Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104661, what estimate National Highways has made of the cost of constructing temporary slip roads at M6 junction 38.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways is currently assessing the latest proposals for temporary slip roads at M6 Junction 38 and will feedback on this in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the M6 Lune Gorge works on (a) freight movements and (b) connectivity between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

For most of the M6 Lune Gorge works, traffic, including freight, will continue to use the M6 via a contraflow arrangement, which has been assessed as providing sufficient capacity to avoid significant delays. National Highways does not anticipate significant changes to freight movements as a result.

A limited number of overnight and weekend full closures of the M6 will be required for safety reasons. For full closures between junction 38 and 39, traffic will use a fully signed diversion route via Junction 36 and the A6, A591 and A590, as agreed with relevant local highway authorities. This approach is intended to maintain connectivity between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland throughout the works.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122264, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the six-day minimum hire threshold on value for money for Departments using short-term hire vehicles; whether guidance has been issued to Departments on balancing value for money with the objective of increasing the proportion of zero emission vehicles under the Government Fleet Commitment; and what steps she is taking to ensure that efforts to meet the Government Fleet Commitment do not lead to increased costs.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government's policy is that all official travel must be efficient and cost-effective. Value for money of short-term vehicle hires is ensured through standard Government procurement and contract management processes.

Guidance on the GFC can be found on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, on what basis her Department determined that the delayed appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator for East West Rail Services was caused by the General Election in July 2024, and whether her Department has commissioned an independent assessment of the cause of the delay to that appointment.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The appointment of the operator for the first phase of EWR services was paused during the General Election campaign in July 2024. This Government then appointed Chiltern Railways as the operator in March 2025. The department has not commissioned an independent assessment of this specific delay to the programme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the M6 junction 38 closures on (a) local businesses, (b) tourism and (c) employment in Cumbria.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The M6 Lune Gorge bridge works are being undertaken to avoid future emergency interventions, such as unplanned closures or restrictions, which would have greater adverse impacts on local businesses, tourism and employment in Cumbria. These works will maintain the M6 as a safe and dependable corridor for freight, commerce and local communities for years to come.

National Highways has undertaken over 60 engagement sessions since 2023 to understand the local impact. National Highways is planning the works to minimise impact as far as possible and will continue to engage with local stakeholders to seek further mitigations where feasible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on a) drivers of extending the electric car grant; and b) motorcyclists of the planned cessation of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The £2 billion Electric Car Grant has been extended to 2030 to support drivers to purchase electric vehicles by reducing upfront costs. More than 90,000 people have already benefited from grants of up to £3,750 across 45 models.

In February 2025, we announced the decision to close the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which closed at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. Ending the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on uptake of zero emission motorcycles or on riders. The Government, working with industry, will continue to monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with his Ukrainian counterparts regarding the fit of a) uniform and b) body armour for female soldiers in combat operations, and whether his Department has discussed lessons learnt from the Government of Ukraine.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that all service personnel are equipped with appropriate and effective protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates project.

Procurement experts within the National Armaments Director group work closely with the Ministry of Defence's Op INTERFLEX Handling and Processing team, which collates feedback from Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel. This includes lessons from operational experience and female user feedback, which help to inform UK capability development.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in i) January 2026, ii) February 2026 and iii) March 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for the months January 2026 and February 2026 respectively.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026.

* - Includes those who are in training to be a driving examiner.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has held discussions with the Royal Aeronautical Society since July 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials routinely engage with a broad range of aviation stakeholders, including the Royal Aeronautical Society, to support strong and effective collaboration between government and industry on aviation related matters.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects the procurement of the Washwood Heath Depot for HS2 to conclude.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is going through their governance approval to conclude the procurement for Washwood Heath Depot (WWH). We expect to award the contract in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by the HS2 Ltd Helpdesk.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Twenty FTE (Full Time Equivalent) staff are employed on the HS2 Ltd helpdesk.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122525, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of click-throughs from (a) social media advertising and (b) DVSA job alert emails that resulted in (i) started and (ii) completed applications for driving examiner roles in the last 12 months.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

All driving examiner (DE) applications are made through Civil Service Jobs on GOV.UK. At the point of submitting an application on Civil Service Jobs no applicant source information is recorded.

Answer to Question 122526, 20 March 2026, provides details of subsequent surveys that might be completed by applicants.

Answer to Question 122526, 20 March 2026, also provided information on click through rates, but notes that it is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed applications.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122543 on Driving Tests: Recruitment, what data the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency collects on the source of applications for driving examiner roles at the point of application submission.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

All driving examiner (DE) applications are made through Civil Service Jobs on GOV.UK. At the point of submitting an application on Civil Service Jobs no applicant source information is recorded.

Answer to Question 122526, 20 March 2026, provides details of subsequent surveys that might be completed by applicants.

Answer to Question 122526, 20 March 2026, also provided information on click through rates, but notes that it is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed applications.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 121310 on Roads: Closures, what plans her Department to make a formal national assessment of the potential impact of long-term road and bridge closures on small businesses; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on this issue.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The impacts of long‑term road or bridge closures on small businesses vary significantly depending on local circumstances and the mitigation measures put in place. Responsibility for managing and mitigating these impacts sits with local highway authorities, which are best placed to understand local conditions.

