Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is her Department taking to help ensure pedestrians are kept safe from accidents involving e-bikes and scooters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of pedestrians like all road users is a priority for this government.
The Highway Code updates in January 2022 implemented a Hierarchy of Road Users. This places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision, such as pedestrians, at the top of the hierarchy.
Our new Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026 sets out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads, including pedestrians, by 65% by 2035.
We are also making our streets safer for pedestrians, by introducing new cycling offences in the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle those rare instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclist behaviour.
It is illegal to ride a cycle, e-cycle or e-scooter on the pavement; enforcement against illegal or irresponsible e-scooter use is a matter for the police.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of current eyesight standards for driving; and whether her Department plans to review the regulations governing driver vision requirements.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over.
Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce a requirement for all drivers to have their eyesight tested by a qualified optometrist when applying for or renewing their driving licence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over.
Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy that the Road Safety Investigation Branch (a) record and (b) publish data on collisions involving illegally modified e-bikes separately from those involving standard pedal cycles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Road Safety Investigation Branch will be data-led and provide thematic investigations based on robust evidence and linked data. The work of the branch is currently being scoped out and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of other offences linked to vehicles with number plates that are non-readable by automatic number plate recognition systems.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On-road enforcement of offences relating to the display of number plates and any potential links to other offences are a matter for the police. Therefore, no assessment has been made.
The Government understand the impact of number plate crime and is determined to tackle it. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime including the use of cloned and ghost number plates.
The Department welcomes the recent report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety and is considering the report’s recommendations. Options to support more robust application and audit processes, which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers are also being considered.
The Government published its Road Safety Strategy on 7 January 2026, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department from Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of “being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate”.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will commission a specific inquiry into the motorcycle insurance market to examine underwriter withdrawals, geographic exclusions and pricing anomalies.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.
The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to pages 30 and 31 of the Government's report entitled Motor Insurance Taskforce: final report, published on 10 December 2025, whether the Department has concluded its consideration of penalties for the offence of driving a vehicle without motor insurance; and whether she has plans to increase the fixed penalty fine for this offence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.
The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has measurable targets for helping to reduce average motor insurance premiums.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.
The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Road Safety Strategy published on 7 January, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of existing road safety programmes delivered by (a) Police and (b) Fire services.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We welcome road safety programmes which are evidence led and contribute to improving road safety.
The Department has previously funded the RAC Foundation Pre-driver Theatre and Workshop Education Research project, which ran from September 2019 to March 2023. Amongst the conclusions, the report suggests using “shock and tell” tactics and “threat” and “fear” appeals to teach the risks associated with driving does little to improve safety and may be counterproductive. I encourage all those who deliver road safety programmes to avoid this approach.
As part of the Road Safety Strategy, we have committed to publishing national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Bikeability, the government owned cycle training programme, is funded by Active Travel England in schools across England. Up to £30m was allocated to the programme for 2025/26 and funding for the forthcoming 3-year period is due to be announced shortly.
Almost 6 million children have received Bikeability cycle training since 2007, with 500,000 children booking onto training in 2024/25. The Bikeability Trust manages the programme across England and provides support and guidance to local authorities, training providers and schools in order to maximise the reach of the programme.
Primary and secondary schools are free to teach about road safety awareness as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and many do so through their personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) provision alongside the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) content.
The updated RSHE guidance, published in July 2025, has a new section on personal safety which includes how to recognise risk and keep safe around roads.
This can also include teaching about general road safety when using bikes in different situations. Schools can draw on resources available from many providers including, the Department’s THINK! campaign.
We will continue to look at how we best evolve the THINK! campaign in line with the Road Safety Strategy, but resources currently include interactive games, printable activity sheets, and lesson plans tailored to different age groups from primary school aged children all the way up to secondary school and learner drivers. These materials are regularly shared on THINK!’s social media channels and distributed to schools and educators via newsletters and partnerships with organisations such as the Department for Education.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to introduce legislation on driving licence requirements for motorcycle and moped delivery riders; and what timetable she envisages for bringing forward such legislation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. This includes a consultation on proposed reforms to the training, testing and licensing for motorcycles and mopeds. Further steps will be announced after the consultation closes on 31 March 2026.