Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure (a) compliance with and (b) raise awareness of legal lighting requirements for cyclists at night.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Those who cycle have a duty to behave in a safe and responsible manner and to follow the rules set out in The Highway Code. The enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for the police.
We promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via the THINK! website, social channels, education resources and radio filler advertising. We continually review our campaign priorities using data and research to make sure we are addressing the most important road safety issues to help make our roads safer. The Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made with local councils on improving cycling infrastructure in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) the South East.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 12 February, the Department for Transport and Active Travel England (ATE) announced almost £300 million of funding to boost walking, wheeling and cycling with £222.5 million awarded to local authorities across England. This includes over £415,000 of funding in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to Slough Unitary Authority, over £3.2 million to local transport authorities in Berkshire and almost £38.5 million to local authorities in the South East. It will be for local authorities in receipt of funding to decide on priorities for investment across its local transport network.
ATE also provides funding to Sustrans to maintain and upgrade the National Cycle Network, which includes routes in the South East. In the most recent round of funding to the National Cycle Network, Sustrans allocated £1,279,000 to projects in the South East.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on improving cycling safety in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) the South East.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 12 February, the Department for Transport and Active Travel England (ATE) announced almost £300 million of funding to boost walking, wheeling and cycling with £222.5 million awarded to local authorities across England. This includes over £415,000 of funding in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to Slough Unitary Authority, over £3.2 million to local transport authorities in Berkshire and almost £38.5 million to local authorities in the South East. It will be for local authorities in receipt of funding to decide on priorities for investment across its local transport network.
ATE also provides funding to Sustrans to maintain and upgrade the National Cycle Network, which includes routes in the South East. In the most recent round of funding to the National Cycle Network, Sustrans allocated £1,279,000 to projects in the South East.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with Network Rail on the (a) accessibility of train stations and (b) availability of staff to support disabled people who require assistance.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. Under license conditions and as part of their Accessible Travel Policy, operators including Network Rail must participate in the Passenger Assist scheme. This scheme is designed to help disabled passengers and those with additional needs to use the rail network with confidence and in safety. More broadly, rail operators and Network Rail are responsible for ensuring staff are available to deliver this assistance.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with car manufacturers on the prevention of headlight dazzling from SUV style cars.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Officials from the Department for Transport are actively engaged in the recently established United Nations glare prevention taskforce which includes representatives from headlamp and vehicle manufacturers, including those which produce SUV style cars. The first meeting of the taskforce was in April.
In parallel, Government has commissioned independent research into headlamp glare. Careful consideration will be given to that work when it reports later this year to determine what future actions may be appropriate to ensure the safety of all road users.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of headlight dazzling on road user safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All types of road vehicle headlamps, are designed, tested and approved to internationally recognised standards to help prevent undue glare on a broad range of roads and environments.
Police recorded collision statistics in Great Britain do not show any discernible trend over time that would suggest an underlying road safety issue linked to advances in lighting technology.
However, Government recognises increased public concern around headlamp glare and has commissioned independent research. This is measuring light levels experienced by drivers during real driving on UK roads and considers factors like vehicle characteristics, weather conditions and ambient lighting. It also includes a programme of stakeholder engagement to build a comprehensive understanding of the issues. Careful consideration will be given to that work when it reports later this year to determine what future actions may be appropriate to ensure the safety of all road users.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the accessibility of train stations in England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department undertook a comprehensive audit of the accessibility of GB rail station facilities between April 2021 to April 2023. The data is currently available on the Rail Data Marketplace and is being maintained by the rail industry. The data has also been used to update the National Rail Enquiries website with a more substantial redesign of the website’s station information pages under way and due to be delivered this summer.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to increase the number of train stations which have step free access in the South East.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and we are continuing to deliver the Access for All (AfA) programme. Since 2019, 22 AfA projects have completed in Network Rail's Southern region with a further 7 in construction or design and a further 15 currently undergoing feasibility studies.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with Transport for London on improving the accessibility of the network for disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues including accessibility of their network. Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, and TfL is responsible for managing the London transport network.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of driving tests in Slough constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The table below shows the number of car practical driving tests booked and available in the 24-week booking window, as of 28th April 2025, for driving test centres (DTCs) serving customers in the Slough constituency:
DTC | Car practical driving tests booked | Car practical driving test available |
Slough | 1836 | 1 |
Yeading | 1952 | 32 |
Uxbridge | 2309 | 20 |
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes. On the 23 April the Secretary of State announced that this consultation has been fast-tracked to May 2025.
On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 25 warnings, 4 suspensions, and closed 90 business accounts.
DVSA has deployed bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.