The Department for Transport’s Structures Fund will inject cash into repairing run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn out tunnels across England, mitigating the need for road and bridge closures in the future.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122545 on the Vehicle Certification Agency: Fees and Charges, whether her Department has produced internal estimates of the additional annual revenue expected from the proposed fee increases.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) recently consulted on changes to certain fees. As part of the fee setting process the government considers all the evidence provided as well as long standing principles included in Managing Public Money. Any fee changes require the consent of this House through a fee order. As is the standard practice, I will update the House in due course

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the written ministerial statement of 23 March 2026 on Rail Infrastructure, HCWS1433, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the operating speed of HS2 on passenger capacity.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State has requested that Mark Wild look at ways to remove gold plating and complexity from the HS2 project, and if a slightly reduced specification could save time and money. We will not make the same mistakes of the past of making changes to scope without understanding all of the impacts, including on passenger capacity. We will not take any decisions until this work is complete.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many social and affordable homes are planned as part of the redevelopment of land at and around Euston associated with the HS2 programme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are working at pace with our Master Development Partner, Lendlease, on a Masterplan for Euston, with an emphasis on growth and delivering much needed housing, and will set out a clear plan in due course.

Further, the government has appointed Bek Seeley as the Chair to the Euston Housing Delivery Group, to understand the opportunities for thousands of new homes in the wider Euston area.

The Euston Housing Delivery Group is not pre-supposing the number of homes achievable but will robustly assess the scale of opportunity for housing around Euston.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2026 to Question 123240, what contribution improved cycling facilities will make to balancing aviation sector growth.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Airports and their local stakeholders consider all transport options as part their surface access strategies, which cover staff as well as customers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 123167 from the Hon. Member for Maidstone and Malling.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer given on 31 March 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2026 to WPQ 121808, what proportion of the Customer and Communities Designated Fund within the Road Investment Strategy 3 is allocated to (a) HGV parking capacity and (b) driver welfare facilities; and what targets have been set for delivery of additional HGV parking spaces over the RIS3 period.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Further detail on RIS3 funding allocations will be set out by National Highways in its Delivery Plan.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to Question 122529 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Question 122529 was answered on 2 April 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116574, what minimum number of public electric vehicle chargepoints her Department considers necessary by 2030 to meet anticipated demand; and how she will determine whether delivery is on track in the absence of a defined benchmark.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

An estimate of potential future demand for chargers was originally published in the 2022 “Taking Charge: The National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy” and was updated in 2024 to a range of 250,000 to 550,000 in 2030. Both the 2024 NAO ‘public chargepoints for electric vehicles’ report, and the Climate Change Committee 2025 Progress report, concluded that charge point rollout is on track.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 123517 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing requirements for standardised battery state of health information on the (a) regulatory burden on (i) manufacturers and (ii) sellers and (b) used electric vehicle prices.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 13 April 2026, the Department launched a public consultation on updating the minimum emission standards for new road vehicles to Euro 7.

Assessment of the impact of introducing these requirements will be included within the regulatory impact assessment accompanying any proposed legislation. Responses to the public consultation will be taken into account when completing this assessment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the decision was first taken to withdraw Class 455 units from the South Western Railway network; and how many such units were withdrawn in each month from the date that decision was taken until the final unit was removed from passenger service.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As part of the 2017 South Western refranchising competition, First MTR announced on 20 June 2017 that it would procure a new fleet of Aventra trains to operate on the Waterloo suburban routes over which Class 455 units operated. The Class 455 units were originally intended to be returned to their owner by December 2020, however delays to the introduction of the replacement units under SWR’s previous ownership meant that withdrawals commenced later than planned with the first Class 455 being returned in May 2022 and the final unit being returned in March 2026. In the intervening period, units were returned progressively to their owner on a flexible basis as new Class 701 units were introduced.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department will respond to the consultation entitled Changes to various permitted development rights for EV charging.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department ran a consultation between November 2025 and January 2026, seeking views on changes to permitted development rights for cross-pavement charging solutions and equipment housing. The Department will publish its response shortly.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120940, on what date the update to the road freight values of time in the Transport Analysis Guidance will be published.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are planning to publish the road freight value of travel time updates as definitive changes to the Transport Analysis Guidance on 28th May.

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 (a) Australia’s National Freight Data Hub, (b) the United States’ Commodity Flow Survey and (c) the Republic of Korea’s Transport Database on (i) monitoring driver welfare, (ii) rest provision and working conditions and (iii) fatigue-related risk across the freight and logistics system.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As noted in the answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120682, the Department for Transport recognises the value of international comparisons for its work, including (a) Australia’s National Freight Data Hub, (b) the United States’ Commodity Flow Survey and (c) the Republic of Korea’s Transport Database.

No formal assessments of the type described have been made for the comparators listed, but they are important parts of the Department's broad evidence base for policy making that supports freight and logistics and the wider transport system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 121180 on Network Rail: Assets, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decline in the Composite Sustainability Index for rail assets on long-term network resilience; and what steps her Department is taking to address the deterioration in underlying rail infrastructure condition.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is clear that Network Rail must ensure that network resilience is either maintained or improved during the current Control Period to an extent that is reasonable.

