Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available to businesses affected by disruption arising from maintenance works on the strategic road network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways has a duty to maintain highways under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. It is a publicly funded body and is not obliged or required to pay compensation for disruption, inconvenience, costs or loss of business caused by roadworks.
National Highways recognises the importance of minimising impacts on businesses during maintenance works. It engages with businesses, local authorities and other stakeholders, to plan and communicate works and diversion routes, with the aim of reducing impacts as far as possible.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122526, what data limitations prevent the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency from tracking the conversion of recruitment campaign click-throughs into completed applications.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As with any job advertisement on Civil Service Jobs, candidates must have registered an account with the site to apply for a vacancy. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is not responsible for this site.
The only data DVSA can directly extract from campaigns run on Civil Service Jobs, and candidates’ activity as part of these, relates to the overall numbers of applications, such as applications started and completed. This data does not link back to any previous click-throughs.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the flights listed to the British Virgin Islands in WPQ 120039, a) what the purpose was of each such visit; b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit; c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; d) what the total cost was of each visit; and e) what assessment was made of whether those engagements could be conducted remotely or combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
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 trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes to have been sufficiently fully tested for passenger services to commence.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Chiltern subleases the trains that will be used on East West Rail from West Midlands Trains. The operator continues to work jointly with the train owner and the industry supply chain on the schedule for the final modifications which are expected to be delivered and tested imminently.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) affordability of at home EV charging.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government continues to offer grant funding for those living in flats and rented accommodation, with up to £500 per charge point socket.
The Government is also continuing to support drivers to access cheaper, flexible charging tariffs, both at home and in public. The Government set out a range of steps to support this as part of its Clean Flexibility Roadmap 2025.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
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, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has made of the adequacy of conversion rates from application to appointment for driving examiner roles by recruitment channel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As with any recruitment in the Civil Service, all applications must be made through Civil Service Jobs. There are several stages candidates must progress through before being offered employment, and consequently there will be candidates unsuccessful at various stages of the process.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) must ensure appointments are made based on merit following fair and open competition. As well as parts of the application process common to other Civil Service roles – eligibility checks, application forms, interviews, DBS checks - there are elements that are unique to the recruitment process for driving examiners (DE) when compared to other roles.
Upholding road safety standards underpins everything DVSA does, and the recruitment process has to ensure those employed as DEs can determine if a candidate is ready and safe to take to the road alone.
Candidates successful at interview will undertake an assessment of their driving ability, which they must pass. Further details of what this assessment entails can be found on GOV.UK.
Candidates who successfully pass recruitment and are offered employment must undertake and pass a training programme before conducting tests.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what average grant value per vehicle has been assumed in modelling the Zero Emission Truck and Van funding package.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Based on historic splits between higher and lower value awards, we estimate that the average grant value for vans in the 2026/27 financial year will be approximately £3,500. For trucks, the estimated average grant value is approximately £50,000 in 2026/27.
These estimates are indicative and remain subject to uncertainty. Actual average grant values will depend on market uptake and the proportion of vehicles eligible for each grant level. All grants remain under review and may be amended at any time to ensure value to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is considering mandating routine cereulide toxin screening in all powdered infant and follow-on formula products placed on the UK market.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Infant formula regulations set robust nutritional and compositional standards, to ensure that all infant formulas for sale in the United Kingdom are suitable for meeting the nutritional requirements of babies. While these regulations do not specify testing for individual toxins, infant formula is also subject to the UK’s overarching food safety legislation which requires food business operators to ensure that products placed on the market are safe.
At present, the Government does not have plans to introduce mandatory testing of cereulide or other toxins in infant formula. While recent product recalls demonstrate that contamination can occur and must be taken seriously, contamination of infant formula is rare and the UK has processes in place to rapidly identify and manage risks when they arise, including through investigation and product recalls. Any decision to mandate routine testing would need to be evidence based and proportionate while prioritising infant safety.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of foreign-owned technology platforms being subject to overseas jurisdictions on levels of UK data sovereignty; and what safeguards are in place to help prevent their use for intelligence-gathering purposes.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All organisations processing personal data in the UK must comply with the UK’s data protection framework, including the UK GDPR, regardless of where they are headquartered. This includes requirements that apply when personal data is transferred overseas, and organisations must ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.
The UK has world-leading investigation and enforcement capabilities to ensure that data is collected and handled responsibly and securely. The Information Commissioner’s Office has powers to investigate, issue fines and require corrective action where organisations fail to comply with the UK’s data protection framework, and individuals may seek redress if their data is misused.
As threats to UK data evolve our response will be agile and proportionate. We actively monitor threats to UK data and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to protect our national security.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the extent to which foreign-owned technology platforms operating in the UK may be compelled by overseas governments to share user data; and what steps she is taking to protect against espionage and national security risks arising from such arrangements.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All organisations processing personal data in the UK must comply with the UK’s data protection framework.
The UK has strong safeguards to ensure that data is collected and handled responsibly and securely. Companies registered in the UK are subject to our legal framework and regulatory jurisdiction. Personal data transfers abroad are subject to a high level of legal protection. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action.
As threats to UK data evolve our response will be agile and proportionate. We actively monitor threats to UK data and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to protect our national security.