Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the DVSA on the adequacy of its online booking system for booking practical driving tests.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As set out in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) 2024/25 business plan, DVSA is beginning the process of replacing its booking system.

DVSA also launched a call for evidence on 18 December 2024, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This closed on 11 February 2025 and will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on pavement parking on pedestrians with (a) a visual impairment (b) people with mobility issues, (c) children and (d) parents with buggies.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause for pedestrians, especially people with mobility or sight impairments, as well as those with prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to our consultation in 2020 and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum on avoiding the routine deployment of Operation Brock during school holidays.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) is operationally independent from His Majesty’s Government (HMG). The KMRF's decision to deploy Operation Brock ahead of the Easter getaway was taken after extensive discussions, taking into account previous disruption during peak periods, expected traffic levels and safety of road users.

The deployment of Operation Brock and other traffic management measures are continually kept under review by the KMRF to ensure they are designed and implemented in the most effective way possible.

The Department continues to work on new approaches to long term traffic management in Kent, considering a combination of off-road sites and technology to manage the flow of traffic to the portals during periods of high traffic volumes, keeping the strategic road network clear. We are also working on improvements in traffic forecasting using better data, AI and learning from recent experience which could mean that the use of Operation Brock on a precautionary basis could be reduced in the future.

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Grady

Found: _NC2 Dame Meg Hillier Naz Shah Antonia Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph .