Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making the use of headphones whilst (a) cycling and (b) driving a strict liability offence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport has not carried out an assessment of the potential merits of making the use of headphones whilst cycling and driving a strict liability offence.
Any incident found to be caused by the use of headphones whilst riding a cycle on the road is covered by Rule 66 of The Highway Code that says people should “avoid any actions that could reduce your control of your cycle”, and this could include being distracted due to the use of headphones.
Correspondingly, any incident found to be caused by the use of headphones while driving a vehicle on the road is covered by Rule 148 of the Highway Code that says ‘Safe driving and riding needs concentration. Avoid distractions when driving or riding such as loud music (this may mask other sounds) and starting or adjusting any music or radio’
Breaches of rules 66 and 148 of the Highway Code are not offences in themselves but may be taken into consideration when determining whether a person is guilty of an offence under the Road Traffic Acts, such as those offences relating to dangerous or careless riding or driving.
The Road Traffic Acts provide for a range of sanctions where an offence is committed including fixed penalty notices, criminal prosecution, points on their driving licence (or future driving licence if they do not hold one at the time), and having their vehicle seized.
The safety of all road users is a top priority for the Government. As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences, and we’ll set out next steps for the strategy in due course.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure school bus travel is (a) affordable and (b) accessible in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, particularly in rural areas. On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review we announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.
At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Cornwall Council has been allocated £10.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to prevent (a) insolvent and (b) financially restricted organisations in the Aircraft Engineering Industry continuing to issue Certificates of Release to Service outside of effective regulatory compliance.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for the oversight of Approved Maintenance Organisations which are governed by the Part 145 regulatory framework. Part 145 approval is granted to organisations that demonstrate compliance with requirements including personnel qualifications, facilities, equipment, maintenance procedures, and quality control systems. If a Part 145 approved maintenance organisation enters insolvency or a period of financial difficulties, the CAA may decide to increase the frequency and level of oversight, including unannounced audits, to ensure that it remains complaint with the requirements of Part 145. If the CAA are notified of a senior management change or change in the financial situation of an approved maintenance organisation, the CAA asks the approved maintenance organisation to demonstrate that there is sufficient funding for the intended maintenance activities carried out under its approval. In cases where it is established that an organisation is no longer able to fulfil the requirement of the regulations, its Part-145 maintenance approval will be suspended.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for a practical driving test in Cornwall.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The table below shows the average waiting time in weeks for driving test centres (DTCs) that serve customers in Cornwall, as of 5 May 2025.
DTC | Average waiting time as of the 5 May 2025 (in weeks). |
Bodmin | 24 |
Cambourne | 24 |
Launceston | 24 |
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling local authorities to apply to use ANPR to enforce designated pedestrian zones.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Moving traffic contraventions, including entry into a designated pedestrian zone, may be civilly enforced by designated local authorities using CCTV prescribed by regulations made under the Traffic Management Act 2004.
By using these cameras local authorities are able to capture not just the number plate and location, but the wider context, to establish whether a contravention has occurred.
In the Department’s view, ANPR technology could not in isolation provide the functionality needed for fair and effective civil enforcement.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that local SME bus operators are able to participate in future bus franchising schemes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Bus Services Act 2017 already requires an authority to make a statement on how they will facilitate SMEs in service provision as part of the franchising process.
On 9 September 2024, the Department consulted on updates to bus franchising guidance, these updates aim to reduce the technical barriers to franchising and support safer, more accessible services. The Department is currently reviewing the feedback received, including valuable insights from bus operators and organisations representing small-to-medium-sized operators, and will respond shortly.
The Department will continue working with local authorities to develop different franchising models that could be smaller scale, require less financial commitment and support SME participation.