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 help ensure that all private hire vehicle drivers meet minimum (a) driving and(b) language proficiency standards.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime. All applicants for a taxi or private hire vehicle driver’s licence must be deemed fit and proper to hold one. Under this system licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider are appropriate. The Department for Transport issues statutory and best practice guidance to assist licensing authorities with this function, to promote safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation.
As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists. The statutory guidance recommends that a licensing authority’s test of a driver’s language proficiency should cover both oral and written English language skills. This is so drivers can understand policies and guidance related to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and can apply them to identify and act on signs of exploitation.
The best practice guidance recommends that licensing authorities should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake training and/or assessment focussed on driver attitudes and behaviours. Where an authority has specific concerns about the driving ability of a driver, for example through passenger complaints, it would be appropriate for the authority to consider whether the driver in question should undertake a practical driving ability training course or assessment to address those concerns.
The Department for Transport will legislate to tackle inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing more broadly. We are considering all options including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety. In the interim the Department is reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and determining how the statutory guidance on protecting children and vulnerable adults can be strengthened to further protect the public.
A consultation on making all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, which would increase consistency in licensing and make better use of enforcement powers, will be launched shortly.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has made of whether there are (a) regional and (b) other geographic trends in the number of suspected cloned number plate reports between 2020 and 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is an offence to use a vehicle displaying cloned number plates which is punishable by an unlimited fine and/or up to two years in prison.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates. The evidence being gathered will be considered when evaluating potential future action to help address this important issue.
It is important to note that not every case of a misidentified registration number will be a case of cloned number plates. While some reports may relate to cloned number plates, others may be the result of administrative errors, for example incorrect entry of registration numbers.
Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately and return any fines received to the issuing authorities. If there is a possibility that the number plate has been cloned, the DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also provide a replacement vehicle registration number.
Information on the suspected number of cloned number plates is not available by region or geographic location.
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 reasons for the trend in the number of reports of suspected number plate (a) cloning and (b) misidentification.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is an offence to use a vehicle displaying cloned number plates which is punishable by an unlimited fine and/or up to two years in prison.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates. The evidence being gathered will be considered when evaluating potential future action to help address this important issue.
It is important to note that not every case of a misidentified registration number will be a case of cloned number plates. While some reports may relate to cloned number plates, others may be the result of administrative errors, for example incorrect entry of registration numbers.
Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately and return any fines received to the issuing authorities. If there is a possibility that the number plate has been cloned, the DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also provide a replacement vehicle registration number.
Information on the suspected number of cloned number plates is not available by region or geographic location.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued or plans to issue updated guidance to local authorities on the use of road signage in known wildlife crossing areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local authorities are responsible for placing traffic signs including signs warning of hazards due to the presence of animals in the road. All traffic signs used on public roads must comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 which includes a range of such signs for different situations.
The Department has issued guidance on the use of these signs, which can be placed in wildlife crossing areas, in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Signs Manual which is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued guidance on ensuring the safety of horses in proximity to road or rail works conducted near grazing land.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has produced no guidance in relation to the safety of animals on grazing land near to road or rail works. In relation to works carried out on public highways, the Department for Transport publishes statutory guidance in Safety at Street Works and Road Works: A Code of Practice, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-at-street-works-and-road-works. This includes specific provisions for equestrian routes and horse riders, where the works affect on-highway routes for these users.
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 with the Secretary of State for Transport to help improve internet access across the rail network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been successful in securing funding as part of the Spending Review to fit all mainline trains with Low Earth Orbit satellite technology to upgrade on -train wifi.
However, we know satellite connectivity will not work in tunnels, and the Department has been working with Network Rail to deliver improved connectivity on the rail network. Project Reach, which will renew fibre optic cables and address 4G / 5G mobile signals in 57 key mainline tunnels and stations, was signed 26 June 2025 between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of unadopted roads on new housing developments due to developers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Housebuilding Market Study in February 2024, the Department has noted a downward trend in road adoption rates across England, particularly in areas with new housing developments. In response, the Department is undertaking research into the road adoption process under the Highways Act 1980 to assess the scale of the issue nationally and identify opportunities to improve the system to reverse the downward trend. Additionally, the Department is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to explore reforms to the planning process that support more effective road adoption outcomes.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the £448 million public investment announced under the UK SHORE programme will be allocated to (a) Fylde and (b) other coastal constituencies in Lancashire.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK SHORE programme in the Department for Transport will primarily allocate funding through open competitions, delivered by Innovate UK. Competition scopes and assessment criteria will be published alongside competition announcements between 2026 and 2030.
We are committed to supporting projects across the UK. UK SHORE has previously allocated £240m for clean maritime. This has supported organisations in all UK nations and regions, including around £30m allocated to projects in the North West.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria her Department is using to decide which coastal ports or dry docks will receive UK SHORE funding.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK SHORE programme in the Department for Transport will primarily allocate funding through open competitions, delivered by Innovate UK. Competition scopes and assessment criteria will be published alongside competition announcements between 2026 and 2030.
We are committed to supporting projects across the UK. UK SHORE has previously allocated £240m for clean maritime. This has supported organisations in all UK nations and regions, including around £30m allocated to projects in the North West.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 75718 on Mobile Scooters, what steps she is taking to ensure public awareness of that consultation.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ensuring everyone has the opportunity to shape the powered mobility device review is a priority for us, to make sure regulations are designed with and for disabled people.
The consultation will be published on gov.uk in the usual way and it will comply with our accessibility standards to ensure everyone can access it. We will work with a wide range of stakeholders, including those representing disabled people, once that consultation is published to ensure it reaches everyone who would like to contribute.