Network Rail assesses the resilience of the railway network on a continuing basis, under the oversight of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road and has had a Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation strategy in place since 2017.

Objectives for Great British Railways (GBR) in the next Funding Period regarding the condition of railway infrastructure will be a key element of Government’s considerations during the coming Funding Period Review. The impact of rail infrastructure condition on its resilience will be a part of this work. The condition of the network as assessed via the composite sustainability index metric does not necessarily correlate directly with levels of resilience.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are currently engaged by her Department in roles providing political advice or support to Ministers; and how many such individuals are classified as (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial or other political appointees outside the special adviser classification, including those not formally designated as special advisers but undertaking equivalent functions.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department currently has (a) 5 special advisers, and (b) no ministerial or other political appointees.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's report entitled Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July 2025, what expenditure is included under the category entitled Science, research and support functions, and if she will provide a breakdown of this spending by programme, activity, and delivery body for each year listed.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

‘Science, Research and Support Functions’ is an Estimate Line descriptor shown in the Statement of Parliamentary Supply within the 2024-25 Annual Report & Accounts. All costs recorded on this Estimate line are incurred by the Core department. A breakdown of the spending recorded in this Estimate Line for 2024-25 and 2023-24 is provided below.

Spending in 2024-25

Individual programmes incurring more than £5m spending in 2024-25, were:

• Bus Open Data Service (£11m, Capital DEL). This is the Department for Transport’s national digital platform that enables bus operators and certain local authorities to meet their legal obligations to publish bus service data. https://www.bus-data.dft.gov.uk/
• Road statistics survey and collection (£7m, Resource DEL) https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/
• National Travel survey (£5m, Resource DEL)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-travel-survey-statistics

Spending in 2023-24

Individual programmes incurring more than £5m spending in 2023-24, were:

• Bus Open Data Service (£13m Capital DEL).
• Road statistics survey and collection (£7m Resource DEL).
• National Travel Survey (£5m, Resource DEL).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date her Department will publish its annual report and accounts for the financial year 2025 to 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department plans to publish its 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts ahead of the Parliamentary summer recess.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in each month since January 2026 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026.

* Includes those who are in training to be a DE

The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below.

The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave.

April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car test for each month since January 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026.

* Includes those who are in training to be a DE

The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below.

The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave.

April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122959 on Unadopted Roads: Research, what was the cost to the public purse of the research study her Department commissioned from Ipsos UK on the operation of sections 37 and 38 of the Highways Act 1980 and whether the current road adoption system remains fit for purpose since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ipsos UK has been commissioned by the Department for Transport to conduct research into the operation of sections 37 and 38 of the Highways Act 1980 and to assess whether the current road adoption system remains fit for purpose. The total cost to the public purse of this research was £90,390.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122445, what further proposals the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has developed to reduce the time taken to onboard driving examiner recruits; and if she will publish the (a) expected impact of each proposal on recruitment timelines and (b) planned implementation timetable.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to review its recruitment processes to improve the onboarding experience of new entrants. DVSA has streamlined its processes, which should see applicants move through the recruitment process more quickly.

Alongside this DVSA is also seeking to further increase its training capacity to allow successful candidates to move more quickly from campaign candidate lists onto training courses for new entrant driving examiners.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 122888 on High Speed 2 Line: Crewe, when her Department expects to complete the work required to develop plans for a North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. We expect the delivery timelines for this line to follow the completion of HS2 and NPR.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what manual paper-based processes are in operation at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The vast majority of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main processes are digitised. Where any paper-based elements remain, DVSA continues to look to digitise these where possible. In a small number of cases, paper is used as part of processes where legislation requires or where digital is not practical for all users.

Examples of paper-based elements include:

• Pass certificates for all categories of driving test
• Applications to provide approved motorcycle training courses
• Evidence of a potential driving instructor’s (PDI) completed training and supervision, and declaration from sponsor
• Potential driving instructor (PDI) trainee licence and approved driving instructor (ADI) certificate of registration
• Out of pocket expense claims for a cancelled theory test or driving test.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 21 of her Department's report entitled Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July 2025, if she will provide a breakdown of the £644 million expenditure on Sustainable travel, including (a) the projects and programmes funded and (b) the amount allocated to each.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Page 21 of the Annual Report & Accounts is the ‘Financial Overview’ report, which presents total departmental spending by Estimate Line. ‘Sustainable Travel’ is an Estimate Line descriptor shown in the Statement of Parliamentary Supply within the 2024-25 Annual Report & Accounts. This Estimate Line records spending incurred by the Core department and Active Travel England. A breakdown of the spending incurred in 2024-25 is provided in the table below.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in each month since February 2026 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows how many driving test centres (DTC) recorded a waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car driving test for January, February, and March 2026.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in March 2026. The answer to Question 122532, 20 March 2026, provides data for February 2026.

* Includes those who are in training to be a DE

The national average waiting time (when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for a practical car driving test in January, February and March 2026 is shown in the table below.

The recent small increase in the national average waiting time was expected, and reflects test bookings running through the summer period, the busiest of the year, and a period of increased annual leave.

April’s data for all of the above will be available in May.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122891 on Driving Licences: Medical Records, if she will set out (a) when the DVLA's new casework system will become operational, (b) when updates to its online service will be completed and (c) how many additional staff have been recruited since 4 July 2024 to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new drivers’ medical casework system became fully operational on 27 February 2026. It is expected to deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions.

