Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net zero targets are for (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s-length bodies; and whether guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Trinity House, Transport Focus, the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, the Civil Aviation Authority, and Active Travel England (ATE) are committed to achieving the UK Government’s Net Zero Carbon target by 2050. The Department for Transport also holds policy responsibility for ensuring greenhouse gas emissions from in-use transport and transport infrastructure construction reduce in line with the legislated economy-wide target of net zero by 2050.
The position in terms of other Department for Transport bodies is set out below.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) supports the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This includes reducing fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, 80 per cent by 2040, and achieving zero emissions by 2050.
All other arm’s-length bodies will be expected to adopt the existing 2050 target or develop their own based on their operational impacts.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 12-month period during which holders of non-designated foreign driving licences are permitted to drive in the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This department reviews GB driver licensing arrangements from time to time. Any changes to the current 12-month period during which the holders of non-UK driving licences are permitted to drive in the UK would be subject to appropriate consultation and revised legislative provisions.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities regarding on the accumulation of Penalty Charge Notice related personal debts arising from the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The operation of the Mersey Gateway crossings is the responsibility of Halton Borough Council. Over 97% of drivers using the two bridges pay the charge on time, and fewer than 0.5% neither pay on time nor the penalty charge within 42 days. It is a matter of fairness to the great majority of people who pay on time that the operator of the crossing seeks to collect the debt from those who do not do so. Anyone who receives a penalty charge should respond quickly, using the information on the notice.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been cancelled on the South Western Railway network since it was nationalised.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what engagement her Department has had with the British Standards Institute’s review of BS AU 145e; and what assessment she has made of proposals to ban raised 3D and 4D number plates.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is part of the British Standard Institute committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The committee has put forward proposed amendments which are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters often referred to as 3D or 4D number plates and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025.
The Government has set out its intention in the Road Safety Strategy to consult on addressing the growing problem of illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ number plates.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed on the South Western Railway network in August 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been delayed on the South Western Railway network since nationalisation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The relevant links are below.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for each month since July 2024, how many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car test; and if she will publish a list of those test centres for each month since.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The attached Excel document (Table for UIN 101472) shows which driving test centres had a waiting time of 24 weeks in each month from July 2024 to November 2025.
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 2 December 2025 to Question 96256 on Railways: Tickets, how the proportion of rail journeys using fully digital tickets varies between train operating companies in November 2025 and in each month since and including July 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold this information at this level. The Rail Delivery Group and individual train operating companies hold the data.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many used electric vehicles were sold in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold this information.