Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) delayed and (b) cancelled trains on the Robin Hood Line in the last 6 periods.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The long-term performance on the Robin Hood Line has improved significantly in recent years, with the May 2022 timetable change transforming the route from one of East Midlands Railways’ lowest-performing routes to one of its strongest. Current Moving Annual Average performance is 84.5 per cent, outperforming the industry average of 84.0 per cent.
Recent performance has been impacted by prolonged periods of hot and dry weather across the network, despite this, between 81 per cent and 87 per cent of services have continued to arrive within three minutes of schedule.
A range of improvement initiatives are being delivered to support further reliability growth, including refurbishment of the Class 158 and 170 trains that run on the line, platform zoning at Nottingham to improve dispatch and dwell-time compliance, and a programme of vegetation clearance to strengthen autumn and seasonal resilience.
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 support motorists with rising (a) maintenance, (b) insurance and (c) fuel costs.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are many factors that contribute to the cost of spare parts and vehicle repair. The government is aware of the need to maintain fair competition in the vehicle repair sector and appropriate enforcement action may be considered where this is not the case.
In October 2024, we formed the cross-government taskforce on motor insurance, to fulfil the government’s commitment to tackle the soaring cost of motor insurance in the UK. The government values the continued engagement of industry stakeholders throughout the motor insurance taskforce’s work and following the publication of the final report, we remain committed to close collaboration with insurers to support a fair, competitive, and sustainable motor insurance market. We welcome ongoing dialogue to address any concerns and to support the sector in adapting to the changes ahead.
As the government announced in May, as part of a £600 million package to support with fuel prices, there will be no rise in fuel duty this year. This means the temporary 5p cut will be extended until the end of the year, providing certainty to motorists. In total, the decisions taken since the 2024 general election to freeze Fuel Duty save motorists 11p per litre or £120 per year for the average car, compared to plans inherited from the previous parliament.
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 regional public transport connectivity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The ‘Better Connected’ strategy sets out this government’s long-term vision for making transport work well for more people across England, recognising that passengers want simple, reliable and joined-up journeys and recognising the role of local leaders in delivering transport networks that meet the neds of their communities.
The department is also giving greater flexibility to local areas by providing £21bn of consolidated local transport funding over the spending review period to all local transport authorities, so they can make the strategic decisions that best impact their local areas. Government continues to provide significant investment for major transport projects to improve regional connectivity, including £11bn to upgrade the route between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, laying the foundations for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
We are improving public transport connectivity by implementing the Bus Services Act 2025 which gives local leaders greater powers to determine how bus services are planned and delivered in their areas, alongside funding to support them and bus operators to improve bus services, helping local areas deliver more frequent, reliable and better integrated public transport networks.
On rail, the Railways Bill underpins the move towards a more locally focused railway, creating the statutory basis for structured partnerships with mayors to enable collaboration on local rail and wider transport priorities. This will mean that mayors are able to clearly outline the passenger service needs for their area and improve integration with other modes.
We have also published new Local Transport Plan guidance which requires local transport authorities to consider integrated ticketing and wider network connectivity when planning local services.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has of the adequacy of waiting times for ADI driving tests (a) in Ashfield and (b) nationwide.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
One of the biggest contributing factors to the high waiting times for approved driving instructor (ADI) practical tests is a considerable increase over recent years in the number of people applying to become an ADI. In May 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) received over 1,700 applications from people wanting to start the process of becoming a driving instructor. Demand for ADI tests is further exacerbated by the falling pass rate for the ADI part 3 test, which has fallen from 34.2% in 2023-24 to 27.8% in 2025-26, resulting in more candidates having to retake their test.
DVSA has and continues to recruit additional ADI examiners and has increased its capacity to train new examiners. ADI examiners cover several test centre locations and DVSA deploys them according to demand. To identify areas with higher demand, applicants can place ADI practical tests on hold and nominate their preferred test centre location and date. This helps DVSA deploy examiners where they are most needed. Where appropriate, priority is given to those nearing the end of their two-year qualification period. There are currently 66 potential driving instructors awaiting a test at Ashfield driving test centre.
It is vital that at the beginning of the learning process that PDIs and their trainers plan and structure their training according to the individual’s level of ability and current commitments to allow sufficient time for each of the three qualifying elements. This will also help to set realistic expectations about how much time and money the qualifying process takes and the likelihood of achieving full qualification.
DVSA is currently working through an end-to-end review of the ADI qualification journey and intends to improve the clarity and efficiency of the process while maintaining statutory standards.
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 waiting times for ADI driving tests (a) in Ashfield and (b) nationwide.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
One of the biggest contributing factors to the high waiting times for approved driving instructor (ADI) practical tests is a considerable increase over recent years in the number of people applying to become an ADI. In May 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) received over 1,700 applications from people wanting to start the process of becoming a driving instructor. Demand for ADI tests is further exacerbated by the falling pass rate for the ADI part 3 test, which has fallen from 34.2% in 2023-24 to 27.8% in 2025-26, resulting in more candidates having to retake their test.
DVSA has and continues to recruit additional ADI examiners and has increased its capacity to train new examiners. ADI examiners cover several test centre locations and DVSA deploys them according to demand. To identify areas with higher demand, applicants can place ADI practical tests on hold and nominate their preferred test centre location and date. This helps DVSA deploy examiners where they are most needed. Where appropriate, priority is given to those nearing the end of their two-year qualification period. There are currently 66 potential driving instructors awaiting a test at Ashfield driving test centre.
It is vital that at the beginning of the learning process that PDIs and their trainers plan and structure their training according to the individual’s level of ability and current commitments to allow sufficient time for each of the three qualifying elements. This will also help to set realistic expectations about how much time and money the qualifying process takes and the likelihood of achieving full qualification.
DVSA is currently working through an end-to-end review of the ADI qualification journey and intends to improve the clarity and efficiency of the process while maintaining statutory standards.
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 on trends in the average number of vehicles on the roads from 2000 onwards.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information on the volume of traffic on roads across Great Britain is collected and published by the Department here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-traffic-statistics.
The data held by the Department for 2000 to 2025 showed that 342.6 billion vehicle miles were travelled on Great Britain’s roads in 2025, compared to 289.6 billion miles in 2000.
Year | All Motor Vehicles |
2000 | 289.6 |
2001 | 293.5 |
2002 | 300.2 |
2003 | 302.0 |
2004 | 305.7 |
2005 | 305.8 |
2006 | 310.4 |
2007 | 313.3 |
2008 | 310.5 |
2009 | 307.3 |
2010 | 303.2 |
2011 | 304.3 |
2012 | 304.6 |
2013 | 305.8 |
2014 | 314.5 |
2015 | 320.4 |
2016 | 327.9 |
2017 | 332.5 |
2018 | 334.2 |
2019 | 338.6 |
2020 | 265.9 |
2021 | 297.6 |
2022 | 323.7 |
2023 | 330.8 |
2024 | 336.2 |
2025 | 342.6 |
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.