Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce a contactless payment system for commuter rail services in Devon.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

At this stage there are no plans for such a scheme. However, this Government remains committed to making ticketing simpler and more flexible for passengers and to working with local authorities to support integrated transport plans in their areas. We want to expand ticketing innovations such as Pay As You Go (PAYG) where possible and further details on any wider expansion of PAYG will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with Avanti West Coast on the (a) reliability and (b) speed of wifi connectivity on west coast mainline passenger railway services.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State and the Rail Minister met with Avanti West Coast (AWC) in January to discuss industrial action and performance. They did not specifically discuss Wi-Fi connectivity however, officials meet with AWC regularly to discuss services for passengers, including Wi-Fi.

The Department is considering the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger Wi-Fi services on the rail network. AWC recently completed a positive trial using laser window etching technology to improve connectivity and are exploring future use. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.

Operators are required to achieve challenging customer experience targets across a range of measures, including Wi-Fi connectivity. These standards are regularly and independently inspected via the Service Quality Regime and there are accountability and financial consequences for failure.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of combining City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements CRSTS 1 and 2.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Discussions are underway between the department and MCAs, including West of England, on how the transition between CRSTS 1 and CRSTS 2 can be delivered. Some MCAs are also moving towards Integrated Settlements which will enable greater flexibility for planning and decision making at a local level.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with South Western Railway on extending London Waterloo Services past Exeter St Davids to Newton Abbot.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department and South-Western Railway (SWR) are in regular discussion regarding its service provision, which aims to balance the needs of both passenger and taxpayer. There have, however, been no recent discussions with SWR regarding extending London Waterloo services via Exeter St Davids to Newton Abbot.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department plans to provide to Dorset Council for (a) cycling and (b) walking infrastructure in each of the next three financial years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 12 February, the Department announced the funding allocations for the Combined Active Travel Fund (CATF), the dedicated revenue and capital funding round for 2025/26. Dorset Council was awarded £774,233 and it will be for the authority to decide on infrastructure projects it may wish to progress with this funding.

Decisions on future Government funding for active travel will be a matter for the Spending Review, which is considering all transport expenditure in the round. Specific funding allocations to Dorset Council for 2026/27 and 2027/28 will be agreed after the Spending Review concludes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she considered making an environmental impact assessment on the decision to ban volumetric concrete mobile plants in 2028.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As part of its consideration of the evidence, the Department for Transport has assessed the potential environmental impacts in accordance with the Environment Act 2021 which requires Ministers of the Crown to have ‘due regard’ to the environmental principles policy statement when making policy.

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028. This policy is being maintained.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to request funds for (a) cycling and (b) walking as part of the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Future government funding for cycling and walking is being considered alongside all other transport priorities as part of the Spending Review. On 28 March, I informed Parliament of my intention to publish a third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy following the conclusion of the Spending Review. This will allow us to say more on the long-term funding for active travel, as required by the 2015 Infrastructure Act.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings (a) she, (b) the Minister for Future of Roads and (c) her officials have had with (i) hon. Members and (ii) trade associations that contributed to the Government's review on Volumetric concrete mixers prior to announcing the findings of that review.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My Department engaged with hon. Members and industry stakeholders through correspondence prior to the announcement. In addition, industry and interested parties were given the opportunity to present views and evidence on this topic as part of the Call for Evidence between October and December 2023.

Temporary exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028. This policy is being maintained.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the annual additional lorry miles on concrete deliveries that would rise from cutting the weights of volumetric concrete mobile from 2028.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for VCMs. The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage.

Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry miles.

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028. This policy is being maintained.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she held discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade prior to announcing changes to volumetric concrete mobile operating weights from 2028.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State for Transport did not raise this with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. However, cross-Whitehall engagement did occur prior to the announcement.

This is not a change to the policy on weights for VCMs but a decision to continue with the existing policy that a temporary exemption will come to an end in 2028.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential return on investment of increasing funding for (a) cycling and (b) walking.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Investment in active travel supports the Government’s economic growth, health and net zero missions, and generally has a very positive benefit-to-cost ratio. Walking and cycling are among the cheapest and most accessible forms of physical activity and some of the most cost-effective interventions to meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended physical activity levels. The Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6 on 12 February. This will deliver 300 miles of brand new pavements and cycle routes to enable 30 million more journeys by walking and cycling every year. It will lead to 43,000 less sick days a year to ease pressure on the NHS.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to mitigate rail congestion across East-West rail lines in the north of England.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline portfolio contains some of the most transformative and important programmes in the country such as the TransPennine Route Upgrade, which will increase capacity and improve reliability of East to West rail lines in the north of England.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the impact of her policies on electric vehicle charging companies’ (a) pricing and (b) subscription models.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to ensuring public charging is affordable for all. Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, chargepoint operators are required to clearly provide the price of charging at public chargepoints in pence per kilowatt hour. While this does not cap the cost of charging or require chargepoint operators to use a specific pricing model, it does ensure consistency in the way prices are displayed, making it easy for drivers to compare public chargepoints and choose the best rate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether appointments to Great British Railways will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the Chair will be classified as a Significant Appointment.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

After the Railways Bill is scrutinised by Parliament, and as part of the design of Great British Railways, we will consider whether to propose an amendment to the Public Bodies Order in Council. We expect that the GBR Chair will be classed as a significant appointment.

