Department for Transport

Information relating to Ministerial severance payments are published in the annual DfT accounts.

GBR will be required to deliver transparently. As the single shareholder of GBR, the Transport Secretary will have oversight of GBR, supported by independent monitoring and scrutiny by ORR. An independent Passenger Watchdog will also ensure passenger interests are clearly represented.

ORR publishes biannual statistics on the volume and cause of complaints made to train operating companies, including the response times. We expect ORR to continue to collect and publish core industry data in the future.

All public funding for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure since April 2024 has been invested through our delivery partners Innovate UK, part of UKRI. Innovate UK assess value for money of applications submitted for research, development and demonstration projects as part of a standardised process. In addition, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport have commissioned an independent monitoring study to assess the outputs and early outcomes from all schemes included in the Innovate UK Land and Maritime Transport Portfolio from 2022. This study is expected to report in autumn 2026.

As part of the original business case for ZEHID, the programme as a whole had a VfM assessment of very high value for money noting that, as is typical for R&D projects, the final scope of the projects has changed. Ongoing evaluation activities are underway as part of the programme.

For the next three financial years (2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive) the Department estimates the net cost to the public purse could be c£9bn a year on average, including passenger services, Network Rail’s operations, maintenance and renewal (OMR) and enhancements investment. This net cost is a reduction when compared to previous financial years.

OMR CDEL and RDEL for 2029/30 to 2033/34 will be finalised through the next Periodic Review (PR28), with funding for enhancements and passenger services agreed during future Spending Reviews.

This Government is committed to delivering greener transport as part of its missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.

We are progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector at pace. The Government has introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the SAF Bill to provide revenue certainty for UK SAF producers, is delivering airspace modernisation, which will see cleaner, quicker and quieter journeys, and is providing funding to support the develop of low and zero emission aerospace technologies.

While there are no statutory obligations for the Government to review the Jet Zero Strategy, we continue to keep our approach to support the decarbonisation of aviation under review.

The Government is clear that any expansion at Heathrow must be delivered in a way that minimises cost for passengers and customers. The scheme will be privately financed, including both the core runway infrastructure and any related improvements to surface access. Promoters are expected to engage constructively with relevant authorities, such as National Highways, to develop solutions that support the wider transport network and minimise disruption.

As the users of an expanded Heathrow Airport, the views of airlines will be vital for informing the Heathrow Expansion programme. To that end, as part of the invitation for scheme proposals for Heathrow Expansion, the department asked promoters to provide views from airlines on their proposals. The Secretary of State has also met with key senior airline representatives to understand their views.

On 22 October, we formally commenced the review of the ANPS and set out our intention to announce a single scheme to inform the review. Any final details of any scheme, including the runway length, will be considered further as part of the review and by promoters in preparing their DCO applications.

If any amendments are needed as a result of the ANPS review, we will consult on a revised ANPS by next summer which will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide views. In addition, we are also planning to hold stakeholder roundtables during the review, including with airlines.

My Department is progressing a project to reduce the height of the three masts on the SS Richard Montgomery, which will reduce stress on the wreck. This project is currently in the process of procuring a salvage contractor to deliver this work and expects to have this contract in place in 2026.

It is not clear what a “national framework for discounted fare schemes” would mean. The Railways Bill will safeguard existing statutory discounts for disabled persons, younger and older passengers, which today are delivered via railcards. Other concessionary discounts such as veterans’ and 26-30 railcards are also important, and there are no current plans to withdraw these offers.

GBR will maintain and strengthen collaborative arrangements with Transport for London (TfL), recognising its role in operating London Overground and Elizabeth line services on the national network and supporting seamless journeys across modes. London is integral to the rail network: in April 2023 to March 2024, it accounted for 952 million passenger journeys, the highest of any region. We will continue to engage with TfL and the Greater London Authority on the organisational design of GBR to ensure effective coordination. The design of GBR is being developed alongside the passage of this legislation.

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. In addition, open access operators can bring benefits to the rail network and passengers and will continue to play a role in delivering services where it represents best use of the network.

The Department does not maintain a central record of the number of EIAs produced.

Equality screenings are a requirement under Northern Ireland’s Section 75 framework and are not part of standard equality assessment practice in Great Britain.

As per the answer of 11th November, initial assessments indicate that electrifying the branch between London Gateway and Thames Haven Junction would improve the efficiency and reliability of rail freight while reducing emissions. We will continue to work closely with Network Rail and other industry partners in assessing the viability and affordability of this proposal.

The Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour on the bus network. The Bus Services Act 2025 provides Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) with the power to create byelaws, should they wish to do so, and deploy officers who can deal with low level anti-social behaviour and fare evasion on buses.

These measures give LTAs greater flexibility to ensure that passengers feel safe and will make it easier for LTAs to prevent behaviours such as vaping, smoking and causing a nuisance on their bus networks. It will be up to LTAs to decide which behaviours they most need to target with these powers and the Government will be publishing guidance for LTAs which will emphasise the need for

The Department engages actively with airport operators and infrastructure users, including rental companies, to support the provision of accessible EV charging infrastructure at major transport hubs. We will continue to facilitate discussions between operators and charging infrastructure users.

