Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of parking facilities for HGV drivers in the North West.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Survey of Lorry Parking, which was published on 29 September 2022, is the Department for Transport’s primary evidence base on the availability of HGV parking facilities. The survey showed an average shortage across England of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces for the month of March 2022 and identified driver concerns with the quality of welfare facilities and security of lorry parks.
The Survey recorded 37 on site lorry parking facilities in the North West with a utilisation rate of 80%.
The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in: HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. The scheme is supporting operators across 30 counties in England, including the North West.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase access to EV charging points.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 October 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,021 publicly available charging devices (including 17,354 rapid charging devices), an increase of 23% year on year.
The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of over 100,000 further local chargers, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers across the country.
The Department is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions and on the 13 July, announced the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) effectiveness of grants for people who (i) have purchased used electric vehicles and (ii) cannot afford new electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is fully committed to supporting the uptake of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including used vehicles. We’re investing over £4.5 billion to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to electric vehicles (EVs). This includes several grants for ZEVs and charging infrastructure.
In July the Government announced a £63 million package to support the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. This included a £25 million scheme to help local authorities install cross-pavement charging technology. This will provide access to cheaper household energy rates, allowing EV drivers to save up to £1,500 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on increasing EV charging infrastructure initiatives in under-served (a) urban and (b) rural areas.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund allocated capital and resource funding across all higher tier local authorities (LAs) in England, to ensure chargepoint rollout across the country including in under-served urban and rural areas. LAs with a higher proportion of residents in rural areas received a higher proportional allocation. This builds on rollout to date, with the number of publicly available charging devices in rural areas of England increasing by 45% in 2024.
To further address gaps in infrastructure and make it easier for those without a driveway to charge at home, Government also announced a new £25 million grant for local authorities in England to install electric vehicle pavement channels in July. Funding can be used in both urban and rural areas.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to publish an official list of officially recognised training institutions for the consideration of prospective private hire vehicle drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory framework within which licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades and issues guidance to assist licensing authorities in carrying out these licensing functions. Statutory guidance, published in 2020, recommends that licensing authorities should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Best practice guidance to licensing authorities, updated in 2023, recommends that drivers should be trained in disability awareness and/or have their knowledge and skills assessed. Licensing authorities are responsible for deciding the format and content of such training, including what, if any, training institutions are used.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that private hire vehicle drivers receive qualifications from officially recognised training institutions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory framework within which licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades and issues guidance to assist licensing authorities in carrying out these licensing functions. Statutory guidance, published in 2020, recommends that licensing authorities should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Best practice guidance to licensing authorities, updated in 2023, recommends that drivers should be trained in disability awareness and/or have their knowledge and skills assessed. Licensing authorities are responsible for deciding the format and content of such training, including what, if any, training institutions are used.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help prevent prospective private hire vehicle drivers from enrolling in unofficial training institutions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory framework within which licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades and issues guidance to assist licensing authorities in carrying out these licensing functions. Statutory guidance, published in 2020, recommends that licensing authorities should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Best practice guidance to licensing authorities, updated in 2023, recommends that drivers should be trained in disability awareness and/or have their knowledge and skills assessed. Licensing authorities are responsible for deciding the format and content of such training, including what, if any, training institutions are used.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential potential impact of bridleways on supporting active travel in urban areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions on measures to support active travel, including through the use of bridleways, are a matter for local authorities.
Active Travel England encourages local authorities to consult with local groups, such as equestrians, where any proposed active travel project involves the proposed use of a bridleway. This is appliable to both urban and rural areas.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill and her Department's document entitled English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, whether she will bring forward legislative proposals for (a) Mayors to have a statutory role in (i) governing, (ii) managing and (iii) planning railways, and (b) an option for Mayors to control local railway stations and (c) the right for Mayors to request rail devolution.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
These subjects will be addressed in the Railways Bill, to be introduced later in this parliamentary session, and with accompanying guidance on the right to request. Guidance will outline the process for Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities to make this request and the criteria that will be considered, such as national and regional network implications.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support the long-term viability of community rail organisations in the context of (a) her Department's rail reforms and (b) the inception of Great British Rail.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As we move towards establishing Great British Railways (GBR), the Community Rail movement will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities. We will continue to work closely with the Community Rail Network to identify opportunities to support the community rail sector ahead of the standup of GBR.