Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to update driving theory tests to include greater awareness of (a) horses as flight animals and (b) the risks associated with passing horses too (i) quickly and (ii) closely.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) keeps the driving theory test under continuous review. Both the multiplechoice and hazard perception elements already assess safe driving around vulnerable road users, including horse riders and horsedrawn vehicles.
Following updates to The Highway Code in 2022, candidates are required to understand the strengthened guidance on passing horses, to slow to a maximum of 10 mph and leave at least 2 metres where possible, this is reflected in DVSA’s official learning resources and the test itself. The hazard perception test includes computergenerated clips featuring horses to promote early recognition of developing hazards. There is also guidance available in The DVSA Official Guide to Driving; the essential skills, regarding the risk of horses as flight animals.
DVSA will continue to refresh theory test materials in line with the Highway Code and emerging evidence on keeping all road users safe.
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 assessment of the potential impact of the road safety strategy on deaths and serious injuries from cycling and walking.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Road Safety Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences.
One of the Safety Performance Indicators which will be monitored alongside delivery of the Strategy is: the rate of cyclists/pedestrians killed or seriously injured on England’s roads, measured as the number of fatalities and serious injuries per billion miles walked and cycled. Monitoring this should enable government to understand the impact that the Strategy is having on deaths and serious injuries of those cycling or walking.
Our roads aren’t just for motorists; it is vitally important that everyone using our roads is kept safe. With that in mind on the 10 December 2025 we announced that we are allocating £626 million for local authorities from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to deliver walking, wheeling and cycling schemes.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to provide funding for well-lit, connected and protected cycling infrastructure in Eastleigh.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Active Travel England (ATE) recognises that high‑quality active travel routes must be well-designed, well-lit and safe to support walking, wheeling and cycling.
On 10 December, the Department announced £626 million of multi-year capability funding to support active travel across England. As part of this allocation, Hampshire County Council, of which Eastleigh is a part, will receive £23,094,356 for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30. Local authorities may use this funding to plan and deliver well‑designed route layouts, appropriate and inclusive lighting, and safety improvements such as segregated cycle lanes.
ATE also provides technical support and guidance to ensure local authorities deliver high‑quality schemes. National guidance, including Local Transport Note 1/20: Cycle Infrastructure Design, Manual for Streets, and Inclusive Mobility, sets clear expectations for the design of safe and accessible cycling infrastructure.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what will be the remit of the new Road Safety Investigation Branch in relation to cycling and e-bikes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Improving road safety is a key priority. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government is working hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users including cyclists.
The detailed remit of the Road Safety Investigation Branch is still to be determined, but it will be built around the core objectives of the Data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch, namely using large cross-sector datasets and connected vehicle data to identify risks and thematic priorities, and providing insights and recommendations to support continuous safety learning and decision-making.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy that the inclusion of an AED and bleed kit should be mandatory for a) new cars and b) company car leases.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is reviewing recommendations for the carriage of safety and other equipment in cars. However, this will be working within the context of the current provisions in the Highway Code that are advisory rather than mandatory. Mandating equipment in cars would require monitoring to ensure compliance, as well as measures to ensure that the equipment remained serviceable. It would also add cost to new vehicles and vehicle owners.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to lay secondary legislation enabling local authorities outside London to enforce against pavement parking.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We will lay secondary legislation later in 2026 to give local authorities powers to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement.
At the next opportunity we will then introduce the necessary primary legislation to make powers available on an opt-in basis to Local Transport Authorities to prohibit pavement parking across their whole area. They will also have powers to exempt locations where pavement parking would still be necessary to maintain traffic flow, such as in narrow streets. Where there is no Strategic Authority, Unitary Authorities and County Councils would also have the choice to opt in.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with app-based private hire companies regarding Transport for London issuing licences for private hire drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not recently discussed the issuing of private hire vehicle driver licences by Transport for London with private hire vehicle operators.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on recognition of horse riders and owners who lose horses in road traffic collisions within the Victims’ Code.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice specifically about horse riders and owners in road traffic collisions within the Victim’s Code. The Ministry of Justice is the lead government department for the Victim’s Code and has committed to undertaking a review of it.
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes viaTHINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the Road Safety Strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to launch further public information campaigns to raise awareness of changes to the Highway Code introduced in 2022.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice specifically about horse riders and owners in road traffic collisions within the Victim’s Code. The Ministry of Justice is the lead government department for the Victim’s Code and has committed to undertaking a review of it.
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes viaTHINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the Road Safety Strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to amend the Highway Code to provide greater protection for vulnerable road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice specifically about horse riders and owners in road traffic collisions within the Victim’s Code. The Ministry of Justice is the lead government department for the Victim’s Code and has committed to undertaking a review of it.
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes viaTHINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the Road Safety Strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.