Department for Transport

There are no plans to legislate for a specific annual report on environmental performance. Reporting requirements for GBR will be set as part of GBR design, ensuring transparency in GBR’s delivery. We expect that GBR will include detail in its Integrated Business Plan and its annual report and accounts.

The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.

Local authorities have a range of traffic management measures available to them to help improve safety outside schools including reducing speed limits, traffic calming, and introduction of a School Street where appropriate. On 19 November 2024 Active Travel England and the Department for Transport published joint School Streets Guidance. The guidance is available at School Streets: how to set up and manage a scheme - GOV.UK

Reforming the connections process and investing in the grid is a key Government priority. This includes reforms that are expected to deprioritise over half of the existing queue based on readiness and strategic alignment with our strategy as set out in Clean Power 2030.

Department for Transport ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. These include discussions on the significance of getting sufficient grid capacity to electrify ports, for cruise and ferries to use shore power and policy options to accelerate connection dates for strategic demand customers, such as critical port sites. This is informed by the Department for Transport call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, published in March 2025, which posed questions on managing future energy demand at ports.

Learning to drive is a major milestone in life for many, and no one should be held back by long and uncertain waits. That is why this government has launched a robust plan to bring waiting times down and restore confidence in the broken system we inherited from the previous government.

On 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, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency 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.

These changes will be introduced in spring 2026. DVSA will publish the full outcome of its consultation with details on how the changes will be implemented and when, as soon as possible.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has chosen to investigate and report on the causes of car driving test delays, and update on DVSA’s plan and progress in tackling these issues, the scale and nature of the waiting times for booking practical car driving tests. This includes examining the root cause of the delays and how DVSA has responded to the delays. DVSA has worked with DfT and the NAO team to provide the information needed for its investigation. The NAO intends to publish its report in winter 2025/26.

Learning to drive is a major milestone in life for many, and no one should be held back by long and uncertain waits. That is why this government has launched a robust plan to bring waiting times down and restore confidence in the broken system we inherited from the previous government.

On 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, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency 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.

These changes will be introduced in spring 2026. DVSA will publish the full outcome of its consultation with details on how the changes will be implemented and when, as soon as possible.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has chosen to investigate and report on the causes of car driving test delays, and update on DVSA’s plan and progress in tackling these issues, the scale and nature of the waiting times for booking practical car driving tests. This includes examining the root cause of the delays and how DVSA has responded to the delays. DVSA has worked with DfT and the NAO team to provide the information needed for its investigation. The NAO intends to publish its report in winter 2025/26.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that sought views from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties. In reaching this decision, impacts were fully considered. Further detail on the rationale, which will set out the detailed analysis, will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that sought views from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties. In reaching this decision, impacts were fully considered. Further detail on the rationale, which will set out the detailed analysis, will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

A 2013 pre-legislation appraisal concluded that following full adoption of eCall in the UK (in 2018), casualty reduction was likely to be at most 13 fatalities a year and 100 serious injuries involving car and van occupants only. No post-implementation review has been conducted.

A 2016 study conducted by the RAC Foundation in partnership with Road Safety Analysis examined 50 Average Speed Camera (ASC) sites across Great Britain.

After adjusting for factors such as regression to the mean and national casualty trends, the analysis found:

• 36.4% reduction in fatal and serious collisions (KSI)
• 16% reduction in all injury collisions

The full report is available at

Average_speed_camera_effectiveness_Owen_Ursachi_Allsop_September_2016.pdf

Ministers will empower rail industry leaders to deliver an efficient and cost effective rollout of the Great British Railways brand, maximising value for money and growing revenue. The Department is working to finalise more detail on the rollout plan and will announce next steps in due course.

This is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the independent rail safety regulator and enforcement body for Britain’s railways.

Ministers and officials regularly engage with the taxi and private hire vehicle sector. Differing licensing requirements, processing times and costs are often cited as reasons why licences are sought from authorities other than that in which the applicants intend to work.

Though there is a high degree of consistency in requirements relating to safety, for example all licensing authorities in England require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service and barred lists check for drivers, the Government is taking action to ensure even greater consistency in licensing.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks to introduce powers to set national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. If passed, national minimum standards would enable government to set robust standards for licensing across England, to keep vulnerable children and, indeed, all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel. It would also help reduce the variability of licensing standards across the country, which is a significant factor in inducing out-of-area working.

The Department for Transport has been in regular contact with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding Level 7 apprenticeships, including most recently as part of preparations for a Transport Select Committee session discussing skills for transport manufacturing.

