Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of driving test delays on employment opportunities in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
DVSA acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers, including those living in rural and semi-rural communities. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of our Plan for Change.
It is not possible to confirm how many people are waiting to book a practical driving test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.
DVSA continually reviews its recruitment needs to ensure the agency maintains the right level of resource to meet customer demand. The Agency’s latest national recruitment campaign closed in December 2025. As a result, it has a number of candidates progressing through the final recruitment stages. In the East of England. This includes:
11 potential driving examiners (DE) booked onto training courses.
14 potential DEs currently undergoing pre-employment checks.
72 applicants currently working their way through recruitment processes.
DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible at all test centres and regularly conducts tests outside of normal hours, including evenings, weekends and on public holidays. Between June - December 2025, DVSA conducted 1,158,458 car practical driving tests. This is an increase of 102,290 more car practical driving tests when compared to the same period in 2024. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme introduced in June 2025.
DVSA publishes data on car practical test cancellation reasons by month and driving test centre (DTC) on GOV.UK. This data, in report DRT122B, is updated annually and currently shows data to March 2025. The next update is due to be published in June 2026.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many practical driving tests were cancelled by the DVSA in the last 12 months; and for what reasons.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
DVSA acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers, including those living in rural and semi-rural communities. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of our Plan for Change.
It is not possible to confirm how many people are waiting to book a practical driving test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.
DVSA continually reviews its recruitment needs to ensure the agency maintains the right level of resource to meet customer demand. The Agency’s latest national recruitment campaign closed in December 2025. As a result, it has a number of candidates progressing through the final recruitment stages. In the East of England. This includes:
11 potential driving examiners (DE) booked onto training courses.
14 potential DEs currently undergoing pre-employment checks.
72 applicants currently working their way through recruitment processes.
DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible at all test centres and regularly conducts tests outside of normal hours, including evenings, weekends and on public holidays. Between June - December 2025, DVSA conducted 1,158,458 car practical driving tests. This is an increase of 102,290 more car practical driving tests when compared to the same period in 2024. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme introduced in June 2025.
DVSA publishes data on car practical test cancellation reasons by month and driving test centre (DTC) on GOV.UK. This data, in report DRT122B, is updated annually and currently shows data to March 2025. The next update is due to be published in June 2026.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of installing a bridge over the level crossing in East Tilbury.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail are engaging with London Gateway and other stakeholders on the merits of level crossing interventions in the East Tilbury area and are keeping my officials updated.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, how many and what proportion of lorries registered in the UK are electric lorries; and what estimate she has made of the potential increase in that number as a result of the announced subsidy.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.
The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.
Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the number of lorries expected to be purchased using the announced grant by 2030.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.
The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.
Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of how much (a) carbon dioxide and (b) other pollutants will be prevented from being released as a result of the announced grant for electric lorries.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.
The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.
Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the value for money of temporary pothole repairs where defects recur frequently.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In November 2024, the Department published a report on the economic benefits of investing in local highways maintenance. The analysis found that proactive maintenance can be more cost effective. In contrast, reactive maintenance was shown to be less cost-effective and associated with higher long-term expenditure. This report can be accessed at:
The Department encourages local highway authorities to focus on long-term preventative maintenance. In November, we confirmed a record £7.3 billion of funding for local highways maintenance over the next four years. By providing long-term funding certainty, local authorities can better plan ahead and invest into preventative maintenance. This approach is also encouraged through guidance such as the Code of Practice for Well-managed highways infrastructure. Finally, to unlock their full share of the Government's £500 million funding uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year, local highway authorities had to demonstrate how they prioritise preventative maintenance. The Department has used this information to introduce a new rating system that measures how well local highway authorities maintain their roads and adopt best practice such as preventative maintenance.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to introduce requirements for local highway authorities to report data on (a) pothole recurrence and (b) repeated repairs at the same locations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As announced in March 2024, local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year. This included publishing an estimate of the number of potholes they have filled in each of the last five years. Reports are now available on local highway authorities’ websites.
To gain access to all the Department’s increased highways maintenance funding in the future, local highway authorities will have to continue to demonstrate that they comply with best practice, for example by adopting more preventative maintenance. We will share more information about the reporting requirements for this in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of a) injuries and b) fatalities where road surface defects were identified as a contributory factor in the last decade.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Statistics on reported road injuries and fatalities where a reporting police officer has assigned ‘Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road’ as a contributing road safety factor are published on gov.uk:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3d602e65dc716bfb1dd00/ras0701.ods
No further assessment of the trends in these figures has been made.
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network, which is why the Government has announced a record of £7.3 billion investment for local highway maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30. This investment to improve the condition of our roads will make journeys faster, smoother and safer. This builds on nearly £1.6 billion in capital funding that has been provided for local highways maintenance in England for the financial year 2025/26, a £500 million increase compared to the previous financial year.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of reported personal injury road collisions involving defective road surfaces between 2022 and 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Statistics on reported road collisions where a reporting police officer has assigned ‘Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road’ as a contributing road safety factor are published on gov.uk:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3d602e65dc716bfb1dd00/ras0701.ods
No further assessment of the trends in these figures has been made.
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network, which is why the Government has announced a record of £7.3 billion investment for local highway maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30. This investment to improve the condition of our roads will make journeys faster, smoother and safer. This builds on nearly £1.6 billion in capital funding that has been provided for local highways maintenance in England for the financial year 2025/26, a £500 million increase compared to the previous financial year.