Parliament will have an opportunity to scrutinise GBR’s duties when the bill is taken through Parliament later this session.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Civil Aviation Authority has undertaken any recent work with (a) her Department, (b) Heathrow Airport, (c) Network Rail and (d) others to make progress on the construction of a Western Rail Link to Heathrow.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since plans for expansion were paused in 2020, the CAA has not conducted any work in relation to a Western Rail link to Heathrow. Should any such plans emerge as part of fresh proposals for Heathrow expansion, the CAA would review the elements of those plans relevant to its role as economic regulator of Heathrow in accordance with its statutory duties.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of British Airways' recent performance on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

British Airways operate direct routes between the UK and Ghana from London Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

UK aviation operates in the private sector, and airlines are responsible for ensuring they reach an acceptable level of performance for their passengers.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes flight punctuality statistics and is responsible for ensuring the industry meets relevant regulatory requirements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on completing feasibility studies to provide step-free access to Ash Vale Station.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The feasibility work for Ash Vale station is underway and we expect all 50 of the feasibility studies announced last year to be complete in the spring. We expect to be able to confirm which stations will move forward over the summer. The Access for All programme continues to be heavily oversubscribed.

We remain committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the valuable social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing adequate passenger services to Reddish South railway station.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department expects operators to match capacity and frequency of their services to demand, though these must also be operationally sustainable and deliver value for taxpayers. Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage the contract with Northern Trains, which serves Reddish South, will assess any business case put forward, but this analysis must balance the economic and social benefits of any enhancement with the performance of existing services and the financial impact on taxpayer subsidy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will publish a response to her Department's consultation entitled, Design standards for accessible railway stations: a code of practice, published on 23 August 2023.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This consultation was conducted under the previous government. The Department for Transport is currently considering publication of a response.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that more than ten HS2 services can be accommodated at Euston station when required.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The new HS2 Euston station will consist of 6 platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour. We are considering whether and how to future-proof the station with additional platforms, to accommodate any longer-term expansion.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to renew the land purchase powers contained in the HS2 West Midlands to Crewe hybrid Bill before they expire in February 2026.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I am aware of the limitations on land purchase powers contained in the High Speed Rail (West Midlands to Crewe) Act 2021. This government is carefully reviewing the position it has inherited on HS2 and wider rail infrastructure and I will set out detailed plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the emissions reductions required in transport to deliver the sixth carbon budget.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As the UK’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonising transport will play an important role in meeting economy-wide carbon budgets. Transport emissions reduced by 10% between 2019 to 2023, but emissions must fall faster to achieve our legal targets. The Government will deliver an updated delivery plan for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year, with policy detail for all sectors provided up to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to reduce administrative requirements for local authorities handling the blue badge digital service.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Blue Badge Digital Service offers a national online application and badge management facility through GOV.UK. Nearly 90% of all badge applications are now made through this service.

The Department for Transport runs a programme of continuous improvement to the digital service to make online badge applications quicker and easier for applicants and local authorities, including undertaking specific research and testing to identify innovative improvements to the online application process. The service also undergoes regular accessibility and assurance testing to guarantee compliance with the Government’s digital standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the blue badge digital service for applicants with disabilities.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Blue Badge Digital Service offers a national online application and badge management facility through GOV.UK. Nearly 90% of all badge applications are now made through this service.

The Department for Transport runs a programme of continuous improvement to the digital service to make online badge applications quicker and easier for applicants and local authorities, including undertaking specific research and testing to identify innovative improvements to the online application process. The service also undergoes regular accessibility and assurance testing to guarantee compliance with the Government’s digital standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timeframe is for publishing a road safety strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing the first road safety strategy in over a decade, and will set out more details in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce processing times for applications to the blue badge digital service.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Blue Badge Digital Service offers a national online application and badge management facility through GOV.UK. Nearly 90% of all badge applications are now made through this service.

The Department for Transport runs a programme of continuous improvement to the digital service to make online badge applications quicker and easier for applicants and local authorities, including undertaking specific research and testing to identify innovative improvements to the online application process. The service also undergoes regular accessibility and assurance testing to guarantee compliance with the Government’s digital standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of regional disparities in the number of public charging devices for electric vehicles by population.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle.

Chargepoint availability is increasing everywhere with public charging device numbers increasing by 45% in rural areas of England in 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage public-private collaboration in the (a) investment and (b) delivery of welfare facilities for HGV drivers.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport (DfT) and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England, including at independent truck stops and motorway service areas. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic road network.

This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.

DfT also established an industry-led Task and Finish Group (TGF) on HGV facilities, which commenced in February 2024. The TFG was a 12-month, industry-led forum focused on increasing capacity for safe and secure HGV parking, and driving industry adoption of existing HGV parking standards. DfT is considering the conclusions of this group.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the roll out of (a) parking and (b) welfare facilities for HGV drivers at motorway service areas.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport (DfT) and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England, including at independent truck stops and motorway service areas. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic road network.

This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.

DfT also established an industry-led Task and Finish Group (TGF) on HGV facilities, which commenced in February 2024. The TFG was a 12-month, industry-led forum focused on increasing capacity for safe and secure HGV parking, and driving industry adoption of existing HGV parking standards. DfT is considering the conclusions of this group.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to fine utility companies for inconvenience caused when their roadworks overrun.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Utility companies are already incentivised to complete works on time with charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that overrun. We have announced that these charges will apply to weekends and bank holidays. We are also doubling fixed penalty notices for companies that breach permit conditions. These conditions can include setting days and times when works can take place.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to incentivise utility companies to not overrun on roadworks.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Utility companies are already incentivised to complete works on time with charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that overrun. We have announced that these charges will apply to weekends and bank holidays. We are also doubling fixed penalty notices for companies that breach permit conditions. These conditions can include setting days and times when works can take place.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to reduce the number of car accidents among (a) recently-qualified and (b) young drivers.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads. As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers.

My Department’s THINK! campaign aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales, and is primarily focused on men aged 17-24. THINK! plays an important role in raising awareness of risky driving behaviours amongst young people. This has recently included campaigns on drink-driving and speeding on rural roads.

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 requiring drivers to display proof of (a) insurance and (b) MOT in vehicles.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We have no plans to require drivers to display evidence of insurance in their vehicles, as it would only demonstrate insurance cover at one point in time, which may have since been cancelled. Uninsured driving is tackled by Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), which allows uninsured vehicles to be identified from a comparison of the DVLA’s vehicle register and the Motor Insurance Database of insurance policies managed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). This and police enforcement on the road are the most effective tools to tackle uninsured driving.

