We work with our agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps the UK’s businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest in transport infrastructure to keep the UK on the move.
The Transport Committee is inquiring into the potential uses of data to improve planning and delivery of transport services, management …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
A Bill to make provision for a railway between a junction with Phase 2a of High Speed 2 south of Crewe in Cheshire and Manchester Piccadilly Station; for a railway between Hoo Green in Cheshire and a junction with the West Coast Main Line at Bamfurlong, south of Wigan; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to regulate the use of automated vehicles on roads and in other public places; and to make other provision in relation to vehicle automation.
A Bill to make provision for regulating pedicabs in public places in Greater London; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision in relation to the remuneration of seafarers who do not qualify for the national minimum wage
This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd March 2023 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about airspace change proposals and about the licensing regime for air traffic services under Part 1 of the Transport Act 2000, to confer police powers relating to unmanned aircraft and requirements in Air Navigation Orders and to provide for fixed penalties for certain offences relating to unmanned aircraft
This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision for a railway between a junction with Phase One of High Speed 2, near Fradley Wood in Staffordshire, and a junction with the West Coast Main Line near Crewe in Cheshire; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th February 2021 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Stop work on HS2 immediately and hold a new vote to repeal the legislation
Gov Responded - 14 Jan 2021 Debated on - 13 Sep 2021We ask Parliament to repeal the High Speed Rail Bills, 2016 and 2019, as MPs voted on misleading environmental, financial and timetable information provided by the Dept of Transport and HS2 Ltd. It fails to address the conditions of the Paris Accord and costs have risen from £56bn to over £100bn.
Do not implement proposed new offences for vehicle "tampering"
Gov Responded - 21 Dec 2021 Debated on - 25 Apr 2022The Government’s modernising vehicle standards proposal suggested new offences for tampering with a system, part or component of a vehicle intended or adapted to be used on a road. This could have a hugely detrimental impact on the UK motorsport and custom aftermarket industry.
Allow international travel to visit partners and family
Gov Responded - 20 Apr 2021 Debated on - 24 May 2021The Government should class in-person interaction with family members and unmarried partners abroad as an essential reason to travel.
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The Minister for Maritime met with the President of Carnival UK & P&O Cruises on 24 November 2023 to discuss Carnival UK’s ongoing negotiations with Nautilus International and its seafarers as part of its annual pay review. Carnival UK confirmed that it had no intention to dismiss and re-engage its workers.
The average time between Service Affecting Failures on the ECML has become less frequent since 2010 and is trending downwards. I can confirm there were 312 signalling failures in 2021/22, and 247 in 2022/23.
The government has consistently invested in public transport, including through the most recent announcement of £150 million dedicated to levelling up bus services, with areas across the North and Midlands given extra support for services to become more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.
The Barnett consequentials will continue to apply in the usual way for all three devolved administrations as set out in the published Statement of Funding Policy document. All decisions on Barnett consequentials beyond the Spending Round 2021 period will be taken at the next Spending Round.
The Barnett consequentials will continue to apply in the usual way for all three devolved administrations as set out in the published Statement of Funding Policy document. All decisions on Barnett consequentials beyond the Spending Round 2021 period will be taken at the next Spending Round.
We are in close discussion with Alstom about its plans for the future of its Derby site and about the potential for redundancies among its workforce. While any decision about the future of the Derby site is ultimately for Alstom, we are giving careful consideration to the potential impacts of this on future rolling stock competitions, our ability to secure value for money through procurements, and on businesses within the rail supply chain supporting the plant, as well as the implications for the local economy and employment. My officials are also leading a cross Whitehall task force to develop appropriate mitigation plans in the event of redundancies.
The Department regularly meets with the rail industry, on a variety of issues including rail affordability. Following last year’s biggest ever Government intervention to cap rail fare increases below inflation, we will continue to protect passengers from cost-of-living pressures and will not increase next year’s rail fares by as much as July RPI.
We have also introduced several other initiatives to support passengers, including launching flexible season tickets and three new Railcards.
Since privatisation rolling stock owning companies (ROSCOs) have invested billions of pounds of capital into improving the national train fleet, including procurement of over 14,000 new vehicles since 1997.
The investments made by the ROSCOs are reflected in lease costs by the operators which will have been tested in competition for new rolling stock. It passes risk from the Government to the private sector and also means that such capital does not need to be spent by the Government on rolling stock but can be invested elsewhere in infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and roads.
The Network North announcement reiterated the Government’s commitment to support local devolution and local leaders to prioritise transport initiatives that best support their communities. This included funding for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the North and Midlands for Local Integrated Transport Settlements (LITS) from 2025/26-2031/32.
This provides them with greater flexibility to consider more proposals such as any to reopen Littleworth Station. It is for the local authority to bring forward such proposals.
