Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve accessibility on trains.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that disabled passengers can travel by rail with confidence and independence. All rail vehicles in passenger service comply with the applicable accessibility requirements for disabled passengers. Through our Accessible Railways Roadmap, we are promoting more inclusive rolling stock design, improving the reliability of accessibility features and supporting the development of level boarding solutions.
We are also ensuring that accessibility is embedded in our forthcoming Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy, while the creation of Great British Railways provides an opportunity to ensure future rolling stock is designed more consistently around the needs of passengers, including those with additional accessibility requirements.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce step free access at Kirkby-in-Ashfield railway station.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The previous Government chose not to shortlist Kirkby-in-Ashfield station for accessibility upgrades in 2024. As such, there are currently no plans to upgrade Kirkby-in-Ashfield station, and funding for the current round of funding under the Access for All programme has been fully allocated
Future funding will be considered as part of the next Spending Review, which may provide an opportunity for stations such as Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
The process and timings for future rounds have not yet been decided, though the programme will be reformed as part of the transition to Great British Railways.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her department is taking to improve (a) ease of travel and (b) safety for visually impaired people on public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to improving public transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable visually impaired people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.
Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. We are also requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.
The government recognises the concerns which have been raised about floating bus stops in particular. Statutory guidance on the provision and design of floating bus stops was published on 26 January 2026 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design. All traffic authorities in England, including in London, must have regard to this guidance.
We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services by October 2026.
Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and that is why we have published a roadmap to an accessible railway. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established. We have completed a programme to install platform edge tactile paving at every station in Great Britain.
We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and create consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve accessibility on buses.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to improving bus services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.
Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff and requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.
We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and support consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds regarding waiting times for applications to the DVLA involving medical conditions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) meets regularly with Department for Transport (DfT) officials to discuss all aspects of the DVLA's work, including medical applications.
There has been a sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to deal with an application often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process medical driving licence applications in 2026.
Average Processing time for Drivers Medical | |
Month/Year | Average working days |
January 2026 | 57.8 |
February 2026 | 68.3 |
March 2026 | 55.9 |
April 2026 | 55.3 |
May 2026 | 56.5 |
To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows the majority of customers to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. While digital services are increasingly available, the DVLA recognises that not all customers can or want to access services online or via a mobile device. Customers can contact the DVLA by telephone, or in writing and paper application facilities continue to be available.
These changes are already helping the DVLA to process applications more quickly and further enhancements for customers applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.
The DVLA encourages customers to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing times.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent conversations her Department has had with the DVLA regarding waiting times for applications involving medical conditions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) meets regularly with Department for Transport (DfT) officials to discuss all aspects of the DVLA's work, including medical applications.
There has been a sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to deal with an application often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process medical driving licence applications in 2026.
Average Processing time for Drivers Medical | |
Month/Year | Average working days |
January 2026 | 57.8 |
February 2026 | 68.3 |
March 2026 | 55.9 |
April 2026 | 55.3 |
May 2026 | 56.5 |
To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows the majority of customers to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. While digital services are increasingly available, the DVLA recognises that not all customers can or want to access services online or via a mobile device. Customers can contact the DVLA by telephone, or in writing and paper application facilities continue to be available.
These changes are already helping the DVLA to process applications more quickly and further enhancements for customers applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.
The DVLA encourages customers to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing times.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support people with the cost of obtaining a C1 driving licence.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Individuals seeking to enter the road freight sector can benefit from a range of wider driver training opportunities available across government-supported programmes.
Skills Bootcamps remain an important part of government-funded skills provision. Their funding has been devolved to Mayor's Skills Academies and local areas directly, supporting the government’s commitment to empower local leaders with greater control over skills development.
The Government also continues to support the sector with the skills training it needs, including through apprenticeships such as the Urban Driver and Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver apprenticeship standards.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) accessibility and (b) suitability of Specsavers DVLA-mandated vision testing.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Drivers who notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of an underlying medical condition that may affect their vision are required to have a visual field test conducted.
Examinations by Specsavers are carried out to the exact specifications required to enable the DVLA to assess whether the visual field requirements for driving can be met.
If drivers choose to get your eyesight test from somewhere else, you can submit the results of an eyesight test done by another optician as long as it includes an ‘Esterman visual test’. DVLA do not guarantee they will accept an eyesight test done by other opticians.
Information about driving eyesight rules can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules.
The DVLA’s contract with Specsavers for vision testing services provides coverage across Great Britain. Specsavers is working to increase the number of stores available to carry out eyesight tests. In the meantime Specsavers may also utilise local opticians for customers who live more than 25 miles from their nearest Specsavers branch, for example those living in rural or semi-rural areas.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to hold a public consultation on the introduction of mandatory eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over at each three-year licence renewal.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A public consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers was launched on 7 January and closed on 11 May.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of regional airports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Regional airports are vital in addressing transport inequity by connecting all regions of the UK to national and international opportunities. They serve our local communities by supporting thousands of jobs while maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds between the four nations.
Government supports connectivity across the union through our joint funding of two Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes into London from Dundee and Derry/Londonderry.
The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. Airports invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.
Ministers and officials at the Department meet regularly with regional airports to discuss issues such as regional air connectivity.