Although the MOT status of a vehicle is not required to be physically displayed, it can easily be discovered for free by entering the vehicle registration at https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history. This service can be used by both the wider public and enforcement bodies. It will immediately show the due date for the vehicle’s next MOT as well as other relevant information, such as previous MOT certificates. In 2023, the Department for Transport and DVSA published a call for evidence asking for views on the future of the MOT and this was not identified as an issue. As such, we have no current plans to require the MOT status to be physically displayed on the vehicle.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to increase local authorities' powers to inspect roads that have temporarily been reinstated by utility companies conducting roadworks more frequently.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Local highway authorities already have powers to inspect both temporary and permanent reinstatements for compliance with the DfT's technical standards (the specification for the reinstatement of openings in the highway). Since 2023, a performance-based inspections regime has been in place which means those companies who fail inspections are inspected more than those who comply. As companies pay for inspections, there is also a strong financial incentive for them to meet standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to reduce the time within which utility companies conducting roadworks must ensure that roads are permanently repaired to six months.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Utility companies can put temporary reinstatements in place following works to re-open roads to traffic whilst, for example, waiting for specialist materials which may be specified by local authorities such as a particular type of paving stone. Permanent reinstatements must be put in place within 6 months. The DfT has no plans to change these arrangements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) construction and (b) operation of a new National Grid electricity substation at Weston Marsh on levels of traffic in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Roads in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency are the responsibility of Lincolnshire County Council, as the Local Highway Authority and Local Traffic Authority.

This Department does not make an assessment of the impact of individual projects of this nature on the local road network.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to increase local authorities' powers to ensure the immediate permanent reinstation of roads by utility companies near (a) high-traffic areas, (b) hospitals, (c) schools and (d) other critical locations.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Utility companies can put temporary reinstatements in place following works to re-open roads to traffic whilst, for example, waiting for specialist materials which may be specified by local authorities such as a particular type of paving stone. Permanent reinstatements must be put in place within 6 months. The DfT has no plans to change these arrangements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the cross-Government motor insurance taskforce plans to next meet with the stakeholder panel of industry experts; and what the subjects for discussion will be.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and the Secretary of State is keen to reconvene again soon. We will provide updates on the Taskforce in due course.

The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. This taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the cross-Government motor insurance taskforce last met; what the outcomes were of that meeting; and what the date is for the next meeting of the taskforce.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and the Secretary of State is keen to reconvene again soon. We will provide updates on the Taskforce in due course.

The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. This taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 36099 on Housing: Parking, whether local authorities may recover costs of dropping a kerb greater than the actual cost of the (a) works and (b) administration.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 provides that local authorities may recover the expenses reasonably incurred by them in carrying out works to create a dropped kerb.

Local authorities are responsible for managing and maintaining the roads in their area and must themselves make any decision on dropped kerbs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) private companies that own electrical infrastructure that delivers public services on using existing (i) electric infrastructure and (ii) lamp posts to create additional EV charging points.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to enable decarbonisation and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment. In the current distribution price control, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades to support low-carbon technologies, including infrastructure to support EV charging.

The Government regularly engages with the electricity network companies, which are responsible for maintaining and upgrading electrical infrastructure.

The Government also meets regularly with chargepoint operators and local authorities that plan and deliver on-street chargepoints. The £381m LEVI Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. This includes lamp post chargepoints.

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 funding research into the use of Diethyl Ether fuel.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has no plans to fund research into the merits of Diethyl Ether fuel.

Renewable transport fuels that deliver significant greenhouse gas emissions savings relative to fossil fuel and meet stringent sustainability criteria are eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO has successfully promoted a market for renewable fuels used in road transport since 2008.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the introduction of a standardised battery health certification scheme for used electric vehicles.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop a Global Technical Regulation on electric vehicle batteries (GTR 22). If implemented, the regulation would set standards for the lifespan of a battery and its minimum durability. It will also ensure that information about electric vehicle batteries is easily accessible, accurate and comparable. The Government is currently considering options for the implementation of GTR 22 battery regulations in the UK.

In the meantime, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate requires all new electric vehicles to be sold with a warranty that includes battery replacement if capacity falls below 70% in the first 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many freight trains they expect to use East West Rail per day.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The current scope of EWR enables up to two new freight train paths per day per direction from Felixstowe, routed via Cambridge, through to Oxford and beyond, and around two new freight train paths per day from Southampton, routed via Oxford, Bletchley and onto the West Coast Main Line. Other enhancements on the network would be required for freight to exceed these levels.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing, published on 31 January 2007, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the criteria for the placement of fixed speed cameras in reducing (a) speeding and (b) road accidents.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the criteria for the placement of fixed speed cameras in reducing (a) speeding and (b) road collisions. While the speed camera guidance does include criteria for placement which the police and traffic authorities may consider using, it invites authorities to set their own criteria, depending on local needs and priorities.

The guidance notes that while the primary objective for camera deployment is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries, cameras can also be beneficial where there is community concern. The guidance is not mandatory; there are no Department for Transport rules preventing traffic authorities from installing speed cameras.

To note, my Department uses the terms 'collision' or 'crash' rather than 'accident'.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of trains on Network Rail are (1) cancelled, and (2) arrive more than five minutes later than timetabled, and what proportion of these cancellations and delays are caused by (a) signal failure, (b) lack of crew availability, and (c) other reasons.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

(1) The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported that in the 12 months up to December 2024 the cancellation measure was 4.0%.

(2) The ORR publish train punctuality on a quarterly basis. They report trains arriving within 59 seconds, within 3 minutes or within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. These are reported in Table 1.

