue. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. On road enforcement remains the responsibility of the police.
The government published its new Road Safety Strategy on 7 January, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate. The consultation can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences.
Efforts are underway to strengthen application and audit processes for number plate suppliers. DVLA enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to conduct compliance visits to number plate suppliers, inspecting practices and records as necessary.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to monitor the maintenance of Lime Bikes by rental companies.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Road safety is a top priority for this Government. That is why the licensing regime for shared cycle schemes which we are bringing forward through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will include minimum standard conditions to ensure a national baseline of safety.
We will consult in depth before implementing licensing, with safety being a core consideration. Licence conditions could include reporting and maintenance requirements.
Ministers and officials engage regularly with shared cycle operators, local authorities, and other groups to understand the challenges and opportunities these schemes can present.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2025 to Question 98632, how many visits the DVSA has made to retailers selling e-scooters; and how many incidences the DVSA have recorded of e-scooters being sold illegally or without proper guidance of legal restrictions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the number of retailers the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has checked from March 2022 to April 2025.
2022-2023 | 93 |
2023-2024 | 58 |
2024-2025 | 47 |
The table below shows many incidents DVSA has recorded of e-scooters being sold illegally or without proper guidance of legal restrictions, for the same time period.
2022-2023 | 79 |
2023-2024 | 41 |
2024-2025 | 42 |
Please note, high level of non-compliance found in 24-25 FY is due to poor levels of compliance being found in the on-line marketplace. In that year DVSA’s market surveillance unit (MSU) looked into higher proportions sold in on-line markets due to apparent shifts in the way such items are sold.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve reliability on the railways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving performance is one of this Government’s strategic priorities for transport, we are determined to enhance services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. In response to our challenge to improve performance, the rail industry has set out a Performance Restoration Framework, with five clear areas of focus to recover performance to acceptable levels, including timetable resilience, staffing and how to keep trains moving during disruptive events.
The Department has been clear with operators and Network Rail about its expectations on performance, and how operators and Network Rail will deliver for passengers and meet their needs - this includes cancellations. The Department expects train operators to mitigate disruption and provide reliable services for passengers wherever possible.
To improve reliability and reduce traincrew related cancellations, we have developed a seven-point plan for traincrew, which we have built into business plan requirements. Operators have provided a concise, data-driven and evidence-based plan for how they will deliver the seven-point plan as part of their Business Plan responses, which were submitted in early December. These plans cover staffing levels, recruitment, training, overtime and planning efficiency to improve reliability.
The Rail Minister is continuing to meet with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency measures the Government has in place for instances of major power outages impacting people’s ability to travel by (a) personal private car transport and (b) public transport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport considers the risks and potential impacts from power outages through ongoing robust resilience assessment and planning processes. The challenges presented by a range of different vehicle types and modes of transport, including electric vehicles, are considered as part of this. Our assessments are kept under continual review.
The Department works with the transport sector, local authorities, and other government departments to put in place measures to plan and prepare for acute power outage risks. Many transport providers work in conjunction with Local Resilience Fora as set out in the Civil Contingencies Act of 2004. This includes contingency planning to deal with local and regional emergencies, including power outages.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made about the potential impact of power outages on the ability of people the travel, in the context of the transition to electric cars.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport considers the risks and potential impacts from power outages through ongoing robust resilience assessment and planning processes. The challenges presented by a range of different vehicle types and modes of transport, including electric vehicles, are considered as part of this. Our assessments are kept under continual review.
The Department works with the transport sector, local authorities, and other government departments to put in place measures to plan and prepare for acute power outage risks. Many transport providers work in conjunction with Local Resilience Fora as set out in the Civil Contingencies Act of 2004. This includes contingency planning to deal with local and regional emergencies, including power outages.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 removal of advance ticket discounts on affordability on the c2c rail line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
c2c serves a mostly short distance turn up and go market, with around 95 per cent of all daily ticket sales made within a week of the date of travel. Affordability is therefore primarily determined by walk-up fares.
c2c reduced its single fares in December 2023 to always be half the equivalent of a return fare, a change made in readiness for the roll out of contactless Pay As You Go (PAYG) ticketing.
c2c is the first TOC in Britain to offer contactless PAYG ticketing on its whole network and advises that it has the lowest walk-up fares per mile of any train company in the southeast.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much is received annually in rental income from the 782 properties purchased along the route of HS2.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In financial year 2024/25, a total of 1,723 properties were managed within the HS2 Managed Property Portfolio along the route of HS2 Phase 1 and the former Phase 2. This included residential, commercial, agricultural, forestry and wayleave interests, which collectively generated an annual rental income of £24 million. This income was fully used to offset the costs of managing properties acquired for HS2. Annual rental income naturally fluctuates as the proportion of tenanted properties changes over time.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the fatal incident on the Valaris 121 jackup drill rig on 14 November 2025, whether the Maritime Accident and Investigation Branch (a) registered the UK as a Substantially Interested State and (b) provided assistance to the Liberian Shipping Registry.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is aware of the accident on the Valaris 121 jack-up drilling rig that occurred on the 14 November 2025. The MAIB has been in contact with the Liberian Ship Registry and received confirmation that the registry is conducting a preliminary assessment into the incident, which is in the evidence gathering phase.
As Valaris 121 was jacked-up, immobile and carrying out drilling operations, its operations fall under the purview of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Offshore. The MAIB has received confirmation that HSE (Offshore) has commenced an investigation into the accident, and HSE’s contact details have been passed to the Liberian Ship Registry.