Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered extending the statutory guarantee period for the reinstatement of highways following street works; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing guarantee periods in ensuring that undertakers bear the cost of defective reinstatements.

The Government has no current plans to extend the statutory guarantee period for reinstatements following street works. Undertakers are responsible for the cost of remedying defective reinstatements, and a reinstatement is not deemed complete until it complies with the required standard. Poorly performing undertakers are subject to increased inspections and inspection fees under the performance-based inspection regime, and highway authorities can recover costs where they have undertaken remedial works themselves. The Government keeps the operation of the street works regime under review.