Table 1. Train punctuality in the year ending December 2024, Great Britain

Source: ORR Table 3133: Delay minutes by operator and cause

The proportion of cancellations by the available causes is report in Table 2.

Table 2. Train Cancellations by cause and responsibility in the year ending December 2024, Great Britain

Source: DfT analysis of ORR Table 3123: Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause

Information on the cause of delays is published by Rail Period by the ORR. This information is reported in delay minutes. The latest data (covering 3 March 2024 – 2 March 2025) on the proportion of delays minutes attributed by the available causes is reported in Table 3.

Table 3. Share of delay minutes by cause in the year ending 2 March 2025, Great Britain

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the availability of (a) suitably skilled contractors and (b) materials to allow local authorities to meet the 31 March 2027 deadline for investing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that investment in transport infrastructure is of critical importance to unlocking national growth and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) programme has a key role to play in continuing to transform local transport across the country. DfT is working closely with Local Authorities and other Government departments on understanding and mitigating any potential barriers to delivery, including supply chain or capacity constraints, as part of our ongoing Spending Review discussions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for publishing finalised City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements 2.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Funding in future years is being considered as part of the current Spending Review, the outcome of which will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government which unit or team in the Department for Transport is responsible for policy relating to self-driving delivery robots that operate primarily on pavements.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department has a team that is responsible for micromobility policy which includes self-driving delivery robots. That team works with a wide range of other teams on the opportunities and risks they present, including the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have observed a reduction in death and injury caused by road traffic accidents in areas, such as central London, which have introduced a 20 miles per hour speed limit.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph limits, which are 20mph schemes relying only on signage, on 22 November 2018.

The evaluation looked at twelve case studies including two in city centres (Brighton and Winchester). No case studies were in London.

It found insufficient evidence to conclude that that there had been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.

The only case study area showing a significant change in collisions and casualties, relative to its 30mph comparator area, was Brighton City Centre. This scheme covered both major and minor roads, with a 19% reduction in overall casualties, a 29% reduction in pedestrian casualties and a 51% reduction in casualties aged 75 or over. No significant change in casualties of cyclists or under 16s was found.

The evaluation stated that the changes appeared to be a reflection of the city characteristics, and the blanket implementation of 20mph limits across all roads within the scheme area, including higher flow A and B roads which were typically excluded from the residential case study schemes. There was a significant reduction in collisions across all road types, but the change was most pronounced on major strategic roads. The evaluation stressed that this represented just one case study, and the extent to which the findings were transferable to other locations was unclear.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many individual representations her Department has received from Staffordshire County Council on the (a) adequacy and (b) reliability of public transport in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Although we have had representations from Staffordshire County Council on a range of transport matters, we have not, over the last five years, received correspondence from Staffordshire County Council specifically on the adequacy or reliability of public transport in Newcastle-Under-Lyme or North Staffordshire.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure the resilience of critical transport infrastructure in the north of England.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to ensuring the resilience of the transport network across the UK, including vital services in the North of England. We work closely with transport operators to prevent and respond to the range of risks the sector faces: and aid them in assessing their vulnerabilities and implementing contingency planning arrangements.

Transport related risks to resilience are kept under review, including through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external-facing version, the National Risk Register, to ensure that we effectively plan at the national and local levels. This includes risks around adverse weather conditions, security threats and accidents.

We are also conducting a Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) review to support our work, building our understanding of the CNI landscape and the wide variety of systems, dependencies and redundancies that keep it running. This work is strengthening our ability to plan against risks and threats and bolster our incident response capabilities, ensuring our Critical National Infrastructure is resilient and secure.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve transport links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with motorway service area operators on the renewal of leases of those areas.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Government owns the freehold of 19 motorway service areas. The DfT is in discussions with the operators regarding the future of the leases, recognising that many of these expire from around 2030. The nature of these discussions means they are commercially confidential.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Demand responsive transport: local authority toolkit, published on 13 April 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Demand Responsive Transport (a) as feeder services to existing rail and bus services and (b) in general.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government believes demand responsive transport (DRT) has an important role to play in ensuring communities can access transport services in areas where more traditional, regular stopping services may not be viable.

The Department has funded 16 innovative DRT pilots through the Rural Mobility Fund. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play in rural areas and the challenges associated with introducing it. The final process evaluation will be published later in 2025, and an impact and value for money evaluation is just commencing, with findings available in late 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on the appointment of a new Chair of Network Rail.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department plans to launch an open and fair recruitment to appoint a new permanent Chair of Network Rail and has appointed an Executive Search Agency to run the recruitment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to update guidance on the deployment of fixed speed cameras to allow their proactive use.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Measures to address speeding will be considered for inclusion within the forthcoming road safety strategy.

The Department for Transport guidance on ‘Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing’ notes that while the primary objective for camera deployment is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries, cameras can also be beneficial where there is community concern. The authority can set its own criteria, depending on the local needs and priorities. There are no Department for Transport rules preventing traffic authorities from installing speed cameras.

The Departmental guidance is not mandatory, and non-compliance does not provide any mitigation of, or defence against, any alleged offence under UK law.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body will have the directing role in confirming operational timetables exploiting released capacity.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department specifies the services it seeks to procure through its contracts with operators. Trains operate on very restricted infrastructure and timetables must be carefully planned to operate around other services. The scheduling service is conducted by Network Rail. Network Rail is held to account by the Office of Rail and Road.

The Railways Bill consultation proposes that in future Great British Railways will have consolidated accountability for planning the use of its rail network.

