Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the ongoing e-scooter trials, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of e-scooters on (a) the modal shift of transport away from private cars and (b) reducing traffic congestion in trial areas; and what estimate she has made of the number of collisions involving e-scooters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations she has received from Historic England on Network Rail’s redevelopment of London Liverpool Street.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has not received any representations from Historic England around the redevelopment proposals for Liverpool Street station. However, I understand that Network Rail have closely consulted with Historic England in the development of their updated proposals. Whilst Historic England had significant concerns about the original plans, I am now reassured that the revised proposals have substantially addressed those concerns. Plans are at an early stage and will continue to liaise with relevant stakeholders as the project develops.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the (a) frequency and (b) reliability of rail services on the Rose Hill to Manchester Piccadilly line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department expects operators to match capacity and frequency of their services to demand, which can mean increased service frequency where that is the right response - although these must also be operationally sustainable and deliver value for taxpayers.
Ministers have made very clear to Northern’s management that its current performance, including between Rose Hill and Manchester, is not acceptable, and that is why the Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern’s contract, issued it with a notice of breach of contract. This required Northern to produce a detailed plan to improve its services.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to fund a disability access lift at Teignmouth railway station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to the Access for All programme, which has delivered accessible routes at more than 270 stations. Teighmouth station was not selected by the previous Government for the programme, but the station already has an accessible route, and if any passenger is unable to use the station GWR will provide assistance or alternative transport at no additional cost.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of irregular rail timetables on (a) employment and (b) education access in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to respond to expected passenger demand, which includes understanding local demand factors such as access to employment and education. These timetables should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the carriage of (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes on rural train services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is for individual train operators to decide whether e-scooters and e-bikes are accepted on their trains, following risk assessments to determine the safety of accepting these vehicles onboard. In general, e-scooters are not permitted on train services, whilst e-bikes are permitted provided they meet certain conditions. This includes being road-legal, stored in a designated area and not charged on trains.
In terms of wider public transport, the government recognises the benefits that e-scooters and e-bikes can bring and published guidance to public transport operators in February 2024, aimed at ensuring that responses to fire risks are appropriately targeted, effective, and proportionate, so that the potential of these forms of transport is not unnecessarily limited.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with her EU counterparts to help (a) improve the accessibility and (b) increase the use of UK blue parking badges in the EU.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has ongoing discussions with individual countries regarding continued recognition of the UK Blue Badge across the European Union (EU).
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the current caps on the values of fines available to local authorities outside London on driver behaviour.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made. A number of parking sector stakeholders conducted research recently into this complex issue, and it has been submitted to the Department. Officials will be reviewing the research and its findings in due course.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of practical driving tests in Pembrokeshire.
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.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.
Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.
For driving test centres (DTCs) that serve Pembrokeshire, DVSA have three potential new driving examiners due to start training later this year.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve road safety for horse riders in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In my answer of 28 April 2025 to WPQ-45414, WPQ-45415 and WPQ-45416 on horse rider safety, I stated that The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse riders.
The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, ran campaigns to alert road users of the changes as they came into effect and broader behaviour campaigns to encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Results from the last campaign showed that by September 2023 93% of drivers agreed it was their responsibility to give space to vulnerable road users. We will continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and DfT social media channels and via our partner organisations.
Local authorities are responsible for road safety on the local road network. Section 39 of the Road Traffic Act (RTA) 1988 puts a 'statutory duty' on the local authorities to provide a safe local road network. This includes road construction, accident investigation and analysis, traffic calming and setting speed limits. The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness and provides local authorities with guidance on road safety measures, but it should be noted that it is up to individual authorities to determine how they meet their statutory duty.