Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of uninsured motorcycles on UK roads in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether publicly funded works on the Lower Thames Crossing will commence after a Full Business Case has been produced and approved.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Publicly funded construction enabling works have already commenced north and south of the River Thames. These include ground works to create haul roads, construction of site compounds, utility works, ecological and archaeological works and extensive pre-construction surveys are ongoing. The project continues to progress through the required assurance and governance processes and the full business case will follow ahead of private sector investment.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the risks associated with hybrid vehicle battery fires following road traffic collisions; and whether she plans to commission guidance for manufacturers and emergency services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of hybrid-electric vehicles is of paramount importance to the Government and is kept under regular review. Insurance industry analysis suggests that hybrid vehicles are less likely to catch fire than internal combustion engine vehicles. Nevertheless, existing regulations covering vehicle construction include requirements to safeguard against the novel risks and potential concerns associated with hybrid-electric vehicles, including fire.
In addition to the Department for Transport’s published guidance for road recovery operators, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National Fire Chiefs Council have produced guidance for their staff on dealing with hybrid and electric vehicles.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the data opportunities of connected and autonomous vehicles to reduce uninsured driving.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 sets out the regulations for insurance requirements of automated vehicles. The operator or owner of an automated vehicle must hold a policy of insurance that satisfies the conditions in section 145 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The recent call for evidence, launched in December 2025, seeks views on various aspects of the automated vehicles regulatory framework, including insurance. Responses received will support future consultation on the proposed regulations, with full implementation of the Act anticipated by the second half of 2027.
Asked by: Melanie Ward (Labour - Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the CAA cannot release occurrence information on pilot fatigue events.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (“MOR”) Regulations mean that the Civil Aviation Authority can only use information from MORs for the purpose for which they have been collected. The CAA does not make any information from MORs available. The CAA only uses information from MORs to maintain or improve aviation safety, not to attribute blame or liability.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has considered legislation to limit the sale of e-scooters in the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements. While it is not illegal to sell an e-scooter for use on private land, retailers are breaking the law if they knowingly mislead a buyer or do not make the legal restrictions on e-scooter use sufficiently clear.
Meanwhile, the Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which is likely to include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. This will provide a proportionate and more agile process for regulating the use of micromobility vehicles.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the kerbside airport drop-off charges were at each of the major UK airports in (a) July 2024 and (b) today; and whether her Department has issued guidance on airport drop-off charges.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The provision and charging of car parking at airports, including drop-off charges, is a matter for the airport operator as a commercial business to manage and justify. Government expects fees to be set in a way that is both fair and transparent for consumers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 101850, if she will publish the British Transport Police’s crime-screening policy for pedal-cycle theft at railway stations.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The British Transport Police (BTP) Crime Screening Policy is an operational document owned by the BTP. Any decisions to publish the document are for BTP, as an operationally independent police service.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of compensating victims of collisions involving illegal e-scooters and e-bikes on (a) the cost of motor insurance premiums for other motorists and (b) costs to the Motor Insurers' Bureau in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We regularly engage with the Motor Insurer’s Bureau and are working with them to understand the impact of private e-scooters and illegal e-bikes on car drivers’ insurance premiums.
It is clear the law on e-scooters needs to change, which is why the Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows. Any future regulations, including potential insurance requirements, will be publicly consulted on before they come into force.