The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will include a total funding line for all enhancements to the strategic road network to be delivered during the period 2026-2031.

No meeting occurred between the Secretary of State and the Department for Education Secretary of State regarding Level 7 apprenticeship funding, as the responsibility now lies with the Department for Work and Pensions’ Secretary of State.

The Government is prioritising funding to support young entrants, helping them take their first steps in rewarding careers, particularly in transport. The removal of Level 7 apprenticeships for those over 22 is expected to have a negligible impact on the transport sector, as confirmed by the Department for Work and Pensions during the Transport Select Committee on Skills on 5 November 2025. Level 7 apprenticeships remain funded for learners under 22-years-old as part of Government reforms, recognising their value for young people.

Transport for City Regions settlements (TCR) allocations, published in June 2025, can be found at Transport for City Regions funding allocations - GOV.UK

Decisions on making local speed limits on roads in England rest with traffic authorities who have responsibility for roads in local areas. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance to assist authorities setting local speed limits, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.

We have committed to legislate to address the issues raised in Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We want to achieve two outcomes; the first is ensuring we have consistently high safeguarding standards. The second is that there is no unintended reduction in the availability of licensed taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could disproportionately impact women and girls and disabled people, who rely on these services the most. We are considering all options – including out-of-area working, national standards, enforcement and transferring licensing to local transport authorities - seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters, including safety. All licensing authorities have reported that they require the highest level of criminal background checks for taxi and private hire vehicle driver licence applicants – an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s and adults’ barred lists. Where key safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.

Access for All funding for the current Spending Review period has been allocated, with projects to be announced in due course.

We would expect any future rounds to align to future Spending Review periods. Until then, accessibility upgrades can be funded via a variety of sources, such as Section 106 developer contributions.

The motor insurance taskforce report will be published shortly.

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy, the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving. We intend to publish this by the end of the year.

The power to set the drink drive limit in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times. In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

For test centres serving learner drivers in the Southeast, DVSA has recruited and trained 52 DEs who are now in post and delivering driving tests. There are currently 24 new entrant DEs undertaking training, 32 booked on a training course and DVSA has made offers to 26 new entrants.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times. In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

For test centres serving learner drivers in the Southeast, DVSA has recruited and trained 52 DEs who are now in post and delivering driving tests. There are currently 24 new entrant DEs undertaking training, 32 booked on a training course and DVSA has made offers to 26 new entrants.

The Government is working at pace to deliver greener aviation as a key enabler of Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.

The UK plays a key role on coordinated international action through ICAO and forging strong bilateral partnerships to scale SAF technologies and markets. We were one of the first countries in the world to introduce a SAF mandate and a wide range of SAF projects are underway across the UK, using different technologies and progressing through various stages of development.

We are working to speed up and scale up the production of SAF in the UK through the Advanced Fuels Fund and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism. The Advanced Fuels Fund provides funding to first-of-a-kind commercial and demonstration-scale SAF projects in the UK, helping speed up the development and scale up of new technologies and projects. We are also currently legislating for a Revenue Certainty Mechanism. This will help UK-based SAF projects attract investment and start producing SAF at commercial scale more quickly.

The UK’s expertise in petrochemicals, jet fuel, and engineering positions it as a prime location for SAF production and we are confident that our policies can make the UK a world leader in SAF production and use. This will create high-skilled green jobs, attract investment, drive growth, boost fuel security, and open export opportunities. Low-carbon fuel production could support up to 15,000 UK jobs by 2050.

The Government is working at pace to deliver greener aviation as a key enabler of Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.

The UK plays a key role on coordinated international action through ICAO and forging strong bilateral partnerships to scale SAF technologies and markets. We were one of the first countries in the world to introduce a SAF mandate and a wide range of SAF projects are underway across the UK, using different technologies and progressing through various stages of development.

We are working to speed up and scale up the production of SAF in the UK through the Advanced Fuels Fund and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism. The Advanced Fuels Fund provides funding to first-of-a-kind commercial and demonstration-scale SAF projects in the UK, helping speed up the development and scale up of new technologies and projects. We are also currently legislating for a Revenue Certainty Mechanism. This will help UK-based SAF projects attract investment and start producing SAF at commercial scale more quickly.

The UK’s expertise in petrochemicals, jet fuel, and engineering positions it as a prime location for SAF production and we are confident that our policies can make the UK a world leader in SAF production and use. This will create high-skilled green jobs, attract investment, drive growth, boost fuel security, and open export opportunities. Low-carbon fuel production could support up to 15,000 UK jobs by 2050.

The Government is working at pace to deliver greener aviation as a key enabler of Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.

The UK plays a key role on coordinated international action through ICAO and forging strong bilateral partnerships to scale SAF technologies and markets. We were one of the first countries in the world to introduce a SAF mandate and a wide range of SAF projects are underway across the UK, using different technologies and progressing through various stages of development.

