Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual cost was of the (i) HM Forces Railcard and (ii) Veterans Railcard in 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The HM Forces and Veterans Railcards are managed by the Rail Delivery Group.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she intends to publish the Government's formal response to the consultation on pavement parking published on 31 August 2020.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her department monitors the discharge of highway runoff entering rivers along the network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways carries out targeted monitoring at key locations on the strategic road network and is working with the Environment Agency to develop a further monitoring strategy. National Highways also has its 2030 Water Quality Plan setting out what it is doing to tackle potential pollution to the water environment from its highest risk outfalls and soakaways. Water runoff from local roads is a matter for local highway authorities.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the beginning of the statutory time period of 9.30am nationally during weekdays for concessionary bus pass holders.
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 £795 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel times, would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
However, local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including by extending travel times. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
The Government is investing in bus services long-term and has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year.
The East Midlands Combined Authority will be allocated £65.5 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £21.7 million they are already receiving this year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including funding discretionary concessions.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to instruct National Highways and Nottinghamshire County Council to take a preventative stance on dangerous driving.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of preventing dangerous driving and ensuring the safety of all road users. Enforcement of driving offences is a matter for the police; however, National Highways works closely with police forces across the Midlands to maintain safety on the Strategic Road Network. It engages regularly with local authorities and police to deliver targeted safety improvements. It also takes a proactive stance on prevention by promoting safe driving through its road safety website, national campaigns such as “Go Left” and “T.R.I.P.” and electronic message signs.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Better buses, more services: £3 billion boost for millions of passengers, published on 5 December 2025, what guidance is being issued to councils on balancing investment between fare reductions, new routes, zero-emission buses and improvements to bus stops.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 5 December, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers.
This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead. Local authorities will have the flexibility to use this funding to meet local needs, whether that be reducing fares, introducing new routes, investing in zero-emission buses or improving bus stops and stations.
LABG allocations have been calculated using a fair and transparent approach that considers population size, levels of deprivation, the extent of existing bus services and rurality. Further details on the funding formula have been published on GOV.UK at: Local Authority Bus Grant allocations - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Better buses, more services: £3 billion boost for millions of passengers, published on 5 December 2025, what criteria were used to determine the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) allocations published alongside the £3 billion investment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 5 December, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers.
This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead. Local authorities will have the flexibility to use this funding to meet local needs, whether that be reducing fares, introducing new routes, investing in zero-emission buses or improving bus stops and stations.
LABG allocations have been calculated using a fair and transparent approach that considers population size, levels of deprivation, the extent of existing bus services and rurality. Further details on the funding formula have been published on GOV.UK at: Local Authority Bus Grant allocations - GOV.UK.
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 23 June 2025 to Question 60138 on Road Traffic Control: Finance, whether she is providing central support for congestion improvement measures.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department provides a range of funding mechanisms to local authorities to enable them to deliver their objectives. It is for them to determine how best to use this to manage their roads to fulfil their Network Management Duty.
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 5 November 2025 to Question 86754 on Railways: Industrial Disputes and 2 December 2025 to Question 93782 on British Transport Police: Industrial Disputes, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 when applied to the British Transport Police.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is applicable to the British Transport Police as it is for a Home Office force. The effect of section 280(1) is to remove police officers from the statutory protections set out in legislation for those who take industrial action. Therefore, if BTP constables were to strike they would have no access to the legal protections provided in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 that other workers have when they strike. The definition of “police service” is set out in section 280(2) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and would include the constables of the British Transport Police.
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 6 November 2025 to Question 86957 on Bus Services: Concessions, whether the Government has made an assessment of the financial sustainability of expanding the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to include eligibility for passes for the companions of disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the cost of expanding the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) to include companion passes. However, since my response to Question 86957 on Bus Services: Concessions, newly released figures show that the ENCTS cost around £795 million in the year ending March 2025, an increase of 8% on the previous year.
The Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities totalling nearly £700 million per year. Essex County Council will be allocated £59.3 million from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £17.8 million they are already receiving this year.
Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish, including funding companion passes locally. In the year ending March 2025, 66% of local authorities offered companion passes to disabled people as a discretionary concession.