Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the effectiveness of its processes in relation to Special Use Airspace applications to use uncrewed air systems for NHS medical logistics.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My officials continue to work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority to improve the airspace change process. My department is undertaking a full review of the regulatory framework for airspace change, with the aim of streamlining and improving the airspace change process for uncrewed air systems operations and trials. My department will consult on these changes later this year
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of including equestrian safety in driving theory tests on reducing accidents.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There has been no assessment made of the potential impact of including equestrian safety in driving theory tests on reducing accidents. This would be difficult due to many confounding factors regarding accidents.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards (DVSA) driver theory test already contains questions relating to equestrian safety, and has done for many years.
DVSA has recognised the need to promote the recognition of hazards by drivers when sharing the road with horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. These are well represented within the hazard perception part of the test, a CGI video test which requires candidates to identify developing hazards on the road in good time.
Both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test are continually being updated and added to, with one of the focuses being on vulnerable road users such as horse riders.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road collisions took place between vehicles and horses in 2024; and what proportion of these were a result of a vehicle passing too closely or quickly.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There were 56 reported personal injury collisions, on public roads (including footways), involving at least one ridden horse and another vehicle in Great Britain 2024.
In 15 cases, a police officer attended the scene of the collision and recorded at least one contributory factor or road safety factor. In 12 of these 15 collisions (80%), a factor related to speed or passing too closely to another road user was assigned to a vehicle other than the ridden horse that was involved in the collision.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which equestrian organisations her Department has consulted in developing its approach to equestrian road safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
When carrying out the review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, the Department for Transport worked closely with an expert stakeholder group from the outset representing different users of the road including the British Horse Society.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a compensation scheme for passengers without seat reservations who did not get a seat on a train.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are currently no plans to introduce compensation for passengers unable to find a seat.
The walk-up nature of the railway in Great Britain supports full access to rail services, but at busy times could mean seating is not guaranteed. Some train operators offer seat reservations up to two hours before the departure of a train.
If a passenger holds a First-Class ticket and no First-Class seats are available, they are entitled to a refund of the difference between the fare paid and that of the appropriate Standard Class fare.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned £8.5 million reduction in funding for the British Transport Police Funding on the policing of crime on the rail network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The budget for the British Transport Police for the financial year 2025/26 is £415m - a 5.9% increase on the year before.
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding levels for the British Transport Police in Devon.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) which is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry.
Like other police forces the BTP have operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, including demand for their presence in Devon. This capacity planning process ensures that BTP has the best information to ensure officers across the network, including in Devon, are in the right place at the right time.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Transport Salaried Staff Association on the British Transport Police's funding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport met with the General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), Maryam Eslamdoust on 2nd April 2025, following a meeting with the Rail Minister on 12 March.
These were productive introductory meetings between the General Secretary of TSSA and the Secretary of State for Transport and Rail Minister.
Whilst funding was discussed at these meetings, the British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 66340 on the South West Rail Resilience Programme, whether her Department has received the assessments completed by Network Rail in 2024 on the outline design options for Phase 5 of the Programme; and what her Department’s criteria are for determining whether to proceed to the next stage of development.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following receipt of the Outline Business Case for Phase 5 of the Resilience Programme from Network Rail in 2024, the Department is funding further cliff monitoring and drainage works on this section of route. The project will be kept under review at future funding events once these works are complete.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will allocate funding to Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme in the next spending review.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We have set out our plans for this Spending Review period and will consider the next Spending Review at the appropriate time.