We are working to speed up and scale up the production of SAF in the UK through the Advanced Fuels Fund and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism. The Advanced Fuels Fund provides funding to first-of-a-kind commercial and demonstration-scale SAF projects in the UK, helping speed up the development and scale up of new technologies and projects. We are also currently legislating for a Revenue Certainty Mechanism. This will help UK-based SAF projects attract investment and start producing SAF at commercial scale more quickly.

The UK’s expertise in petrochemicals, jet fuel, and engineering positions it as a prime location for SAF production and we are confident that our policies can make the UK a world leader in SAF production and use. This will create high-skilled green jobs, attract investment, drive growth, boost fuel security, and open export opportunities. Low-carbon fuel production could support up to 15,000 UK jobs by 2050.

Following consultation with stakeholders, Active Travel England’s Rural Design Guidance is currently in its final development stages and is expected to be published by the end of the year.

Following consultation with stakeholders, Active Travel England’s Rural Design Guidance is currently in its final development stages and is expected to be published by the end of the year.

Spending Review 25 and CP7 set railway budgets up to and including financial year 2028/29. The next Periodic Review and future Spending Reviews determine funding levels beyond 2028/29. While it’s government’s responsibility to allocate funding for GBR to use, including for infrastructure and rolling stock activity, it will be GBR’s responsibility, as the railways’ directing mind, to decide how it intends to carry out that activity within the funding allocated.

Track Access Rights are managed independently by the Office of Rail and Road.

Post opening project evaluation (POPE) reports are detailed and complex evaluations and it is right that we take the time to fully assure findings. We are committed to transparency and will provide an update on publication in due course.

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the Act) sets the foundation for enabling the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles on roads in Great Britain with full implementation of the Act planned for the second half of 2027.

Earlier this year, government announced the decision to accelerate implementation of the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme to Spring 2026. This permitting scheme can help to facilitate pilots of commercial self-driving passenger services with no safety driver, from spring 2026. Any companies looking to deploy their vehicles will need to meet safety requirements and gain local authority consent.

The deployment of these services as self-driving vehicles is enabled through the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018. To be seen as self-driving, the vehicle must, in the opinion of the Secretary of State for Transport, be capable of safely driving themselves without human oversight or intervention for some or all of journey.

The Vehicle Certification Agency will undertake the assessment, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to assess whether a vehicle is capable of driving itself without human intervention.

There are several factors driving higher demand for tests, and it is not currently possible to say when waiting times will reduce to 7-weeks or fewer. The Secretary of State will be working closely with DVSA in addressing this important issue.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests

• introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.

• make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

The table below shows the amount the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in the last five financial years:

The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has provided vehicle keeper data to and received income from third-party organisations or agents acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council since 4 July 2024.

Great British Railways will be held to account for railway performance and customer experience. The Railways Bill will establish a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, to independently monitor passenger experience, advocate for passengers and to hold GBR and other operators to account together with ORR.

When developing its Integrated Business Plan, GBR will be required to consult with the Passenger Watchdog and will have an ongoing general duty to consider the interests of passengers and the needs of passengers with disabilities.

The British Transport Police are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales and they record the number of incidents of violence and abuse against rail workers. Analysis by the Department of Violence Against the Person offences shows in 2022/23 there were 5.1 violence against person offences per 1 million passenger journeys of which 1.3 were against staff, in 2024/25 this proportion of staff was 1.4.

We are committed to ensuring that public transport is safe for passengers and staff. There is no place for abuse or violence against any worker, and we are supporting industry to develop practical interventions to keep workers safe.

The Government is committed to resetting industrial relations. A first of its kind joint industry and trade union Rail Engagement Group recently held its inaugural meeting to discuss shared ambitions for GBR. The Government plans to use this group to foster productive relationships with rail workers and their trade unions, where they are valued and respected partners in delivering the positive change we need to see on the network.

This year, the Government made an additional £500 million available for local highway authorities to maintain their highway network, bringing the total to a record investment of nearly £1.6 billion. A quarter of the additional funding is contingent upon local highway authorities complying with certain criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance.

The Government also supports the rollout of lane rental schemes. This allows highway authorities to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times. This encourages quicker completion, off-peak working, or relocating works to reduce disruption on our roads. From January 2026, authorities will be able to use 50% of lane rental revenue for highway maintenance.

Highway authorities can issue overrun charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that exceed agreed timeframes. Currently these charges can only be applied on weekdays, however we are making changes to allow these charges to apply on weekends and bank holidays.

Finally, the Government has set out a new approach to infrastructure in the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, which was published in June 2025. This will restore confidence and drive economic growth by providing stability and certainty, and improve how infrastructure projects, like transport, are planned and delivered. We are working closely with HMT to ensure lessons learned from transport projects, such as set out in the James Stewart Review (published in June 2025) are incorporated into future priorities. The Department has accepted all recommendations from this Review and is already taking steps to implement them.

All train and station operators must develop an Accessible Travel Policy, approved by the Office of Rail and Road. This requires operators to ensure that they make ramps that are fit for purpose, (either at the station or on board the train) to facilitate the boarding or alighting of the train by disabled people.