Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Section 38 agreements under the Highways Act 1980 in ensuring the timely completion and adoption of roads on new housing developments; and whether she is considering measures to ensure that financial bonds and other securities are adequate to enable outstanding highway works to be completed where developers fail to meet their obligations.

The Department for Transport recently commissioned independent research into the road adoption process in England, including the operation of Section 38 agreements under the Highways Act 1980. The Department is considering the findings of this research alongside ongoing cross-government work on unadopted roads and private estate management arrangements, including the operation of current arrangements for Section 38 bonds and other financial securities.