Analysis done by Skills England on Level 7 apprenticeship funding has shown that in the majority of areas, including transport, there are appropriate substitutes or alternatives to progress at Level 7 for those over 22, which will support workforce availability. This was factored into the decision that was taken on Level 7 apprenticeships.

We know there has been a large decline in young people starting apprenticeships – around 40% over the last ten years. We currently have around 800,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training. Therefore, we are looking to reverse this trend and our focus is on making sure Government funding supports young people starting out in their careers, rather than those already in work with higher prior qualifications. We also know that Level 7 apprenticeships can be valuable for young people, so the Government will continue funding them for learners under 22 as part of our reforms.

The most recent data available from the regulator shows that out of 3365 planned Grand Central services between January and June 2025, 58 services were cancelled due to faults attributed to the operator.

The Department works with Motability on an accessible transition to EVs. This includes initiatives to ensure public charging infrastructure is accessible for drivers with disabilities, such as the joint sponsorship of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 1899:2022 for chargepoint accessibility.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the Rt Hon Member for Basildon and Billericay on 7 November 2025, to Question UIN 86750.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the Rt Hon Member for Basildon and Billericay on 7 November 2025, to Question UIN 86750.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the Rt Hon Member for Basildon and Billericay on 7 November 2025, to Question UIN 86750.

Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, is responsible for maintaining the integrity and safety of the rail network to ensure passenger and freight services can operate reliably.

Following the tragic derailment at Carmont in August 2020, Network Rail commissioned two task forces looking at earthworks management and extreme weather response. In response to these, Network Rail have taken forward a number of actions including commissioning an active nationwide monitoring regime using remote sensors, modelling and geotechnical assessments to monitor slope stability across the network.

In its 24/25 Annual Assessment, the independent safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, indicated that Network Rail is making good progress in its delivery of weather resilience and climate adaptation plans.

Approval certificates for UN Regulations 155 and 156 can be issued by an applicable national approval authority, which is the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) in the UK, and are mutually recognised internationally. Any country’s approval authority must have its methods and criteria used for assessment of compliance to the regulations scrutinised by other approval authorities before it can issue any approvals.

ISO/SAE 21434 is not part of the legislative requirement but provides useful guidance for compliance with R.155 and R156.

The Government supports lane rental as an effective measure to reduce congestion from the most disruptive works by incentivising better planning. It allows highway authorities to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times, incentivising quicker completion, off-peak scheduling, or alternative locations. We are facilitating the expansion of lane rental schemes, with updated guidance and application templates to be published shortly.

The Department’s digital service, Street Manager, is used by all highway authorities and utility companies in England to plan and manage works. Permits are applied for and granted through the service before works commence, providing a single source of information for the sector. This enables authorities to identify potential conflicts before approving permits. We also publish open data on live and planned works in real time, allowing developers to create tools that inform road users about disruptions.

Street Manager continues to evolve. Recent updates have enhanced coordination by highlighting potential clashes and improving collaboration features. In 2026, new functionality will support works on lane rental streets. Additionally, the new digital traffic orders system will centralise information on temporary road closures, making these details available as open data for wider public use.

The Department issues statutory guidance through the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works. We are currently working with industry stakeholders via the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee to update this guidance with the aim of further improving coordination.

From January 2026, fixed penalty notices for certain street works offences, such as working without a permit or breaching permit conditions will double. Charges of up to £10,000 per day for overrunning works will also apply to weekends and bank holidays. These measures aim to strengthen compliance and improve coordination across the network.

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the Act) provides the powers to regulate the safe use of automated vehicles. Full implementation of the Act, including provisions for authorising self-driving vehicles, is on-track for the second half of 2027. The regulatory framework will be implemented through secondary legislation and guidance and will include a requirement for the Secretary of State to monitor and assess the general performance of authorised automated vehicles. This report must be published on an annual basis following implementation of the Act and the granting of the first authorisation.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

The government is committed to improving transport services so they are more inclusive and enable people with sight loss to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. We are also requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

The government recognises the concerns which have been raised about floating bus stops, particularly. On 20 November I wrote to all local traffic authorities in England requesting that they put on hold designs which require people to board or alight directly from or into a cycle track. The Act requires the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance on their provision and design within three months of Royal Assent, drafting of which is underway.

We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services by October 2026.

Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and that is why we have published a roadmap to an accessible railway. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established. We have installed platform edge tactile paving at every station in England with the final station in Scotland due to be complete next month. The final Welsh station, currently closed for refurbishment, will have them installed when it reopens in April.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and create consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

The Government intends to publish the Road Safety Strategy this year.