The Department has allocated sufficient funding to Network Rail to complete the scheme.
We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding beyond 2024, including a nomination for Harlington railway station. If successful, the funding will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Whilst provision for the extension of the canal at Measham was made under previous plans for HS2, decisions regarding the restoration and reopening of the canal are a matter for the Ashby Canal Trust and not the Department for Transport or HS2 Ltd.
The cost to the public purse of external contractors used to maintain legacy IT estate cross-government is not centrally held and we are therefore unable to provide an estimate in relation to the years specified.
The Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate will support the delivery of the 2035 phase out dates and remains one of the most ambitious regulatory frameworks in the world. It will secure adequate supply of ZEVs to support continued consumer uptake of these vehicles.
The ZEV mandate also provides long term policy certainty to industry, generating inward investment in the automotive and chargepoint sectors. This is demonstrated in the scale of investment from the private sector. Over the last few years there has been over £6 billion private investment in the electric vehicle industry, including from Tata, BMW, Stellantis and Nissan. In addition the UK chargepoint industry has committed £6 billion in the development and operation of chargepoints before 2030.
The Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) is a complex long-term project, requiring new approaches to enable substantial investments from government and industry to future-proof key locations. Testing with stakeholders, prior to opening the fund, has benefitted the design and delivery arrangements.
The RCF will help ensure that the private sector can continue to expand the charging network and future-proof electricity network capacity 10 years ahead to a minimum of 2035, with a stretch target of 2050.
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
Direct correspondence from MPs Telephone enquiries from MPs
March 2023 440 106
April 2023 349 64
May 2023 389 89
June 2023 391 86
July 2023 317 73
August 2023 347 65
September 2023 348 58
The Department for Transport takes road safety for all road users seriously. The Department's road safety flagship project, the Safer Roads Fund focuses on treating the highest risk A road sections. To date £147.5m has been invested in helping local authorities, alongside the Road Safety Foundation, improve the safety of England’s most high risk ‘A roads.
Cumbria County Council was awarded £1.9m in 2018/19 and £7.4m in 2020/21 from the Safer Roads Fund for improvements to the A684 and A592. The Department assesses the plans submitted for this funding and monitors progress on implementation for those that have been allocated Safer Roads Funding. However, the Department has not otherwise made a specific assessment of the council’s road safety policies because the local council has responsibility for making decisions about local roads, based on its local knowledge and taking into account local needs.
The Department for Transport takes road safety for all road users seriously. The Department's road safety flagship project, the Safer Roads Fund, focuses on treating the highest risk A road sections. To date £147.5m has been invested in helping local authorities, alongside the Road Safety Foundation, improve the safety of England’s most high risk A roads.
Cumbria County Council was awarded £1.9m in 2018/19 and £7.4m in 2020/21 from the Safer Roads Fund for improvements to the A684 and A592. The Department assesses the plans submitted for this funding and monitors progress on implementation for those that have been allocated Safer Roads Funding. However, the Department has not otherwise made a specific assessment of the council’s road safety policies because the local council has responsibility for making decisions about local roads, based on its local knowledge and taking into account local needs.
The Department for Transport works with local highway authorities and with National Highways to assess road surface condition across England annually. Local highway authorities undertake automated road condition surveys on their classified road networks, and their surveys identify road defects and provide an overall score of road condition. The latest data was published on gov.uk on 23 November.
As part of the Government’s Network North plan, local highway authorities across England are set to benefit from the biggest ever increase in funding for local highway networks. The details of this £8.3 billion funding increase were set out in the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 20 November, and in his letter to Parliamentary colleagues.
The Department for Transport works with local highway authorities and with National Highways to assess road surface condition across England annually. Local highway authorities undertake automated road condition surveys on their classified road networks, and their surveys identify road defects and provide an overall score of road condition. The latest data was published on gov.uk on 23 November.
As part of the Government’s Network North plan, local highway authorities across England are set to benefit from the biggest ever increase in funding for local highway networks. The details of this £8.3 billion funding increase were set out in the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 20 November, and in his letter to Parliamentary colleagues.
The Department for Transport is considering the need for guidance to local authorities on this and other matters in the light of the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement in October, which represents a significant change in the Government’s funding of local transport schemes. Local authorities are already required under the Public Sector Equality Duty to consider the impacts of their plans and policies on those with protected characteristics. The Department’s ‘Inclusive Mobility’ guidance, published on GOV.UK, provides advice and best practice to them on the development of accessible transport and pedestrian environments.