The new drivers’ medical online portal for customers was launched on 31 March 2026. This service will be subject to continuous improvement and the next release is due in July 2026. The majority of customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicle account.

The DVLA has recruited an additional 43 staff, with a further 22 expected to join by the end of April 2026, in the drivers’ medical casework team and an additional 100 staff in its contact centre to deal with drivers’ medical calls. All these staff have been recruited in the last six months.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the DVSA has prepared a contingency plan for the operation of driving tests in the event of fuel rationing or wider fuel supply disruption.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has well-developed and tested contingency plans for a range of situations that could affect the provision of its services, including driving tests.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 116783, on Energy: Housing, what assessment his Department has made of the aggregate impact on total household energy consumption of voltage reduction technologies installed in domestic properties, taking into account (a) the proportion of appliances that are power-controlled and resistive, and (b) likely behavioural responses by consumers to any reduction in appliance performance.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The lowering of voltage only reduces electricity consumption with resistive appliances. a)The relative proportion of appliances that are power-controlled vs resistive is moving in favour of power-controlled appliances due to changes in technology. For example, filament bulbs, electric bar fires, immersion heating and older white goods are resistive, but more efficient LED bulbs, heat pumps, EV chargers and modern white goods with asynchronous motors are power controlled. b) The department has not conducted studies of consumer responses to poorer performance from their resistive appliances due to lower voltages.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122592 on Electric Vehicles: Hire Services, whether her Department plans to break down the data by owned fleet and hired vehicles.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Data for the Greening Government Commitments framework for 2021-25, including the Government Fleet Commitment (GFC), was collected by Defra and published on GOV.UK. Reporting for the GFC was required for both owned fleet and hired vehicles as set out in the published reporting requirements. For the status of the next set of Greening Government Commitments I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 February 2026 to the hon. Member for Bristol Central, PQ UIN 114247.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of opening cycleways to horse riders.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

My Department has made no such assessment.

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of cycling infrastructure and for considering appropriate provision for horse riders. The Highway Code is clear that cycle tracks are not intended for use by horse riders and any such assessment would be for local authorities to make.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department will publish updated guidance to local authorities on (a) setting local speed limits and (b) the deployment of speed and red-light cameras; and whether a timetable has been set for implementation.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As previously stated, the Department will begin work on updating the Setting Local Speed Limits and Red Light and Speed Camera guidance shortly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111457, how much was allocated from the capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) each year for the rest of the spending review.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Funding allocated from the Home Office capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs associated with electric vehicle (EV) charging is as follows:

• 2024–25 (actual): £503,000
• 2025–26 (forecast): £604,000
• 2026–27 (forecast): £1.3 million
• 2027–28 (forecast): £1 million
• 2028–29 (forecast): £1 million

The allocations for 2027–28 and 2028–29 are currently indicative placeholder figures included within the existing project pipeline and may be subject to change. The current forecast allocation for 2026–27 remains £1.3 million. A review of the longer-term electric vehicle charging infrastructure delivery strategy for the remainder of the Spending Review period is ongoing.

The Government has set a target for all vehicles in the central government fleet to be zero-emission by the end of 2027. This transition predominantly impacts operational vehicles used by Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and Border Security Command.

To support this transition, Home Office Property Services has been commissioned to install EV charging infrastructure at Home Office buildings to enable the charging of electric fleet vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Charging Project (EVCP) was mobilised to deliver this infrastructure and is currently undertaking a strategic review to set priorities for the remainder of the Spending Review period.

The costs covered by this funding include the design and installation of charging points, associated legal fees where landlord agreements are required, and enabling works with local electricity distribution network operators.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers available to Trading Standards authorities at county level to take action against premises engaged in persistent breaches of consumer protection and trading laws; whether he has considered devolving powers to county-level Trading Standards authorities to enable them to apply for the closure of premises in cases of serious or repeat offending; and what discussions he has had with the (a) Home Office and (b) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on aligning enforcement powers between licensing authorities, the police, and county-level enforcement bodies.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales are responsible for delivering trading standards services, aiming to ensure fair trading and safeguard both consumers and reputable businesses. Trading standards services operate independently from central government and enforce a wide range of laws, tailored to local needs.

Where issues impact on a wider group of consumers or businesses, or the detriment is particularly high, other regulators have power to take action. For instance, National Trading Standards plays a role in delivery of broader national and regional enforcement issues, supported by local trading standards services.

We keep this system under review, and the Department for Business and Trade is reviewing the current duties of Trading Standards to ensure that consumers remain protected from harm. My department is working with the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and other Whitehall Departments in this work.

The Business Secretary and the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister recently wrote jointly to Cabinet colleagues to ask them to set out what further action they plan to take in this Parliament to address consumer harms in their areas, including on toughening enforcement actions against conduct and businesses that do the most harm to the community.

We will report back on this work in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed junction 38 closures on emergency service response times in Cumbria.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Decisions on emergency service responses and traffic management decisions for motorway roadworks are for emergency service responders and National Highways, respectively. They have the expertise to make decisions with regard to responder access, public safety and site constraints, based on individual circumstances.

