Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling (a) pavement parking and (b) other obstructions for (i) pushchair, (ii) wheelchair and (iii) mobility aid users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with local authorities on these matters. The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairments and those with wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate. Recent reforms by my Department to the process by which Traffic Regulation Orders are made will make it easier for them to do so.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the availability of driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 freight crime on the economy since 2020.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is aware of the rising frequency of freight crime and the damaging impact it can have on businesses and the economy. The Government is working closely with the police, wider automative industry, and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) to ensure the response to vehicle crime is strong as it can be.
The National Vehicle Crime Working Group has established a network of vehicle crime specialists, involving every police force in England and Wales, to share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime. The Government is also continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised crime, which has a vehicle crime intelligence desk covering freight crime.
The freight crime data from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service is:
Year | No. of Offences | Total Loss Value |
2020 | 4,481 | £94.9 million |
2021 | 4,434 | £71.4 million |
2022 | 5,086 | £66 million |
2023 | 5,373 | £68 million |
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is considering measures to bring rolling stock (a) procurement and (b) ownership into public ownership as contracts with leasing companies expire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Rolling stock companies own and lease trains and carriages worth billions of pounds. It would not be responsible for the Government to take on the cost of renationalising all the rolling stock at the present time, as there are other urgent pressures on the public purse and we need to focus on wider rail reform.
The Government will develop a long-term strategy for rolling stock and associated infrastructure, which will have passengers at its heart and which will also support the supply chain by providing a predictable pipeline of work. Once established, Great British Railways will take a whole-system and long-term approach to using rolling stock across the network, providing certainty to manufacturers and rolling stock companies across the country and globally. Taking this approach to rolling stock will enable greater certainty and lower risk for the supply chain and will be a better way to secure value for money than the failed franchising model.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increased coordination with the European Union on the mutual recognition of the Blue badge parking scheme for UK citizens travelling in EU member states.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government is committed to championing greater accessibility for disabled people and has informal reciprocal agreements in place with many other European countries so that Blue Badges can be used there; information and guidance on this can be found on GOV.UK. Those travelling overseas should always check local rules before using their Blue Badge abroad.
Through close engagement with our French friends and allies, this Government has now secured mutual recognition with them regarding our respective disabled parking permits. This means that UK Blue Badge holders can now travel with confidence when heading to France for their holidays or travel.The Department is currently working on a similar mutual recognition agreement with Spain, and we will update GOV.UK once this is finalised.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth in Warrington South constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to driving economic growth across all regions through a better-connected, more reliable and greener transport network.
As part of our long-term plan for transport, Warrington Borough Council has been allocated over £33 million from the £2.3 billion Local Transport Grant between 2026/27 and 2029/30. This streamlined funding will support local priorities such as easing congestion, enhancing public transport, and expanding active travel options, helping to boost economic growth, improve access to jobs and support local development.
Warrington is also in line to benefit from the Government’s £24 billion investment in road infrastructure during this period, supporting faster, safer and more resilient journeys across the country.
The Department has also provided over £600,000 to support work on the regeneration and masterplanning of Warrington Bank Quay station, which will play a key role in unlocking housing and economic opportunities. We are continuing to work with stakeholders on this and, as announced by the Chancellor in Parliament, we will set out this government’s plans for taking forward our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the coming weeks.
Together, these investments reflect the Government’s commitment to improving local transport in Warrington South and supporting long-term economic growth.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Recommendation 11 of the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Report, published on 16 June 2025, what legislative proposals her Department is developing to standardise taxi and private hire vehicle licensing across local authorities; and what steps she is taking to prevent the use of out of area taxis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.
In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.
Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the expansion of (a) safe, (b) accessible and (c) integrated (i) cycling and (ii) walking infrastructure.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor has recently announced £616 million for Active Travel England up to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure. In addition, this Government will provide nearly £18 billion to local authorities through the Transport for City Region settlements and the Local Transport Grant, supporting them to invest in their local transport priorities, including walking and cycling.
Active Travel England works with local authorities to help design and deliver high-quality networks. The forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy we will help to ensure that active travel is safe, accessible and integrated with other modes to encourage more people to cycle, walk and wheel.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for when Northern Powerhouse Rail will be complete.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget, which can be accessed on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2024, the Government is maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery, building upon the Transpennine Route Upgrade. The Government will set out further details of its plans in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail; and what her planned timetable is to announce further information.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Transport is an essential part of our mission to rebuild Briain, and the Government is committed to improving rail connectivity across the North. As announced in the Budget, the Government is progressing planning and design works to support future delivery of our plans for rail connectivity in the North and will set out further details in due course.