Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made with local transport organisations on making interchanges from local public transport to national transport step-free.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to making public transport and infrastructure more inclusive and accessible, to allow people to make the journeys they want and need. It is key that government, local authorities and transport operators work together to achieve this.
The government has continued to support the Access for All programme to improve the accessibility of railway stations. When designing these projects Network Rail will always work with local authorities to improve interchange with other transport modes.
On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill. The Bill will provide powers for the Secretary of State for Transport to produce statutory guidance on the safety and accessibility of bus stations and stops, and to require local authorities commissioning the provision of new or upgrading of existing facilities to pay regard to it. Guidance could include recommendations on design elements that support the ability of disabled people to continue their journey.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 June 2025 on Dart Charge, HCWS708, what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles using the Dartford to Thurrock Crossing in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25, (d) 2025-26, (e) 2026-27 and (f) each of the next five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of vehicles using the Dartford Crossing in the years 2022/23-2024/25 is set out below:
Year | Total | Of which during chargeable hours: |
2024/25 | 56,691,385 | 49,613,955 |
2023/24 | 57,498,960 | 50,266,519 |
2022/23 | 56,528,526 | 49,098,480 |
The impact of the charge increase on the number of vehicles using the Dartford crossing will be monitored for the remainder of 2025/26, and subsequent years.
My Department does not routinely publish revenue forecasts for individual budget lines such as the income from the Dart Charge.
Information about previous revenues for the Dartford Crossing are available in the annual accounts which are published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-highways-annual-reports-and-accounts . For 2022/23 road user charge income was £126.6m and for 2023/24 £130.1m.
The Crossing’s full revenue is higher for each year owing to additional income from enforcement, abnormal load fees, and other rental income. This is also shown in the accounts. Accounts for 2024/25 will be published by the end of January 2026.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Car Insurance Taskforce made of the potential impact of fraudulent insurance claims made by people who stage road traffic collisions to gain compensation on levels of car insurance premiums.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury.
The Taskforce which met most recently on 28 April 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. It will look at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry. The Government will provide updates on the Taskforce in due course.
Regarding fraudulent insurance claims, the Government is committed to tackling this threat and has worked in collaboration with the UK insurance sector to publish an insurance fraud charter. This is a voluntary agreement which aims to raise the visibility of insurance fraud, improve victim support and better detect and prevent scams, such as crash-for cash.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has been allocated for the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
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 made an assessment of the percentage of first class train seats that were purchased in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made an assessment of the percentage of first class train tickets sold within the last 12 months.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56574 on Ukraine: Vehicles, whether her Department has made an assessment of trends in the number of vehicles collected under the ULEZ scrappage scheme that have been donated to Ukraine.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London and they were responsible for the ULEZ scrappage scheme. 680 vehicles were donated to Ukraine through the scheme before it closed in September 2024.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many houses have been compulsorily purchased along the route of HS2, and how many have been demolished.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd does not categorise properties by type - i.e. ‘houses’ - as a property can have mixed usage. For example, a farm can be (or have within it properties which are) residential, commercial, and/or agricultural, and similarly, a pub can be (and often is) both residential and commercial.
HS2 Ltd does record the number of property compensation claims made, however, the quantity of claims does not indicate how many houses (or other properties) have been acquired because property arrangements are highly varied.
HS2 Ltd does record the amount of land that has been acquired. To date, approximately 56km2 of land has been acquired for Phases One and 2a through compulsory purchase. No land or properties have been compulsory purchased along the route of Phase 2b as HS2 Ltd has never had the legal powers to do so.
In respect to demolitions, HS2 records show that 332 structures have been or were scheduled to be demolished along the route of HS2. It should be noted that this figure is not limited to properties but includes other structures such as substations and bridges.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to modernise public transport technology for buses in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to delivering better bus services for passengers, and has confirmed investment of £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £712 million allocated to local authorities which can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including modernising the technology used to support bus services. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12.1 million of this funding.
The Department for Transport is also working with representatives from the bus industry, Midlands Connect and Transport for the West Midlands to develop a national technology solution to facilitate multi-operator ticketing on buses and trams, focusing on contactless bank card payments and enabling fares capping outside of London, which could help to modernise public transport technology in Surrey Heath.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in buses at the Spending Review by confirming around £900 million of revenue funding each year to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
The Spending Review also confirmed £2.3 billion through the Local Transport Grant over the Spending Review period for local transport improvements in places outside areas receiving Transport for City Regions settlements, which could include supporting improvements to bus technology and infrastructure. Surrey County Council have been allocated £38.2 million of this funding.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to use artificial intelligence to modernise Great British Railway's systems and improve its efficiency in the areas of (1) customer experience, (2) railway operations, including planning and management of train operations, and (3) infrastructure management.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are significant opportunities for using artificial intelligence to improve rail services, reliability and safety, modernise rail infrastructure, and reduce costs. This Government is committed to creating a unified and simplified railway, putting passengers and customers first, through the creation of Great British Railways and through the public ownership of franchised passenger services.
Great British Railways will work in partnership with private sector companies to unlock and accelerate innovation across the rail network, including through the increased use of artificial intelligence, and to equip the rail sector with the skills and capabilities needed to achieve this. Great British Railways’ work in this area will align with the Government’s Transport AI Action Plan, published in June 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the transfer of South Western Railway services into public ownership, what progress they have made towards providing catering services on longer distance routes, such as London Waterloo to Exeter.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
South-Western Railway (SWR) successfully transferred into public ownership on the 25 May 2025. The current priorities of SWR are to improve operational performance and introduce the new Class 701 fleet.
I have asked the new Managing Director of South-Western in due course to review catering on longer distance routes including the London Waterloo to Exeter service - any decision will be subject to a positive financial case which balances the need of passengers and taxpayers.