Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure qualified drivers are aware of changes to the Highway Code.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
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 via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the 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.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current blue badge policy for people with Crohn's and Colitis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Blue Badge scheme supports people with severe mobility issues, including those with non‑visible disabilities that cause very considerable difficulty walking or significant psychological distress during a journey.
The Government has already extended eligibility to people with non‑visible conditions, and local authorities assess applications on a case‑by‑case basis using medical evidence.
While symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis can be serious, these conditions do not automatically confer entitlement; however, applicants whose mobility is substantially impaired because of their condition may still qualify following assessment by their local authority.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests at Blackpool test centre.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
Make use of MOD driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including for Blackpool driving test centre, to provide as many tests as possible.
Two new entrant driving examiners will be placed on a training course as soon as possible. Upon successful completion of training, this will increase the number of driving examiners at Blackpool driving test centre from seven to nine. A full-time driving examiner can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) elderly people and (b) people without access to the internet are able to access their consultation on mandatory eye testing for older drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We published the consultation on GOV.UK as a web page (HTML). This format allows people to resize the consultation text in their browser.
People can write to us or contact us at mandatoryeyesighttestingconsultation@dft.gov.uk to request the consultation in alternative formats, including a printed hard copy.
A BSL version will be made available.
Those without the internet can request a printed hard copy or mail in a printed copy and can write to us at:
Road Safety Division
Department for Transport
33 Horseferry Road
London, SW1P 4DR
United Kingdom
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests at Preston test centre.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including for Preston driving test centre, to provide as many tests as possible. One new entrant driving examiner is currently awaiting checks and will be placed on a training course as soon as possible. An additional new entrant driving examiner is currently undertaking training, upon successful completion, the new entrant will be joining Preston from February.
A full-time driving examiner can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to minimise disruption on the rail network in periods of extreme snow and cold weather.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department officials hold regular discussions with Network Rail and the industry to ensure severe weather preparedness plans are in place with clear mitigations to reduce the impacts of weather on the rail network. The industry’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year.
Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather. Network Rail use detailed forecasts from weather experts, MetDesk, to formulate local action plans during adverse weather to minimise disruption to journeys. These forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails, and overhead power lines.
A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time. In extreme weather conditions, Network Rail and train operators prioritise getting passengers home safely over running the normal timetable. It also prioritises vital rail freight to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country and fuel to power stations.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising and unpredictable police escort costs on the abnormal load haulage sector and the wider tourism supply chain, particularly in rural and coastal areas.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has not assessed the impact of police escort costs on the abnormal load haulage sector and the wider tourism supply chain.
The provision and charging for police escorts is an operational matter for individual police forces. We are aware of concerns raised about some police forces increasing the costs for escorting abnormal loads. The Department therefore welcomes the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s revised guidance on abnormal loads, which aims to provide greater consistency and clarity in the approach to abnormal load movements and costs across the country.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the comparative operational performance of publicly owned rail operators versus privately owned rail operators since December 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport holds all the operators that it funds to account for delivering performance for passengers. The Rail Minister meets regularly with the Managing Directors of train operators and their Network Rail counterparts to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.
The table below shows the most recent data on levels of reliability and punctuality for DfT funded services over the past year. This compares operators currently in public ownership and shows that reliability is higher for operators currently in public ownership under DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO) compared to private sector operators contracted by DfT.
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“Time to 3 punctuality” refers to the proportion of trains calling at stations within three minutes of schedule.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of increasing the bus travel fare cap from £2 in July 2024 to £3 on the accessibility of services in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 bus fare cap and its impacts. This will include analysis of bus usage. The evaluation will focus on understanding the national impacts of the scheme. The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap, including analysis on bus usage, was published on 12 February.
Trends in bus usage will continue to be monitored and reported through the Department’s national statistics which are published annually. The Department also publishes statistics on daily bus passenger journeys across local authorities in England outside London. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Better buses, more services: £3 billion boost for millions of passengers, published on 5 December 2025, what guidance is being issued to councils on balancing investment between fare reductions, new routes, zero-emission buses and improvements to bus stops.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 5 December, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers.
This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead. Local authorities will have the flexibility to use this funding to meet local needs, whether that be reducing fares, introducing new routes, investing in zero-emission buses or improving bus stops and stations.
LABG allocations have been calculated using a fair and transparent approach that considers population size, levels of deprivation, the extent of existing bus services and rurality. Further details on the funding formula have been published on GOV.UK at: Local Authority Bus Grant allocations - GOV.UK.