Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of laws governing the hours worked by agricultural vehicle drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport (DfT) has not assessed the adequacy of the laws governing the hours worked by agricultural vehicle drivers.
The regulations that apply to the hours worked by drivers of agricultural vehicles depend on a range of factors. For example, drivers of some agricultural vehicles, if used for commercial non-agricultural haulage on public roads, may need to comply with the assimilated drivers’ hours rules (Regulation (EC) 561/2006, as it has effect in the UK) which set maximum limits on driving and minimum requirements for breaks and rest periods. These drivers follow the sector-specific Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005. There are a number of exemptions from the assimilated drivers’ hours rules, including for tractors not capable of exceeding 40 km/h and tractors used for agricultural or forestry activities within 100 km of their base.
Drivers of tractors that are exempt from the assimilated rules are likely to be subject to GB domestic drivers’ hours rules, which set maximum driving limits and maximum duty limits, and would need to comply with the general Working Time Regulations 1998, unless the driver drives for less than 4 hours in a day or drives only off-road.
The DfT has published guidance on the regulations that apply to agricultural vehicles on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tractors-regulations-on-use.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of steps to help reduce fatality rates of cyclists on rural roads in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made an assessment of steps to help reduce fatality rates of cyclists on rural roads in West Dorset constituency.
Dorset Unitary Authority has been awarded £774,233 in revenue and capital funding from the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. It will be for the local authority to allocate this funding in line with local investment priorities, such as improving safety for cyclists in West Dorset.
We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of fatal cycling accidents on rural roads in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 12 February, the Department and Active Travel England announced local authority allocations of the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. Of this funding, Dorset Unitary Authority has been awarded £774,233 in revenue and capital funding. It will be for the local authority to allocate this funding in line with local investment priorities, such as improving safety for cyclists in West Dorset.
The Government is committed to improving the safety of all road users, especially the most vulnerable such as pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists. This is a key priority for the Department which was reflected in the updated Highway Code in January 2022, with the implementation of a Hierarchy of Road Users.
We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the steps her Department has taken to prevent automated bots from monopolising driving test booking slots on the DVSA platform.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.
On 28 May 2025, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price. The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 23 July 2025.
As part of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, announced in December 2024, this consultation follows the agency’s recent call for evidence about the rules and processes for booking and managing practical car driving tests, which received almost 27,000 responses.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce delays in processing driving licence renewal applications in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) surrounding areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.
There are also no delays in straightforward paper driving licence applications which are being processed within normal turnaround times and drivers should receive their driving licence within three weeks.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer. The length of time taken depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision on whether to issue a licence can be made.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of waiting times for driving licence renewals in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) surrounding areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.
There are also no delays in straightforward paper driving licence applications which are being processed within normal turnaround times and drivers should receive their driving licence within three weeks.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer. The length of time taken depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision on whether to issue a licence can be made.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities to implement speed reductions in rural villages.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance on setting local speed limits. This is designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set, whilst allowing for flexibility to deal with local needs and circumstances.
The guidance can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of regulation to help tackle third-party resellers charging inflated prices for driving test appointments.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
On the 18 December 2024, DVSA launched a call for evidence, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, including any potential future legislative changes. On the 23 April the Secretary of State announced that this consultation has been fast-tracked to May 2025.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to align bus and train services in West Dorset for improved accessibility.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows that a modern, integrated public transport network is vital to providing access to services for all users of the system and keeping communities connected. The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, including £3.8 million allocated to Dorset Council.
These measures are designed to empower local transport authorities (LTAs) to deliver bus services that meet the needs of their communities, including ensuring services are more accessible and better integrated with other modes of transport. The Department’s guidance to LTAs on producing their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) makes clear that these should be designed to help make bus services more accessible and inclusive, and better integrated with other modes, including more bus-rail interchange and integration.
The Government has also announced plans to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy to set the long-term vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it and ensure that the transport network is complementary, including the interaction between different modes of travel.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has considered the specific needs of vulnerable populations in coordinating public transport schedules.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows that a modern, integrated public transport network is vital to providing access to services for all users of the system and keeping communities connected. The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, including £3.8 million allocated to Dorset Council.
These measures are designed to empower local transport authorities (LTAs) to deliver bus services that meet the needs of their communities, including ensuring services are more accessible and better integrated with other modes of transport. The Department’s guidance to LTAs on producing their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) makes clear that these should be designed to help make bus services more accessible and inclusive, and better integrated with other modes, including more bus-rail interchange and integration.
The Government has also announced plans to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy to set the long-term vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it and ensure that the transport network is complementary, including the interaction between different modes of travel.