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 updating the guidance entitled Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England, published on 17 November 2023, to include guidance on compliance with registration plate regulations.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It is an offence for any vehicle to display a vehicle registration number plate that does not comply with the relevant regulations. Work is ongoing to quantify the number of illegal plates that may be in circulation on our roads, which will include taxis and private hire vehicles. The evidence gathered will be considered when evaluating potential future action, such as amending the best practice guidance, that may be taken to address this issue.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether current (a) northbound and (b) southbound calling patterns will be (i) maintained and (ii) increased at (A) Tamworth, (B) Lichfield, (C) Nuneaton, (D) Rugby and (E) Milton Keynes stations following the commencement of HS2 services between London and (1) Liverpool and (2) Manchester via Handsacre.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens, including for the named stations on the West Coast Main Line. Detailed planning remains underway ahead of government decisions that will be made in due course, informed by consultation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to permit the earliest possible operation of some HS2 services into the Euston terminus, even on a temporary basis.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is working with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for Euston Station, which will comprise the new HS2 station, an upgraded Network Rail station and enhancements to the London Underground station and local transport facilities along with a significant level of development. We will set out more details in due course.

In parallel, HS2 Ltd is progressing with preparations of the Euston Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) at Old Oak Common, with tunnelling scheduled to commence in 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to make train service options for the West Coast Main Line after introduction of HS2 services Old Oak Common to West Coast Main Line locations beyond the West Midlands available for discussion and consultation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens. Train service options for HS2 and the broader West Coast Main Line will be made available in due course, and will be informed by consultation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to make train service options for the West Coast Main Line after introduction of HS2 services Old Oak Common to Birmingham available for discussion and consultation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens. Train service options for HS2 and the broader West Coast Main Line will be made available in due course, and will be informed by consultation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much local highway authorities in England received from the (a) pothole fund, (b) highways maintenance block needs, (b) highways maintenance block incentive, (d) integrated transport block, (e) Maintenance funding uplift from HS2 Euston savings, (f) Network North highways maintenance funding and (g) other repurposed HS2 funding for potholes and road maintenance in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In 2024/25, the Department provided a total of £1,067 million to local highway authorities in England under the pothole fund and highways maintenance block (needs and incentive elements). Nominally, this broke down into approximately £407 million from the potholes fund, £407 million from the highway maintenance block “needs” element, £102 million from the highway maintenance block “incentive” element and £150 million from the Network North plan. In practice, these funding streams now serve the same purpose and are used interchangeably by local highway authorities: the Department will formally consolidate them into a single payment from 2025/26 onwards.

The £150 million funding uplift from the previous Government’s Network North plan was divided up among all CRSTS recipients and local highway authorities in England. Individual authority by authority allocations are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations.

The Department also paid a total of £170 million of Integrated Transport Block (ITB) funding to local highway authorities in 2024/25, with the details available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/highways-maintenance-and-itb-funding-formula-allocations-2022-to-2025 .

None of the above figures include the £208 million or so of highway maintenance funding per annum, or the £90 million or so of ITB funding per annum, that has been consolidated into the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) that are paid to some Mayoral Combined Authority areas.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to enable disabled bus pass users to use their passes at peak times.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps.

Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS.

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. Devon County Council has been allocated £11.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the DVLA licensing backlog.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The quickest and easiest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays or backlogs for vehicle applications or straightforward driving licence applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days following a successful application.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer depending on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision on whether to issue a licence can be made.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the revenue from the lane rental scheme is reinvested in (a) road resurfacing and (b) pothole repairs.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to increase the level of overrun charges for utility companies responsible for delayed road repairs.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on reducing the DVLA backlog.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The quickest and easiest way to transact with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays or backlogs for vehicle applications or straightforward driving licence applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days following a successful application.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer depending on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision on whether to issue a licence can be made.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to retain passive provision for the HS2 junction north of Birmingham Interchange.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department’s priority is on delivering Phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. We continue to review the wider position we inherited on rail infrastructure and will announce more details in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to retain passive provision for the HS2 junction at Fradley/Streethay.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department’s priority is on delivering Phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. We continue to review the wider position we inherited on rail infrastructure and will announce more details in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to introduce overrun charges for utility companies undertaking road repairs on weekends and bank holidays.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to improve road safety at roundabouts on the A27 in Chichester.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The safety of road users is National Highways’ top priority, and the company regularly reviews the safety performance of the strategic road network. Options identified by National Highways as part of the development of proposals within the RIS pipeline would seek to improve the safety performance of the A27, particularly at the junctions to the south of Chichester.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to reduce congestion on the A27 through Chichester.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways has developed a number of options to improve the performance of the A27 through Chichester as part of the pipeline of projects being considered for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy, beyond 2031.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on levels of congestion on Moor Farm Roundabout between the A19, A1 and A189.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department holds and publishes data on the average speed and delay for both the strategic road network, of which the A19 and A1 form part, and locally managed ‘A’ roads, of which the A189 forms part. Datasets are available on the Department for Transport’s website for the strategic road network (https://dft.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=0e99fa1f832d4f5cb240ab7e0fca0d46) and the local road network (https://dft.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=d16db07065864eb0a29df1ea9152590d).

It is important to note that although figures are produced for average speed and average delay on both the Local ‘A’ and SRN networks, methodological differences between the Local ‘A’ road and SRN data prevents direct comparison between the two road types.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the regulation of cross-border taxi hiring.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Legislation allows taxis and private hire vehicles to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed. Pre-booked work by private hire vehicles and taxis can be undertaken anywhere. This allows the sector to work flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.

The Government however recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.

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 end of the use of tax discs on (a) enforcement and (b) revenue from non-payment of vehicle tax.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In 2023/24, the DVLA collected £7.8 billion in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on behalf of HM Treasury, the highest amount ever collected in one year.