No assessment has been made by the Home Office of the potential impact to emergency service response times from the proposed roadworks at Junction 38 of the M6 Motorway.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 121006, when the review of the highways maintenance funding formula will be completed; and if she will publish the outcomes of that review.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Any review would be conducted to align with the end of the period for which highways maintenance block allocations have already been made.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 120168 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, how many immobilisation devices were unlawfully removed from a vehicle in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the number of immobilisation devices which were unlawfully removed from a vehicle in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects driver training to have been completed for passenger services to commence on trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to conclude the remaining staffing arrangements required for the first East West Rail passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. This includes training the 44 recruited train drivers. Passenger services will commence once train testing and driver training are complete and all necessary authorisations and agreements are in place. A start date for services will be announced as soon as it is possible to do so.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118924, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the proportion of UK Emissions Trading Scheme costs in the maritime sector expected to be passed through to consumers and (b) how that estimate varies by subsector, including ferries and passenger services; and what international evidence underpins those assumptions.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Impact Assessment finds UK ETS compliance costs are modest relative to operators’ overall costs and does not identify significant consumer price impacts. This is expected to be consistent across maritime subsectors.

For ferries and passenger services, the Government has not undertaken route level modelling for the UK ETS domestic maritime expansion, as operators’ commercial decisions, vessel utilisation and fare structures vary widely.

The EU ETS, which includes some passenger ferries in scope, shows fare changes have generally been in the low single digit range. Early evidence from the EU scheme suggests short‑sea shipping routes and ferry fares increased by 3-11% under comparable carbon pricing.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 119499 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Rt Hon Member received a response to PQ UIN 119499 on 20th April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120874, whether his Department plans to publish the baseline information it holds on private parking appeals; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of disputes and appeals relating to private parking charges for each of the last five years.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government does not hold a breakdown of the number of disputes and appeals relating to private parking charges for each of the last five years.

Some baseline information on private parking appeals includes information already in the public domain such as the trade associations’ annual reports and these may be accessed via the IAS and POPLA sites.

Any other relevant information will be published in the government response when the Code is laid in autumn 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120952 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120023 from the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120171 from the hon. Member for Yeovil.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 122925 from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 123366 from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122220 on DfT Operator, what was the cost to the public purse of establishing the new sponsorship model and team; how many staff are employed in that team; from which directorates those staff have been drawn; and what the team's annual budget is.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There has been no additional cost to the public purse in establishing the new DFTO sponsorship model and team. The team was formed by redeploying existing staff. This approach ensured that existing expertise and institutional knowledge were retained. Day‑to‑day engagement with DFTO on specific policy and delivery matters is led by relevant policy teams across the Department, which act as clients. This is brought together through a small central sponsorship team of three full‑time staff, which provides overall coordination and oversight.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121418 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 122251 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 122680 from the Rt hon. Member for Braintree.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121149 from the hon. Member for Chichester.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the purchase price for an individual of an a) Network Railcard, b) 16-17 Saver, c) 16-25 Railcard, d) 26-30 Railcard, e) Family & Friends Railcard, f)) Two Together Railcard, g) Senior Railcard, h) Disabled Persons Railcard and i) Veterans Railcard in each year of the last 10 years.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below contains the prices of these railcards for each of the last 10 years (or from their introduction if this is more recent). In addition, the final column shows what the cost would be now in 2025/26 if the price had been increased by RPI cumulatively since 2016/17:

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a written assessment of the commercial impact on existing private sector BNG technology providers was completed before the Alpha phase of contract C24064 was approved.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 104693, what conclusions were reached at the meeting between National Highways, BWB Consulting and Kier on 17 December 2025 regarding temporary slip roads at M6 junction 38.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

At the meeting, National Highways shared information on its proposed delivery approach and emerging design and construction methodology. BWB Consulting raised questions and outlined high‑level proposals.

National Highways committed to further engagement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105309 on Animal Welfare, when her Department plans to launch the consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has committed to launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations, as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy published on 22 December 2025. This will be delivered in due course and will seek views from all those with an interest.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the planned Supply Chain Centre will become operational; what its initial remit will be; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that centre on mitigating domestic supply chain vulnerabilities.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, with its formal launch expected to take place later in the year. The Centre’s remit will be to lead work across government, working with business, to strengthen the resilience of supply chains critical to UK security and prosperity, including those linked to the Industrial Strategy, through data‑driven reviews. The Centre will take a more strategic, assertive and data‑led approach to identifying vulnerabilities and improving readiness for potential disruptions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in each month since December 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department's priority objectives for train operators are to improve performance and reduce financial subsidy. It does not routinely publish specific instructions made to operators.

We have asked train operators to reflect how they will deliver these priorities in their plans for the next five years. The output of those plans will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations will be launched; and what her planned timetable is for its conclusion and response.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare strategy sets out Government priorities until 2030. Policies will be delivered throughout this time. Next steps on the consultation will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 121409 on Parking: Private Sector, when did the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency last review the £2.50 fee charged for the release of vehicle keeper data; what the outcome of that review was; and when the next scheduled review of that fee will take place.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The £2.50 fee for the release of vehicle keeper data is currently being reviewed. If there are any changes made to the fee as a result of that review, these will be communicated at the appropriate time.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential (a) economic, (b) traffic and (c) community impacts of the proposed closure of M6 junction 38 during the Lune Gorge bridge replacement works.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways’ current traffic management proposals would keep Junction 38 of M6 partially open, apart from a limited number of full weekend and overnight closures. For the majority of the works, slip road closures would be phased, with traffic diverted via the M6 to the next junction and then back. While disruptive, they would be required to carry out the bridge replacement works safely. National Highways is still considering options proposed by stakeholders, including temporary slip roads at junction 38, and other traffic mitigations.

