Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to publish an evaluation framework for the regulatory approval of supervised autonomous vehicle technologies, including indicative timelines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the Act) provides the powers to regulate the safe use of automated vehicles. Full implementation of the Act, including provisions for authorising self-driving vehicles, is on-track for the second half of 2027. The regulatory framework will be implemented through secondary legislation and guidance and will include a requirement for the Secretary of State to monitor and assess the general performance of authorised automated vehicles. This report must be published on an annual basis following implementation of the Act and the granting of the first authorisation.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) allowing the payment of and (b) refunding Vehicle Excise Duty on a (i) daily and (ii) weekly basis.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since 1 October 2014, customers have had the option to pay VED monthly or in two instalments per year via direct debit, with a 5% surcharge. This scheme enables the spreading of VED payments at a lower surcharge rate than non-direct debit instalments, and helps individuals and families to plan and manage their finances.
When considering changes to tax administration, the Government must balance a range of competing objectives such as complexity in the tax system, administrative burdens and cost.
The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how community sports teams can become youth hubs; and how they can access funding for community sports facilities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sports facilities provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live.
On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.
DCMS funding for youth spaces is delivered through the Better Youth Spaces (BYS) fund. This is £30.5 million of capital funding for small scale capital equipment to help youth organisations to better support the young people they work with across England.
DCMS also has responsibility for Young Futures Hubs. The first eight of 50 hubs will be operational by the end of this financial year, with a remaining 42 to be established where they will have the most impact by March 2029.