Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of uninsured drivers that are non-UK citizens.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My Department does not hold the number and proportion of collisions involving uninsured drivers that were caused by non-UK citizens. Nor do we have information on the number of uninsured drivers that are non-UK citizens.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 requires all drivers to have third party insurance cover. The Government takes uninsured driving seriously. Police forces work closely with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) to tackle this. This collaborates through Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), a scheme where MIB and DVLA collaborate to identify uninsured drivers, police enforcement on the road and through Operation Tutelage.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2025 to Question 87145 on Driving Licenses, if she will provide this information by nationality.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The data requested is provided in the attached table which shows the number of GB licences exchanged for a licence issued in each of the countries listed. Please note that this will not necessarily be the nationality of the licence holder. The table also includes licences issued in exchange for a licence issued in Northern Ireland, the Crown Dependencies, the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84798 on Driving Licences, how many code 70s were issued in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of GB driving licences issued in exchange for a licence issued in a non-UK country (which will have code 70 shown on the licence) in each of the last ten years is shown in the table below:
Calendar Year | Number of non-GB licences exchanged for a GB one |
2016 | 175,055 |
2017 | 170,477 |
2018 | 150,431 |
2019 | 161,653 |
2020 | 123,690 |
2021 | 117,525 |
2022 | 146,672 |
2023 | 137,662 |
2024 | 117,721 |
2025 (to 30 Sept) | 67,056 |
To be eligible to exchange a foreign licence for a GB equivalent, the applicant would have to have passed their test in a European Union/European Economic Area country or a country designated for driving licence exchange.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data the DLVA records on where a driver passed their driving test when exchanging a non-UK licence for a UK licence.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
When a GB driving licence is issued in exchange for a licence issued in a non-GB country, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) add a ‘Code 70’ to the driver’s record to indicate that the driving licence was obtained through an exchange. Also, the driver record and the photocard driving licence display the country in which the exchanged licence was issued, the driving categories that the licence holder is entitled to drive and the start dates for each category.
To be eligible to exchange a foreign licence for a GB equivalent, the applicant would have to have passed their test in a European Union/European Economic Area country or a country designated for driving licence exchange.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people who were applying for asylum have been issued with a driving licence since 2020.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To be issued with a driving licence, the law requires that the applicant is both normally and lawfully resident in GB. Individuals who are subject to immigration control must have been granted either leave to remain or leave to enter the country by the Home Office before a licence will be issued.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many employees in her Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year.
Answered by Mike Kane
Organograms for Senior Civil Servant roles provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. This data is published by departments on a quarterly basis, the latest information for the Department for Transport can be found here: Organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries - data.gov.uk
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the proportion of local authorities that conduct (a) in-person interviews and (b) English language testing before issuing (i) taxi and (ii) private hire vehicle licences.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Policing and Crime Act 2017 enables the Secretary of State for Transport to issue statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and private hire vehicle licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults. Statutory guidance was published in 2020 under these powers. This statutory guidance includes a recommendation that a licensing authority’s test of a driver’s English language proficiency should cover both oral and written English language skills to ensure that drivers have the ability to understand written documents, such as policies and guidance, relating to the protection of children and vulnerable adults and can identify and act on the signs of potential exploitation.
As of 1 April 2024, 81% of licensing authorities in England reported that they require the taxi drivers that they license to meet a minimum standard of proficiency for either written, oral or both written and oral English language. As of 1 April 2024, 82% of licensing authorities in England reported that they require the private hire vehicle drivers that they license to meet a minimum standard of proficiency for either written, oral or both written and oral English language. We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.
The Department does not hold any information about whether licensing authorities conduct in-person interviews for applicants for taxi or private hire vehicle driver licences.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.
Answered by Mike Kane
Across DfT (DfTc and EAs), in FY 24/25, 901 out of 909 contracts were awarded to British Companies (based in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
Companies were determined as British Companies by reviewing suppliers addresses and operations for the contracts (to determine if they were based in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.
Answered by Mike Kane
We have provided a response based on the number of accepted requests via the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy. This does not include staff working overseas on official business postings, with the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy focusing on staff who are assigned to offices within the UK but have sought permission to temporarily work remotely overseas for exceptional reasons. The response to this question also only refers to DfT core, rather than wider group DfT.
On 3rd July 2025, DfTc had 4 members of staff with permission through our Working Remotely Overseas Policy to temporarily work outside of the UK. These members of staff are working from the Netherlands, India, Malawi and the United States of America.