Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the research that it has funded into the (a) operation and (b) regulation of autonomous pavement robots; what the timetable is for the conclusion of this research; and whether he plans to publish the findings of any research that has already been concluded.

Research to further our understanding of the impacts of self-driving technology in “autonomous pavement robots”, is planned to be undertaken in the next 12 months, and is expected to last 6 to 9 months. The results are due to be published in line with the government research protocols, particularly those relating to commercial confidentiality.