Traffic impacts on diversion routes are being assessed through live surveys with Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority.

National Highways has undertaken over 60 engagement sessions since 2023 to understand the impact on the local community and businesses. As the project progresses towards construction in Spring 2027, the construction methodology and traffic management plans will be finalised. This work will determine what mitigation measures are both necessary and feasible to deliver the scheme safely.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of coaches that are compliant with the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 for use in rail replacement services after the expiry of the current exemption on 31 July 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (AIR) require the provision of audible and visible route and location information on board most local bus and coach services in Great Britain. Local services subject to the Regulations must comply with them by October 2026, and we expect operators to ensure this happens on time.

The government understands and recognises the specific challenges to comply with AIR within the rail replacement sector. We continue to work with partners, including the Rail Delivery Group, DfT Operator Limited and bus and coach trade bodies, to assess the sector’s readiness for full compliance across the whole rail network, and to provide support to help them achieve this. This includes the development of new technological solutions for providing information on board coaches, funding for smaller operators, alongside the existing time-limited exemption from the technical requirements of AIR, which is due to end on 31 July 2026. The exemption was put in place to ensure that rail passengers could still complete their journeys whilst rail replacement operators equip their fleets to comply with the Regulations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121319 on Bus Services: Franchises, if she will provide a breakdown of the additional funding from 2026/27 by (a) funding stream, (b) annual allocation for each year of the Spending Review period and (c) by revenue and capital funding.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is providing two funding streams to support authorities who wish to franchise their bus services. The first is a £3 million Bus Franchising Support Fund in 2026/27 for Mayoral Strategic Authorities that have commenced the statutory franchising process, to support their transition to franchised bus services. The second is a fund of approximately £10 million per year until 2029 for a franchising support package for local authorities that are actively seeking to transition to a franchised network. Both funds provide revenue funding only.

South Yorkshire Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, Transport for West Midlands, Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have each been allocated £500,000 of the £3 million fund. The Department is currently in the process of assessing expression of interest application forms from local authorities for the £10 million Franchise Support Fund.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what modelling has been undertaken on the potential impact of diverting traffic from the M6 onto local roads, including the A685, during the proposed closure of junction 38.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Current traffic management proposals for the M6 Lune Gorge project are being designed to keep traffic on the M6 motorway for the majority of the project. A contraflow system is planned on the M6 to provide a safe working area for construction, while maintaining sufficient lane capacity to avoid significant disruption to drivers.

There will need to be a limited number of full closures of the M6 overnight and at weekends. During these closures, traffic will be diverted onto the local road network using the A6, A591 and A590. This diversion route has been agreed with the relevant local highway authorities as the most suitable option.

National Highways’ current proposals for traffic management arrangements at Junction 38 would keep the junction partially open with traffic diverted via the M6 to the next junction and then back. National Highways is still considering options proposed by stakeholders, including temporary slip roads at junction 38 and other traffic mitigations.

National Highways does not intend to use the A685 as a diversion route. The decision to defer Lawtland House Bridge works, which the A685 runs over, was made to provide additional connectivity to the local community during the Lune Gorge project.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 118274 on M1: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the roadworks on the M1 northbound between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Repairs to the central reservation drainage on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed. All traffic management was removed on 30 March 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120036 on the Highway Code, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals were represented on the expert stakeholder group; and how many times that stakeholder group met during the drafting of Rule H1.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The expert stakeholder group convened by the previous government when it determined the new rule could be introduced included individuals from The Automobile Association (AA), British Horse Society (BHS), BRAKE, Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), Cycling UK, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), First Car – representing Younger Road Users, Institute for Transport Studies Leeds – Representing Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), Living Streets, Phil Jones Associates, Road Safety Foundation – representing Older Road Users, TMS Consultancy – representing Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), Transport for London (TfL), Transport Scotland and Welsh Government.

The expert stakeholder group met five times during the drafting of updates to the Highway Code to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including Rule H1.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Downing Street press release of 9 April 2025, on policing, what definition the Prime Minister’s office uses of the term 'across the country' in official communications.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

An official definition does not exist, but it is a term that will be widely recognised by the public.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of marriages between uncle and niece legally contracted overseas by people now residing in England and Wales.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on overseas marriages.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123167 on British Transport Police: Finance, whether the cost of the British Transport Police has been included in the Government’s cost estimates for rail nationalisation; and what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of funding the British Transport Police under a fully nationalised rail system.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The British Transport Police’s budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority, who are the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. They have already agreed a budget settlement with the Force up to 2028/29, increasing by 15% from £418.5m in 2025/26 to £481.5m in 2028/29.

