Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken with local authorities to improve road infrastructure in (a) Havering and (b) the M25 junction 29 Romford area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As transport in London is devolved, it is up to Havering to work with the Mayor of London and Transport for London to make decisions on investment in local roads. The Government is committed to supporting local highway authorities to maintain their local roads effectively, and to this end Havering is eligible to receive over £13.9 million of highways maintenance funding between 2026/27 and 2029/2030. The Government has also provided the Greater London Authority with £53.5 million of funding for the Gallows Corner scheme, which is being delivered by TfL and expected to be completed by Spring 2026.
The operation and maintenance of Junction 29 of the M25 is the responsibility of National Highways, which regularly monitors the performance of the junction and surrounding strategic road network.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to ensure the fire safety of train stations in a) England and b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Infrastructure managers are under statutory duties to ensure the safety of those using railways stations in Great Britain and are overseen by the Office of Rail and Road as the independent rail safety regulator. They must ensure that stations meet all legal requirements, including those relating to fire safety. Network Rail is the infrastructure manager for most of the mainline railway, but some stations in the Romford constituency are managed by Transport for London.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to ensure the physical safety of public transport workers in (a) London and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My Department is committed to ensuring that public transport workers are safe at work. As transport in London is devolved, it is for the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to work with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to ensure the physical safety of their workers is maintained.
BTP continue to take robust action to ensure the physical safety of rail workers in London, including Romford. Their approach is intelligence led, focusing resources on areas and individuals identified through crime data and repeat offending patterns. They work closely with TfL and other rail operators to improve incident reporting, to ensure that all forms of abuse, whether physical, verbal or threatening, are recorded. This partnership strengthens intelligence and enables more effective operational planning.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to regulate dynamic pricing structures within the private hire vehicle sector.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Pricing structures are a commercial matter for private hire vehicle operators. All private hire vehicle journeys must be booked in advance and so passengers are able to compare services on price and other factors before making a booking.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to (a) repair and (b) improve the condition of road networks in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government committed over £2 billion annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes. For the first time, we have confirmed funding allocations for the next four years, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance.
This is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.
The local highway authority for the Romford constituency is the London Borough of Havering. The table below sets out the highways maintenance funding that Havering is eligible to receive from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Local authority | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
London Borough of Havering | £1,082,000 | £3,060,000 | £3,289,000 | £3,520,000 | £4,033,000 |
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support local authorities to repair roads in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government committed over £2 billion annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes. For the first time, we have confirmed funding allocations for the next four years, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance.
This is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.
The local highway authority for the Romford constituency is the London Borough of Havering. The table below sets out the highways maintenance funding that Havering is eligible to receive from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Local authority | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
London Borough of Havering | £1,082,000 | £3,060,000 | £3,289,000 | £3,520,000 | £4,033,000 |
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of giving local authorities the power to introduce a temporary Blue Badge scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Currently, local authorities, in their capacity as the traffic authority for their area, are already free to consider setting up locally determined temporary parking concessions that could assist the recovery of residents who have recently undergone major surgery or suffered serious illness. LAs already have powers under Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to mark out bays for specific purposes, issue local parking permits, and use Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to reserve spaces for specific purposes. This can be a voluntary local scheme, and the cost and nature of the concession would be for the local authority to decide.
Whilst the primary focus of the Blue Badge on-street parking scheme is to help people who have an enduring and substantial disability that affects their mobility park closer to their destinations, goods, and services, the Department routinely monitors the scheme to see how it may be improved, to ensure that it continues to serve those who need it most.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has considered the potential merits of widening the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government fully recognises the importance of ensuring that the Blue Badge scheme supports those who have their mobility impacted by substantial and enduring disabilities and other health conditions. The Department for Transport works closely with local authorities and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the Blue Badge scheme remains fair, effective, and focused on those who need it most.
The Department previously consulted on extending the Blue Badge eligibility criteria in 2019 to allow people with non-visible (hidden) disabilities to be eligible for a Blue Badge. The current eligibility criteria are focused on the impact on an applicant’s mobility, rather than based on specific disabilities or conditions, and can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to prevent third-party sales of DVLA practical driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.
The measures the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to reduce casualties on railways in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Britain’s railways remain among the safest in the world, with casualty rates steadily declining in recent decades. The rail industry continues to act to reduce casualty rates across the entire network, in accordance with its statutory duties, which are enforced by the Office of Rail and Road, Britain’s independent rail safety regulator. In recent years, the industry has launched public safety initiatives, upgraded level crossing, signalling and civil infrastructure, integrated new technologies to improve risk detection and intervention, and enhanced training for staff on the railways, among other steps.