Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase public awareness of the new Highway Code.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency issue licences in a timely manner following the medical examination report for a Group 2 (lorry or bus) licence.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Straightforward applications for Group 2 driving licences are being processed within the normal turnaround time of ten working days. This includes applications for a first Group 2 licence and renewal at age 45 and over where the driver is required to submit a medical examination report with their application.
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The DVLA is currently rolling out a new casework system which is expected to deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions. When fully implemented, this will improve turnaround times with higher levels of digital functionality and digital communication. The DVLA is also planning to launch a new medical services platform which will enable more customers to transact online and increase the use of email communication.
Applicants renewing an existing licence may be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce anti-social behaviour and harassment on the rail network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no place for anti-social behaviour or harassment on the railway. Ensuring the network remains safe for passengers and staff is a priority for my Department, the rail industry, and the British Transport Police (BTP).
BTP carry out high visibility and plain clothes patrols across the network every day to deter offenders and provide reassurance to the public. Where someone is a victim or witness to a crime they should report this to BTP by texting 61016 or calling 999 in an emergency.
There are also rules in place under the railway byelaws, including fines of up to £1000, to deter anti-social behaviour which can be enforced by the BTP or rail operators. Operators employ staff in a range of roles including Rail Enforcement Officers who patrol the network to enforce the railway byelaws and deter anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual cost was of the (i) HM Forces Railcard and (ii) Veterans Railcard in 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The HM Forces and Veterans Railcards are managed by the Rail Delivery Group.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of data collected on road safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department’s road casualty statistics are based on data reported to the Department by police forces via the STATS19 system. Information on the strengths and weaknesses of this data are available in the background quality information which accompanies the published statistics on the gov.uk website.
While STATS19 is considered to be a valuable dataset in developing and monitoring road safety, with a wide range of users and uses, the Department is exploring a range of additional datasets to address some of its known limitations. A summary of recent and planned development work, published on 25 September 2025, is also available on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/road-accident-and-safety-statistics-guidance#planned-developments.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in the (a) recruitment and (b) training of school crossing patrols.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport supports Local Authorities through legislation, guidance, and best practice frameworks but it does not directly manage the recruitment or training of School Crossing Patrols because that is a non-statutory role delegated to Local Authorities.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an age restriction for riding an electric scooter.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Until changes are made, private e-scooters remain illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, irrespective of age.
Rental e-scooters can only be used as part of the Government’s rental e-scooter trials and users in the current trials are already required to have a provisional or full driving licence and therefore the minimum rider age is 16.
In the Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which is part of the Industrial Strategy, the Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. Setting a minimum age will be considered, and consulted on, as part of any future regulations on e-scooters.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the terms for Network Railcards to enable them to be used by commuters who need to travel before 10am.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Network Railcard is designed to stimulate leisure travel and timed to encourage travel outside of the busy morning peak. There are no current plans to review railcards in advance of the transition to Great British Railways but it will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of some railcards. Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Gatwick Airport expansion on the (a) capacity and (b) reliability of the rail network serving that airport; and what steps she is taking to mitigate potential disruption to (i) passengers and (ii) local communities.
Answered by Mike Kane
In her letter of 27 February 2025, my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport indicated that she was minded to approve the proposed development of the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Project based on the principles of the requirements set out by the Examining Authority in its report. It is now for the applicant to respond. Both the letter and the report are published on The Planning Inspectorate’s website - https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR020005 .
The effects of the proposed development on the rail network, its users and local communities will be taken into account in the final decision, though my Right Honourable friend will note both Network Rail and rail operators were consulted as part of the application and have not objected to the proposals. However as this remains a live planning application with the Department, I cannot comment further on those issues at the current time.