The Department for Transport carries out a roadside survey every two years to estimate the rate of vehicle excise duty evasion among vehicles seen on UK roads. The most recent survey carried out in 2023, estimated the rate of VED compliance to be 98.7 per cent. This demonstrates that the vast majority of motorists comply with their legal obligations to tax their vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much local highway authorities in England will receive in 2025-26 from the (a) pothole fund, (b) highways maintenance block needs, (c) highways maintenance block incentive, (d) integrated transport block, (e) Maintenance funding uplift from HS2 Euston savings, (f) Network North highways maintenance funding and (g) other repurposed HS2 funding for potholes and road maintenance.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

During 2025/26, the Department will provide a total of £1,567 million to local highway authorities in England under a new single, consolidated highway maintenance capital grant. This consolidates into one single funding stream the previous pothole fund, highway maintenance block (needs and incentive elements) and earlier Network North funding uplift, as well as the £500 million funding uplift announced in the Chancellor’s October 2024 Budget. The funding allocations to individual authorities are all on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/highways-maintenance-block-formula-allocations-2025-to-2026.

The Department will also provide £170 million of Integrated Transport Block (ITB) funding to local highway authorities in 2025/26. Allocations to individual authorities are published on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integrated-transport-block-allocations.

None of the above figures include the £208 million or so of highway maintenance funding per annum, or the £90 million or so of ITB funding per annum, that has been consolidated into the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) that are paid to some Mayoral Combined Authority areas.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help protect (a) woodland and (b) natural habitats in the context of the construction of the lower Thames crossing.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Minister for Local Transport’s considerations on the Lower Thames Crossing scheme are explained in the Decision Letter, published on the Planning Inspectorate website, and this sets out the proposed mitigations regarding habitats, including woodlands. The Honourable Member will understand that during the 6-week legal challenge period the Department is unable to comment in detail, but National Highways will be able to answer further questions about the scheme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to tackle people fraudulently impersonating someone else at the practical part of the driving test.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

To ensure Great Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has robust measures in place to stop people using false identities when taking a driving test.

At the start of the driving test, all driving examiners (DE) carry out thorough identification and documentation checks to satisfy themselves of the person’s identity, and the validity of the driving licence and theory test pass certificate.

To make it harder for fraudsters to impersonate a candidate, the DVSA has worked in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to give DEs access to an enlarged photograph of the candidate, as shown on the driving licence, to help the examiner decide if the person presenting for test is the correct candidate. If a candidate fails to satisfy the examiner that they have complied with the requirements, the examiner will, under legislation, refuse to take the test.

All fraudulent activity identified is referred to the DVSA’s Investigations and Counter Fraud team for further investigation. DVSA uses intelligence to identify vehicles and individuals involved in previous fraudulent test attempts and consider this when verifying the identity of people taking a theory or practical driving test. DVSA will revoke fraudulently obtained licences where it detects people impersonating someone else at the theory or practical driving test.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fast charging points for electric vehicles are operational in South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The below table shows public EV charging devices in South Holland and the Deepings constituency, as of 1 January 2025. Charging devices are categorised into the below speed bandings in the data held by the Department. Devices in higher power speed bandings can deliver charging at quicker speeds.

The table includes only public charging devices as power rating data for private charging devices is not available.

Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the deliverability of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget, we are maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery. This improved rail connectivity in the north is a vital step towards better linking people and jobs, creating opportunities for everyone and we will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to hold airlines to account on (i) passenger rights and (ii) compensation for (1) delays and (2) cancellations on (A) intercontinental flights (B) flights between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.

Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.

Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with British Airways on (a) passenger rights and (b) compensation for (i) delays and (ii) cancellations on UK-Ghana flights.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.

Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.

Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with British Airways on (a) the scheduling, (b) route changes and (c) operational decisions impacting UK-Ghana flights.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on (a) the management of its UK-Ghana route, (b) service standards and (c) passenger experience.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to Dorset Council for road resurfacing projects in West Dorset for the fiscal years (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25; and how this compares to the last five years for which information is available.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The main criteria used to determine the allocation of highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities are road length and road classification, along with the number of bridges and street lighting columns that each local authority is responsible for maintaining. The Department uses a bespoke formula to allocate funding to eligible authorities, including Dorset Council; details of the formula can be found on gov.uk.

It is for Dorset Council to decide how much to spend in the West Dorset constituency and how much to spend elsewhere across its network.

Funding allocations for Dorset Council for the last six years are set out in the table below.

Funding for Dorset Council 2020/21 – 2025/26

* For 2020/21, this included the £500 million Pothole Fund, allocated funding from the £100 million Challenge Fund, and the final £50 million of the previous Pothole Action Fund, totalling £650 million.

**25% of this funding is subject to authorities adhering to incentive measures as announced on March 24, 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Airways' operational decisions on UK-Ghana business and tourism links.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the flights on those routes, are a commercial decision made by airlines. As this is a commercial decision, the DfT has not undertaken any assessment on British Airways' operational decisions on its UK-Ghana service. The UK-Ghana Air Services Agreement provides opportunity for growth in UK-Ghana market.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of flights between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK aviation industry operates in the private sector, and each airline is responsible for setting its own fare structures, within a competitive market. However, they must be transparent about what the ticket price includes, helping passengers to make informed decisions about booking flights that meet their needs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle bots in the DVSA's online booking system for driving tests.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

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.

The table below shows the number of car practical driving tests booked and available in the 24-week booking window, as of 31 March 2025, for the driving test centres (DTCs) serving customers in Wiltshire:

On the 18 December 2024, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners (DEs). Full details of these steps can be found on GOV.UK.

DVSA continues to recruit DEs DTCs serving customers in Wiltshire and is currently working through the recruitment process from recent campaigns. As part of this, DVSA has four potential new DEs booked on training programmes.

On 31 March 2025, DVSA launched its latest DE recruitment campaign and has two vacancies for the area as part of this.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.

On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes.

On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 25 warnings, 4 suspensions, and closed 90 business accounts.

DVSA has deployed bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce private car ownership and improve the connectivity of public transport.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government recognises the importance of improving public transport to ensure that people have greater choice around how they travel and has recently confirmed its commitment to phasing out new cars that rely solely on internal combustion engines from 2030.