We anticipate that the level of funding following this will similarly balance the needs of the industry and the force against public sector affordability.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the current shortage of train drivers, broken down by Department for Transport Operator area, in terms of a) total number of drivers required, and b) percentage shortfall against required establishment; and what steps her Department is taking to address these shortages in each area.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department works with DFT Operator to ensure all operators have the appropriate resource to deliver timetabled services robustly, including train drivers. All train operating companies have been asked to complete a 7-point traincrew resourcing proposal as part of their annual business plan. These plans cover staffing levels, recruitment, training, overtime and planning efficiency to improve reliability, including revising target establishment levels to support effective workforce planning. When we assessed train operating companies’ levels of driver resource in 2024 we found shortages and excessive reliance on rest day working.

The Department is also taking forward several measures to help the rail industry recruit new train drivers into the industry, including lowering the minimum age to be a train driver from 20 to 18 and working with Skills England and the rail industry to strengthen pathways for school leavers into train driving. This includes updating the Train Driving Level 3 Apprenticeship and developing a Rail Foundation Apprenticeship to be offered from the age of 16.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the HMT policy paper, "New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, published on 17 March 2025, whether the Food Standard Agency’s commitment to meet EU regulatory requirements for food grade recycled plastic a deregulatory policy; and in what respect do such EU requirements apply to (a) Great Britain and (b) the United Kingdom.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) commitment to support United Kingdom businesses in meeting European Union regulatory requirements for food-grade recycled plastics is not a deregulatory policy. It reflects a facilitative and proportionate approach that supports economic growth and international trade while maintaining high standards of food safety.

Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU requirements for food grade recycled plastics do not apply directly in Great Britain as domestic law. However, they apply in practice where UK operators choose to place recycled plastic food contact materials, or food packaged in such materials, on the EU market. In Northern Ireland, relevant EU food contact materials legislation continues to apply under the Windsor Framework, including the EU rules on recycled plastic food contact materials.

The EU regulation on recycled plastic food contact materials requires specified “national authority” functions to be carried out. These functions are obligatory to support Northern Ireland-based operators in achieving full compliance with EU law. The FSA, together with Food Standards Scotland, has committed to act as the competent authority for food grade recycled plastic in respect of UK operators, enabling Northern Ireland obligations to be met and supporting Great Britain-based operators where they choose to access the EU market.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the East West Rail route, a) how many train movements have taken place on that route in the last 12 months; and b) how many of those movements were i) steam-hauled trains, ii) diesel passenger trains, iii) electric passenger trains, and iv) other non-passenger or testing services.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Along the East West Rail route, from 5^th April 2025 - 4^th April 2026 there have been 2257 train movements. This includes 4 stream trains and 60 diesel passenger trains. 2193 other non-passenger or testing services have taken place, including freight trains.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120278 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, whether she will publish the analysis underpinning the estimated monthly cost savings under the proposed Government’s proposed electric Vehicle Excise Duty.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

In answer to Question 120278 the Government set out that analysis suggests that the average EV driver will pay around £20 a month under the Government’s eVED proposals once the new policy starts in 2028, roughly half the equivalent rate for a petrol car.

This is based on an average EV driving 8,000 miles per year subject to an eVED rate of three pence per mile. The average EV driver will therefore pay £240 - or £20 per month - in eVED, while an average petrol/diesel car driving the same distance will pay around £480 in fuel duty, or six pence per mile.

The Government has set out expected impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a national dyslexia strategy for schools in England; and what steps her Department is taking to support the sharing of best practice in identifying and supporting pupils with dyslexia across schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including dyslexia.

The department is consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. To support the sharing of best practice, the department will appoint an independent expert panel to develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools and strategies for educators to draw on to identify and support students with SEN. This comes alongside significant investment to bolster capacity and expertise with an investment of £1.8 billion so every community has access to 'Experts at Hand’.

In addition, the ‘Reading Ambition for All’ programme aims to improve reading outcomes for children that need additional support, including those with SEN. We are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the current revenue to the Exchequer of VAT from pilot training; and what would the estimated net cost to the Exchequer be of removing VAT from pilot training.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not hold information on the VAT revenue from pilot training.

This is because businesses are not required to provide a breakdown by product or service on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 21 January 2026 (UIN 105280) stating that the Government has no plans to change policy in this area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the delay to repairs at Bransty Tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast Line, including (a) the reasons why no works have commenced eight months after closure, (b) the status of environmental permitting with the Environment Agency, and (c) the expected timetable for the start of works and full reopening of the line.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail is responsible for the delivery of works at Bransty Tunnel, and my officials are supporting Network Rail on this matter.

The issue at Bransty Tunnel was identified when Network Rail, as part of routine planned maintenance and renewals, undertook ground investigations that revealed unstable conditions within the tunnel resulting from historic mining activity in the area. This is linked to the ochreous water discharge at Whitehaven harbour.

Given the remnants of the mining activity, and large amounts of flowing water, a much larger, more complex package of work than was originally anticipated is needed to rectify these poor conditions, leading to the extended closure of the tunnel.

A dedicated Network Rail Whitehaven Recovery Taskforce is now in place to address the flooding and structural issues at Bransty Tunnel linked to the historic mining activity. Detailed inspections are complete, and a permanent £49 million repair solution has been independently verified and is ready to be delivered. This includes water management, tunnel stabilisation, and subsequent track and drainage renewal.

