Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of funding provided by the UK Government for railways in Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that areas in Wales that will not receive rail funding from the £445 million announced at the Spending Review 2025 receive rail investment from the UK Government.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of the relative level of per head spending on railway infrastructure in (a) Wales and (b) England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Welsh Government have made a formal request for the devolution of heavy rail infrastructure to Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government committed to invest £445 million to enhance rail infrastructure across Wales at the Spending Review. Through the Wales Rail Board, the UK and Welsh Government are collaborating to make sure this investment delivers the greatest passenger benefits, drives economic growth, promotes social mobility, and tackles inequality.
Great British Railways will have a close and collaborative relationship with Transport for Wales, underpinned by objectives set jointly by UK and Welsh Ministers, to ensure the railway better serves passengers and freight.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Welsh government regarding the drafting of the Railways Bill.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has worked closely with the Welsh Government throughout the development of the Railways Bill.
This engagement has included both ministerial and official-level meetings to ensure constructive and collaborative development of provisions enabling a responsive railway in the Wales and borders area.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for the DVLA to process applications from people that are reapplying for driving licenses following their disqualification (a) on medical grounds and (b) for a criminal offence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) sends renewal reminders to drivers before their current licence is due to expire to prompt renewal applications to be made as early as possible.
Where the DVLA is made aware that a driving licence is required urgently for employment purposes the application will be processed as a priority. Most applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they meet certain criteria as outlined in this guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
There are no delays in straightforward driving licence applications regardless of whether the driver was previously disqualified. These are being processed within normal turnaround times.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) requires investigation can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
DVLA is continuing to make improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions and is introducing a new strategic system to process cases. This will provide better services for customers and allow straightforward applications to be processed more quickly.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the average time to make a licensing decision in such cases was 44 working days, a significant reduction from 54 working days in the 2023/24 financial year.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle DVLA delays in the processing of applications for driving licenses by people who are reapplying following a disqualification.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) sends renewal reminders to drivers before their current licence is due to expire to prompt renewal applications to be made as early as possible.
Where the DVLA is made aware that a driving licence is required urgently for employment purposes the application will be processed as a priority. Most applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they meet certain criteria as outlined in this guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
There are no delays in straightforward driving licence applications regardless of whether the driver was previously disqualified. These are being processed within normal turnaround times.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) requires investigation can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
DVLA is continuing to make improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions and is introducing a new strategic system to process cases. This will provide better services for customers and allow straightforward applications to be processed more quickly.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the average time to make a licensing decision in such cases was 44 working days, a significant reduction from 54 working days in the 2023/24 financial year.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support people whose driving license expires whilst waiting for the DVLA to process their application for a renewal when this impacts their employment.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) sends renewal reminders to drivers before their current licence is due to expire to prompt renewal applications to be made as early as possible.
Where the DVLA is made aware that a driving licence is required urgently for employment purposes the application will be processed as a priority. Most applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they meet certain criteria as outlined in this guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
There are no delays in straightforward driving licence applications regardless of whether the driver was previously disqualified. These are being processed within normal turnaround times.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) requires investigation can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
DVLA is continuing to make improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions and is introducing a new strategic system to process cases. This will provide better services for customers and allow straightforward applications to be processed more quickly.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the average time to make a licensing decision in such cases was 44 working days, a significant reduction from 54 working days in the 2023/24 financial year.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill [Lords] on Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Bus Services (No.2) Bill primarily applies in England only. However, a small number of measures apply to Wales.
My officials are engaging with the Welsh Government to discuss the Bill’s interaction with Wales. This is in the context of the Welsh Government bringing forward the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, which proposes a fundamental restructure of Welsh bus services. These discussions are ongoing.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the University of Manchester entitled Rattling the supply chains: creating a more sustainable way to do business, published on 22 April 2025.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Department for Transport acknowledges this report's contribution to resilient and sustainable supply chain discussions. The UK's reliance on global supply chains offers economic benefits but poses risks such as geopolitical tensions and environmental changes. To address these, through the G7 Supply Chains Working Group, this government is actively working to strengthen their resilience, ensuring it remains secure, diverse, and sustainable in the face of global challenges.
This work is part of a broader government effort, led by the Department for Business and Trade, to ensure UK supply chains remain secure and diverse. The University of Manchester's report will inform ongoing policy development.