The Government have set out an ambitious programme of reform to help improve bus services and grow usage across the country. The Bus Services (No.2) Bill, introduced on 17 December, puts 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. In the Autumn Budget, the Government also confirmed investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services and keep bus fares affordable.

The Government have also set out plans to create a unified and simplified railway that places train operations under public ownership and control, putting passengers first and rebuilding trust. The Railways Bill, which will be introduced later this session, will enable the biggest overhaul of the rail sector in a generation. Alongside this, the Prime Minister has announced more funding to deliver the largest rail investment in the North in decades.

As part of our commitment to local transport, we have uplifted City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding in 2025-26 by £200m, helping to improve the local transport in our largest city regions and drive growth and productivity across the country. This brings local transport spending for Metro Mayors in 2025-26 to £1.3bn. Also at the Autumn Budget, we allocated over £650m funding for local transport outside of our city regions to improve connectivity and support local growth in our smaller cities, towns, villages and rural areas in England outside London.

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year and will focus on how transport should be designed, built, and operated to better serve the people who use it, connecting people to housing, jobs and public services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on their role in delivering economic growth.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I meet with the Chair and the Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regularly to discuss a range of topics, including the role of the CAA in delivering economic growth. The government’s new Action Plan for regulators contains six regulatory pledges from the CAA, alongside the commitments the CAA made in their letter to the Prime Minister in January 2025. The CAA will also play an important role in the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on delays in booking practical driving tests.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I regularly meet with officials from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to discuss various topics. I last met with DVSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Loveday Ryder, on 18 March 2025 to discuss car practical driving test waiting times and other topics.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on levels of (a) CO2, (b) nitrogen oxide and (c) particulates.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Whilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.

VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on annual lorry journeys for concrete deliveries.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry journeys.

The outcome of the Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on lorry miles on concrete deliveries.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry journeys.

The outcome of the Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on the number of lorry drivers that will be required.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.

The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with her Ghanaian counterparts on bilateral aviation agreements to improve connectivity and competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging increased airline competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of driving test waits in Wiltshire; and what steps she is taking to help reduce the backlog.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

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.

The table below shows the number of car practical driving tests booked and available in the 24-week booking window, as of 31 March 2025, for the driving test centres (DTCs) serving customers in Wiltshire:

On the 18 December 2024, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners (DEs). Full details of these steps can be found on GOV.UK.

DVSA continues to recruit DEs DTCs serving customers in Wiltshire and is currently working through the recruitment process from recent campaigns. As part of this, DVSA has four potential new DEs booked on training programmes.

On 31 March 2025, DVSA launched its latest DE recruitment campaign and has two vacancies for the area as part of this.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.

On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes.

On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 25 warnings, 4 suspensions, and closed 90 business accounts.

DVSA has deployed bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what environmental impact assessment she has carried out ahead of a decision on whether to ban volumetric concrete mobile plants in 2028.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Whilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.

VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to highway authorities affected by the M25/A3 roadworks to cover the increased wear and tear and maintenance costs on diversion routes.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The strategic and local road networks are frequently used to support diversions for one another, typically without the need for compensation from either party. From the early stages of the project, extensive engagement was undertaken with Surrey County Council which is the main local authority impacted by the works. This included detailed discussions on diversion routes that would utilise Surrey County Council’s road network to support the scheme's delivery. The development of these diversion routes carefully considered local communities, road widths, weight and height restrictions, junction configurations, and other relevant constraints.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to enforce statutory guidelines on implementing low traffic neighbourhoods.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The draft guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods published in March 2024 was never brought into force and remains in draft. As it says in the introduction, the intention was that when published in final form, it would apply to all traffic authorities in England. However, due to the general election, further work on it was put on hold and the Government is now considering appropriate next steps.

As has always been the case, local authorities are responsible for managing their roads and are accountable to their communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on CO2 emissions from lorry making concrete deliveries.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Whilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.

VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on carbon costs for concrete deliveries.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review

Whilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.

VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria are used to determine the allocation of funding for road resurfacing to local councils; and how these criteria have been applied to Dorset Council.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The main criteria used to determine the allocation of highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities are road length and road classification, along with the number of bridges and street lighting columns that each local authority is responsible for maintaining. The Department uses a bespoke formula to allocate funding to eligible authorities, including Dorset Council; details of the formula can be found on gov.uk.

It is for Dorset Council to decide how much to spend in the West Dorset constituency and how much to spend elsewhere across its network.

Funding allocations for Dorset Council for the last six years are set out in the table below.

Funding for Dorset Council 2020/21 – 2025/26

* For 2020/21, this included the £500 million Pothole Fund, allocated funding from the £100 million Challenge Fund, and the final £50 million of the previous Pothole Action Fund, totalling £650 million.

**25% of this funding is subject to authorities adhering to incentive measures as announced on March 24, 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in deaths and serious injuries from road accidents that has occurred since the introduction of 20 mph speed limits in built-up areas in Wales; and what studies they have undertaken to determine what reduction could be expected if a 20 mph speed limit was similarly applied to roads in built-up areas of England.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Setting and evaluating national limits in Wales, including the restricted road limit on street-lit roads, is a matter for the Welsh Government. The power to introduce 20mph limits on roads in England rests with local authorities.

The Department for Transport published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph limits, which are 20mph schemes relying only on signage, on 22 November 2018. The evaluation looked at twelve case studies in England, including two in city centres.

The evaluation found insufficient evidence to conclude that that there had been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.

There is some evidence to suggest a positive 20mph impact in one city centre location in Brighton. A blanket 20mph limit was introduced, covering both major and minor roads, and there is sufficient data to show a statistically significant change in collisions and casualties relative to the 30mph comparator area. It should be stressed that this represents just one case study, and the extent to which the findings are transferable to other locations is unclear.

