Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps with the Mayor of London to help mitigate residential noise pollution from (a) the London Underground and (b) associated maintenance works.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London. They are responsible for the operation and maintenance of London Underground, including assessment of noise generated and any necessary mitigations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to mandate a defined minimum learning period before learner drivers can take their test.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are considering measures and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young and novice driver collisions. We will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to lower the drink drive limit in England.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is considering policy options in respect of motoring offences, including around drink and drug driving. Details will follow in due course.
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 work with relevant authorities to reduce fatalities involving young drivers in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Local authorities have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions, and the powers to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, taking account of the relevant legislation and official guidance.
My Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to mandate that learner drivers have practiced driving on motorways prior to taking a driving test.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no current plans to mandate that all learner drivers must undertake motorway driving prior to their driving test, for several key reasons.
Not all learners have convenient access to motorways, with many candidates living in rural or remote areas where the nearest motorway may be some distance away. Requiring all candidates to drive on a motorway would risk creating an unfair barrier to test readiness and accessibility.
While motorway driving is valuable, the practical driving test already includes a strong focus on high-speed driving environments. Dual carriageways, which can present even greater risk due to variable traffic flows, mixed vehicle types, and more frequent junctions, are included in test routes, wherever possible. They provide critical opportunities to assess a candidate’s ability to manage higher speeds and complex traffic situations.
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 work with relevant authorities to reduce drug or alcohol linked fatalities on roads in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.
THINK!, the Government’s flagship road safety campaign, works closely with local authority partners and the police to align on road safety campaign activity. In November 2024, THINK! launched a new drink driving campaign that highlighted the risks of losing your licence after drinking even a little before driving.
The Government is considering policy options in respect of motoring offences, including around drink and drug driving. Details will follow in due course.
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 work with relevant authorities to improve the safety of domestic air travel.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Department for Transport is committed to maintaining the highest standards for aviation safety. The DfT chaired State Safety Board (SSB) oversees UK Aviation Authorities and works to improve UK aviation safety. It identifies and mitigates safety risks to achieve our safety objectives that are: as a minimum, no accidents involving commercial air transport that result in serious injuries or fatalities, and no serious injuries or fatalities to third parties as a result of aviation activities.
We will shortly be publishing the UK State Safety Programme (SSP) which sets out these functions and an overview of how we oversee the UK aviation system. The UK Aviation Authorities includes the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Isle of Man CAA, Channel Islands CAA, Gibraltar CAA, and Air Safety Support International (ASSI) which has oversight of the Overseas Territories. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is also the designated independent body for accident and serious incident investigation across the UK Aviation Authorities. The AAIB drives safety improvements through reports and recommendations.
Furthermore, the Department engages across the aviation industry to develop informed policies that are both responsive to industry needs and capable of advancing safety.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation set the global standards for aviation safety, and the UK participates in the development of standards and recommended practices to continually improve global aviation safety.
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 work with the devolved Administrations to increase transport connectivity between the four Home Nations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
While transport is largely a devolved responsibility for the Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Department for Transport is working with its counterparts to improve transport connectivity across the UK.
As recommended by the Union Connectivity Review, the UK government funded three rail feasibility studies in Northern Ireland looking at electrification, re-opening closed railway lines and improving access to airports. The UK Government also funded three studies focused on improving the North Wales Transport Corridor to completion and is funding Transport Scotland’s A75 feasibility study to explore options to bypass Springholm and Crocketford.
Separately, the UK Government subsidises flights between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport through a Public Service Obligation.
This Government is establishing Great British Railways (GBR) which will be the ‘directing mind’ for the rail industry, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services into a single public body. GBR will work closely with the Devolved Governments where responsibilities are devolved and will provide the integrated and long-term thinking the rail sector needs to grow and support the UK economy. GBR will be established in early 2027, subject to the Railways Bill achieving Royal Assent.
We will continue to work, where appropriate, with the Devolved Governments to improve transport outcomes for all people of the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much LNER paid for the report commissioned from Jacobs consultancy entitled Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services, published on 10 April 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department had discussions with LNER on the (i) commissioning and (ii) publication of the report entitled “Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services”, published on 10th April 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Train operators are not required to seek the Department for Transport’s approval for business-as-usual research funded within their approved budgets.