Although Network Rail has agreed to progress, agreement is needed with the Environment Agency and the Mining Remediation Authority before on-site work can commence due to environmental and regulatory requirements. DfT Operator’s rail environment team is supporting this.

Network Rail is working closely with the Mining Remediation Authority and the Environment Agency to align the necessary environmental consents so that water contamination issues can be addressed alongside the repairs.

Network Rail will provide a further public update once work can begin. Delivery is expected to take six to nine months.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 121208 on A14: Trees, whether the work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme has commenced; and what the expected completion date is.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways has commenced work to remove redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards along the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme. To date, around 36,000 redundant tree guards have been removed, and the work is expected to be completed by May 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117050 on A34: Safety, whether the road marking renewal works on the A34 from Chieveley to the M40 have now been completed; and if she will provide an updated timetable for completion if those works remain ongoing.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The programme of road marking renewal works on the A34 between Chieveley and the M40 is largely complete. One remaining closure is still required to complete the final element of the works, and National Highways is working with the local highway authority to minimise disruption. All remaining works should be complete by the summer.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121903 on Driving Tests: Vacancies, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of holding centrally a snapshot of the total number of driving examiner vacancies by calendar month.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Monthly driving examiner vacancy figures have limited value because numbers change frequently due to demand, training, turnover and capacity. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency manages its workforce flexibly, matching examiner numbers to demand and using a test centre level view to support recruitment and deployment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 126073, when the forthcoming guidance from Active Travel England will be published.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On 25 March, Active Travel England set out the intention to publish guidance during 2026 to help authorities design safer streets for women and girls.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of new car registrations that will be zero emission vehicles in 2027 under (a) central, (b) low and (c) high uptake scenarios.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department regularly updates its projections of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) uptake. The latest published projections were included in the Cost Benefit Analysis accompanying the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2025, which outlined three scenarios for ZEV uptake following the updates to the legislation, which include projections covering the period 2025 to 2030. It included three scenarios: central, low, and high. The Cost Benefit Analysis has been published at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/1101/pdfs/uksiod_20251101_en_001.pdf

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the future role of the Railway Benefit Fund under Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF), which is the working name of the ‘Railway Benevolent Institution’, is an independent non-membership charity, supported by charitable fundraising and donations, and regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. We recognise the value of the RBF and the important work that it does. The future role of the RBF, whether now or when Great British Railways (GBR) is established, is a matter for the charity. However, we do not anticipate the establishment of GBR to have any adverse effect on the RBF.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121469 on Electric Vehicles: Prices, whether her Department plans to update its projections for when zero emission vehicles will reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT continues to monitor evidence on prices and projections.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, where the extradition is sought by foreign governments of sitting Members of Parliament who are (a) UK nationals and (b) dual nationals, whether the Speaker would be consulted as part of such proceedings.

Answered by Nick Smith

This is not a question for the Commission.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the monthly average waiting time was for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre and zone for a) March and b) April 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066787) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre, and zone, for March 2026. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available.

Data for April 2026 will be available in May 2026.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also records national median waiting time data (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for practical car driving tests. In March 2026 this was 9 weeks. This data, broken down by test centre and zone, is currently not available for March and April 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121577 on Roads: Carbon Emissions, how much is the total additional cost to the public purse of the one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 programme; and if she will set out how that cost is being funded.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport will provide up to £300,000 to support a one-year extension to the Live Labs 2 innovation programme. This will help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to highways maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials for repairing roads more quickly, more efficiently and less often.

This will be funded from departmental budgets agreed at the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 121006, when the planned review of the funding formula for highways maintenance will commence.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Any review would be conducted to align with the end of the period for which highways maintenance block allocations have already been made.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122287 on Motor Vehicles: Hire Services, how many category M1 and N1 vehicles are exempt from the Government Fleet Commitment by default; and if she will provide a breakdown of that number by vehicle type.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Data for the Greening Government Commitments framework for 2021-25, including the Government Fleet Commitment (GFC), was collected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and published on GOV.UK, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-april-2021-to-march-2024-report.

Reporting for the GFC was required for in-scope vehicles only. Neither DEFRA nor the Department for Transport holds further data on vehicles that are exempted by default across Government fleets.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for a) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and b) Haughley Junction upgrades and c) whether she has plans to undertake a BCR assessment for the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government’s commitment to a significant programme of railway investment was announced as part of Spending Review 2025. We will set out our plans for further investment in rail infrastructure in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122316, whether the Government plans to resume the York Area Capacity and Performance Project.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line, aligned with emerging plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. This work will consider potential investment opportunities at key locations across the route, such as York.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund these through the budgets agreed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 908536 on Road Works: Compensation, if her Department plans to approve further lane rental schemes in 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Legislation is being laid shortly to bring seven new lane rental schemes into force. We are also devolving approval powers to mayoral authorities, with further applications continuing to be assessed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has Network Rail undertaken on public affairs companies, and for what purposes, since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

From July 2024 to March 2026, Network Rail spent £372,914 on its Stakeholder Engagement Services contract.

This contract supports Network Rail's duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of statutory consultees, national and regional representatives are informed of the work to operate and improve the rail network.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 107772 from the Rt hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2026 to Question 107772.