Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration the Government has given to making dynamo power lights compulsory on e-scooters and bikes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 require cycles to be fitted with a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors. These Regulations also require cycles to have white front and red rear lights lit when being ridden at night. The type of lighting, however, is not specified.
Rental e-scooters used in the Government’s e-scooter trials must be fitted with front position and rear position lamps to improve visibility.
We are using the e-scooter trials to ensure that when the time comes, we understand how best to regulate e-scooters including technical requirements such as lighting.
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 22 January 2026 to Question 104858 on Roads: Biodiversity, what information her Department holds on the (a) estimated cost, (b) estimated cost range and (c) modelling of the biodiversity net gain for (i) existing and (ii) planned projects related to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project on the Strategic Road Network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DEFRA’s forthcoming biodiversity net gain impact assessment, which is expected to be published shortly, will set out the impact of applying biodiversity net gain to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the levels of funding provided to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for highway surface preventative maintenance and carriageway structural work, including the prevention and fixing of potholes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department provides substantial, formula‑based funding to all local highway authorities in England to help them maintain their local road networks.
Highways maintenance funding for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is paid to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). GMCA has been allocated a £1.07 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the 2022–27 period and will receive a £2.5 billion Transport for City Regions settlement for 2027–32. This funding supports investment in GMCA’s local transport priorities and includes funding for highways maintenance. It is for GMCA to determine how much of this funding is allocated to highways maintenance, but they must ensure that appropriate levels are allocated to its constituent local highway authorities so that they can meet their statutory duty under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
These long-term settlements provide longer term funding certainty for local transport improvements and enable authorities to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive and preventative maintenance. In 2026/27, GMCA will also be eligible to receive an additional £15.5 million in highways maintenance incentive funding.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding for road maintenance in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The local highway authority for Surrey Heath is Surrey County Council which is eligible to receive over £164 million in highway maintenance funding over the next four years as part of the Government’s record £7.3 billion investment.
To qualify for their full share of this year's £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice. Surrey County Council complied and have unlocked the extra funding in this financial year.
In addition, in January 2026 the Department released a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. Surrey County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the average time taken by Surrey County Council to repair a reported pothole in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold information on the average time taken by Surrey County Council to repair reported potholes. Operational decisions on the management and repair of local roads rest with the local highway authority, which has a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.
To receive their full share of the Governments £500m funding uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year, all local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports setting out how they comply with best practice. This included a requirement to set out how many potholes they have filled in the last five years and their plans for adopting preventative maintenance, which keeps roads in good condition for longer and stops potholes from forming in the first place.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that private parking companies provide adequate notice to individuals served with a fine regarding the period in which they must (a) pay or (b) appeal.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with her cabinet colleagues on this matter. Private parking companies are the policy responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on a strategy for integrating bus ticketing in England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the value of greater integration between public transport modes, including in relation to ticketing, and will continue to work with local transport authorities, operators and passengers to improve the fares and ticketing offer for passengers across England.
Programmes currently under development in England recognise the aspiration for smart, multi-modal ticketing. This includes the Department for Transport working with representatives from the bus industry, Transport for West Midlands and Midlands Connect 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.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 99588, when her Department plans to publish the evaluation of the £3 bus fare cap.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 single bus fare cap and its impacts, with the full report expected to be published later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the disabled persons bus pass is only valid after 9:30am on weekdays.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, between 9.30am and 11.00pm on weekdays and all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays. The duration of the concessionary period was set out in the Transport Act 2000. The ENCTS costs around £795 million annually in reimbursement to operators. Any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the times of use, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
However, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel times for disabled passholders.
The Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across England to improve bus services over 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. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be allocated £64.2 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £22.5 million they are already receiving this financial year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, which could include extending discretionary concessions locally.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Royal Train will be treated as a Great British Railways service for the purposes of network access, charging and operational control once Great British Railways is established.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The 2024-2025 Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve Annual Reports and Accounts, published by the Royal Household, confirmed that the Royal Train will be decommissioned ahead of the current contract expiring in 2027, following a thorough review into its use and value for money. As such it will not become part of Great British Railways (GBR).