The data collection stage of the pavement parking research is currently being specified as part of the preparatory work that is already underway and is being designed alongside policy development. We are considering when to launch the fieldwork aspect of the research, in tandem with responding to the consultation on pavement parking.

In 2024/2025 financial year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received requests for registered keeper information from a third-party service provider on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council in relation to zero-emissions zones and moving traffic offences. It is not possible to say if requests specifically relating to traffic filters have been received as they would be included in the category of moving traffic offences. The Oxford congestion charge came into effect in October 2025. Oxford City Council requested information, also through a third-party service provider, for off-street parking management only.

Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 allows the DVLA to make information about UK vehicles and their registered keepers available for use by a local authority for any purpose connected with the investigation of an offence. The same regulation also allows the DVLA to make information available to a local authority in England and Wales when it is acting as an enforcement authority within the meaning of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. These provisions apply to Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council.

The Department has taken careful note of the High Court ruling relating to the previous Government’s decision not to support the PFI arrangements for Birmingham City Council’s highway maintenance services.

The Department has subsequently conducted a consultation with the Council about the PFI contract and we have been carefully reviewing the Council’s detailed representations, with the Council’s support on clarification questions.

We are continuing to engage with the Council on the PFI with a view to confirming the decision on whether or not to support the continuation of the PFI contract as soon as possible.

I am committed to working together with Birmingham City Council to find a way forward which is in the best interests of the people of Birmingham and the taxpayer.

As part of GBR’s new role in determining access to its network, GBR will develop and issue Model Contracts. This will set the rights and obligations between an operator and GBR for the use of GBR's network. The provisions of the model contracts must be consistent with requirements in legislation and GBR’s AUP.

As of 31 October 2025, there are 0 staff in DfTc who have been absent for six months or more due to mental health.

The Framework Document is being reviewed and updated following the change of role from the DfT Operator of Last Resort to the Operator of First Choice and the transfer of circa 200 DfT staff to DFTO on 31 March 2026 which moves more operational functions into DFTO. The new Framework Document will be published on gov.uk.

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to delivering growth and supporting modal shift to lower-carbon modes of freight transport. We have committed to the rail freight growth target of a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050.

The recently laid Railways Bill sets out that the Secretary of State will provide GBR with growth targets for rail freight. As was the case during the development of the 2050 target, we will make informed forecasts about the future capability and capacity of the network when developing any further rail freight growth targets.

Network Rail has a regulated target of a 7.5% increase in rail freight by the end of Control Period 7 (March 2029). In the first year of reporting rail freight grew by 5%, which is significantly ahead of the 1.5% annual growth forecast.

Through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes, the Department has provided funding which has procured 1300 buses through ZEBRA 1, 1,955 buses through ZEBRA 2 and a further 319 buses due to scope increases. These buses were funded in 2021, 2024 and 2025 respectively and around 60% of these are from UK manufacturers.

The Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing, and earlier this year launched the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. The Panel brings together industry experts and local leaders to achieve three key objectives of supporting growth in UK bus manufacturing, developing a pipeline of future bus orders and prioritising passenger-centric bus design.

The Contract Award notices for the leases entered into can be found here:

Direct award of a Lease for Class 701 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 444/450 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 158/159 rolling stock - Find a Tender

Direct award of a Lease for Class 455 rolling stock - Find a Tender

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods.

The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods.

The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods.

The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been selling previously unissued vehicle registration numbers since 1989. In that time more than nine million registration numbers have been sold, generating £4.1 billion in revenue.

Vehicle registration numbers that have been previously issued and displayed on a vehicle or held on a certificate of entitlement and allowed to expire are not resold.

The DVLA is currently developing a strategic plan which is designed to enable and optimise sustainable growth and ensure that annual sales income targets are consistently met or exceeded.

The Department’s latest published statistics on the number of public charging devices at local authority level are available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6900f9b584b816d72cb9aab6/electric-vehicle-public-charging-infrastructure-statistics-october-2025.ods.

The Department has no plans to update legislation to allow 30mph speed limit repeater signs on roads with street lighting. Repeater signing is not used on street lit roads subject to a 30mph speed limit because the lamp columns act as the repeaters. Guidance is provided in rule 124 of the Highway Code. This has been law for over 70 years and all drivers are required to learn this in order to pass their driving test.

Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade.

Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Hexham Station has a very low crime rate, with no sexual offences reported this year or in 2024/25.

BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences.

BTP deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to Crime Stoppers.