The Department for Transport has regular discussions with our counterparts in the devolved governments, including on road safety.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the provision of hot food options on long-distance inter-city train services that are under public ownership.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

There are two train companies under public ownership that operate long-distance inter-city services: London North-Eastern Railway (LNER) and TransPennine Express.

LNER provides catering facilities on all of its services in both standard and first class. Many services include hot food options depending on time of day and route. There are no current plans to expand LNER’s offer.

On TransPennine Express, an enhanced catering option including hot food was introduced on services between Liverpool and Newcastle on 17 February 2025. This followed a successful trial of enhanced catering options on West Coast routes in 2024. The ‘West Coast Kitchen’ initiative exceeded forecasted revenue uplift and has crated additional employment opportunities for onboard catering staff.

As a principally short-distance and commuter operator, Northern does not offer catering on its services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the use of £105 million of public money being made available to reopen Sheffield Doncaster Airport, and what assessment they have made of the value for money of that project.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Regional airports like Doncaster Sheffield Airport serve our local communities and businesses, support thousands of jobs and act as a gateway to international opportunities. They also help to maintain social and family ties and strengthen the bonds between our four nations.

Assessing the value for money case for public money being used to support the airport reopening is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities providing the funding. The City of Doncaster Council’s business case suggests the re-establishment of aviation within the region could support over 5,000 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs and boost the economy by £6.6bn when fully operational.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with disabled passenger groups about achieving independent travel for disabled travellers on all forms of public transport.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to making transport more inclusive and accessible right across the country, so that it enables disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. Ministers are advised on accessible transport policy by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, whose membership is required to include at least 50% disabled people.

The Department for Transport also regularly meets with stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including improving accessibility across the transport network. For example, the Department has engaged with organisations representing disabled passengers throughout the development of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and the continuing consultation on the forthcoming Railways Bill, as well as through the engagement activities for the Integrated National Transport Strategy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to work with partners to reintroduce flight announcements for visually impaired travellers at UK airports.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Aviation must be accessible to all. The Department for Transport launched the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, bringing together industry and consumer advocates with first-hand experience, to consider the barriers to air travel for disabled passengers and to develop practical and achievable actions to improve aviation accessibility across the consumer journey. Two key areas the Group is considering are around communication with passengers so that they have the right information, and ensuring passengers receive a tailored service that meets their needs. The Group is set to report to the Transport Secretary with their agreed recommended actions by Summer 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentages of total delays on the West Coast Main Line caused by (1) mechanical failure, (2) infrastructure failure, and (3) staff problems.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes data on train delays, which can be publicly accessed through their data portal. The ORR also reports the causes of these delays by operator. Given that multiple operators provide services on the West Coast Main Line, it is not possible to isolate the causes of delays occurring specifically on this route.

However, data on the delay causes for Avanti West Coast, the primary operator of intercity services on the West Coast Main Line, for the last 12 months for which data is available is set out in the attached document.

(1) Mechanical failure - 18% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Fleet’, either the TOC’s own or that of another operator.

(2) Infrastructure failure - 64% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Network Rail’ including track, and network Management.

(3) Staff Problems - 8% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Traincrew’ either the TOC’s own or that of another operator.

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Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the guaranteed strike price for sustainable aviation fuel on the cost of (a) timber and (b) recyclable waste wood products for house building.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Measures introduced by the Department for Transport to support the uptake of sustainable aviation fuel do not support the use of feedstocks which are timber or could be better deployed in the production of recyclable waste wood products for house building.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Secretary of State for Transport's Oral Statement of 24 March 2025 on Road Maintenance, whether she has made an estimate of the Barnett consequential funding for Wales of the additional £500 million highway maintenance funding.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

At Phase 1 of the 2025 Spending Review, an additional £500 million was allocated to the Department for Transport to fund local highways maintenance in 2025-26. The Barnett formula was applied in the usual way to changes in the Department for Transport’s Delegated Expenditure Limit (DEL) budget.

At Spending Reviews, the Barnett formula is applied to changes to each UK Government department’s overall DEL budget, rather than to individual programmes.

The Welsh Government’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any Welsh Government settlement since devolution.  The Welsh Government is receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in England. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26 and includes £1.7 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.

The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes in the devolved governments’ block grant funding from the 2015 Spending Review up to and including Main Estimates 2023-24. The most recent report was published in July 2023. An update to Block Grant Transparency to include Autumn Budget 2024 changes will be published in due course:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-july-2023

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times his Department has met with the Joint Air Quality Unit and the Department for Transport to discuss the implementation of the NO2 programme in the last eight months.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) is a joint Defra/DfT division. Members of JAQU attend meetings with officials across both Departments regularly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans the Regulatory Innovation Office has for regulating self-driving delivery robots that operate primarily on pavements, alongside regulation of airborne drones.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) is not a regulator. Responsibility for regulating pavement robots and drones lies with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, respectively. One of the RIO’s current focuses is 'drones & other autonomous technology', which includes pavement robots, a promising technology for the UK. The RIO is working with the Department for Transport to understand the regulatory interventions the government could take to stimulate their rollout in the UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Great British Railways against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's length body should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Transport provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Railways met.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Department for Transport is currently working through the approval process to establish Great British Railways as an Arm’s Length Body. The completion of business cases as part of this process considers viable delivery mechanisms and the three tests.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent pedal cycle theft within the Havering London Borough.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Bike theft has a significant impact on individuals and for too long, many victims have felt not enough was being done to prevent their bikes being stolen or track down the thieves responsible.

As part of this Government’s Plan for Change, our Safer Streets Mission is determined to clamp down on the crime that damages our communities, and affects people’s lives, and tackling theft is a crucial part of that work.

The BTP-led National Cycle Crime Group, working with DfT, have set up Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships across the country to coordinate regional enforcement activity to disrupt organised cycle theft.

We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, recruiting 13,000 police personnel into neighbourhood roles, ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to, and doubling investment to £200 million to kickstart this.

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