The Department is providing Lancashire County Council with a total of over £37.5 million of highway maintenance funding this financial year. This includes a £5.1 million uplift from the additional £200 million announced at Budget 2023, and a £3.6 million uplift from the additional £150 million Network North funding announced on 4 October. Through the Network North funding, Lancashire County Council will receive a minimum additional uplift in road maintenance funding between 2023-24 and 2033-34 of £244.5 million. It is up to Lancashire County Council to determine how best to use this funding to fulfil its statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
Since the Government announced Network North on 4 October, the Department has been working closely with delivery partners to establish and progress plans for delivery. Announcements on the progress of business cases and delivery will be made in due course.
The Department will announce further details on the criteria for the allocation of the new £2.5 billion fund for local transport across all areas in the North and the timetable for announcing funding decisions in due course.
On 4 October 2023, the Government announced £8.3 billion of additional highways maintenance funding over the period 2023 to 2024 and the next 10 years for local road resurfacing and wider maintenance activity on the local highway network. This consists of £2.2 billion for Local Authorities in the West Midlands and East Midlands. Local Authorities will decide where and how this money is spent.
All allocations are available online.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules.
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry and discuss issues as they arise. However, it is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Following a request from the National Health Blood and Transplant Service, a process was introduced to enable driving licence applicants to register their details on the NHS Organ Donor Register. This includes those applying via DVLA’s online services. The Department hasn’t been asked to consider this with stem and blood donation, but it would be happy to consider.
Taxi policy is a devolved matter in all UK nations. However, the UK Government provides Plug in Vehicle Grants to support the transition to zero emission vehicles across the UK. These include a number of harder to transition vehicles including taxis, wheelchair accessible vehicles and vans. The eligibility for these grants is based on the vehicle design and capability. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure the best value for taxpayer's money.
Some local authorities in the devolved administrations may have received money to support chargepoint installation through the Levelling Up Fund, such as in Northern Ireland, which received £3 million towards the upgrade of the electric vehicle charging network.
Local authorities are responsible for maintaining footways within their local areas. The Department provides good practice guidance on designing accessible public realm in Inclusive Mobility: a Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure, which includes recommendations on footway widths to accommodate all road users.
It is for local authorities to consider how to apply this guidance to their roads to ensure infrastructure is designed in a way that enables them to meet their Public Sector Equality Duty.
Local authorities are responsible for pavement maintenance and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities outside London tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. Any new measures will be accompanied by an impact assessment. The Department has not had recent discussions with Liverpool City Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities. The Department is fully aware of the damage that can occur to pavements from parked vehicles.
Local authorities are responsible for pavement maintenance and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities outside London tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. Any new measures will be accompanied by an impact assessment. The Department has not had recent discussions with Liverpool City Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities. The Department is fully aware of the damage that can occur to pavements from parked vehicles.
Local authorities are responsible for pavement maintenance and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities outside London tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. Any new measures will be accompanied by an impact assessment. The Department has not had recent discussions with Liverpool City Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities. The Department is fully aware of the damage that can occur to pavements from parked vehicles.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received 413 items of written correspondence from hon. and Rt hon. members in January 2023 and 396 in February 2023.
The DVLA also has a dedicated telephone service for MPs and this service received 100 calls in January and 91 in February.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received 413 items of written correspondence from hon. and Rt hon. members in January 2023 and 396 in February 2023.
The DVLA also has a dedicated telephone service for MPs and this service received 100 calls in January and 91 in February.
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
The table below shows correspondence from Rt Hon and hon Members from March to September 2023.
| Direct correspondence from MPs | Telephone enquiries from MPs |
March 2023 | 440 | 106 |
April 2023 | 349 | 64 |
May 2023 | 389 | 89 |
June 2023 | 391 | 86 |
July 2023 | 317 | 73 |
August 2023 | 347 | 65 |
September 2023 | 348 | 58 |
Responsibility for making decisions about the roads under its care, including measures to protect the safety of inner city road users, sits with the relevant Local Traffic Authority (LTA) for that inner city area.
The Department for Transport provides guidance to LTAs on various traffic management measures which impact road safety. A collection of these can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-transport-notes.
Guidance provided by the Department for LTAs is kept updated to maintain the highest road safety standards possible.
Local authorities are responsible for pavement maintenance and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for all pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments, and can be the cause of damage to pavements.
Local authorities are responsible for pavement maintenance and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for all pedestrians, particularly for people with sight or mobility impairments, and can be the cause of damage to pavements.
The Department has consulted on options to help local authorities outside London tackle pavement parking, including a default ban. Views were expressed on a wide range of related issues, including public transport. The Department will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department has not had recent discussions with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council or Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.
The Department has consulted on options to help local authorities outside London tackle pavement parking, including a default ban. Views were expressed on a wide range of related issues, including public transport. The Department will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department has not had recent discussions with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council or Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.
The Department has consulted on options to help local authorities outside London tackle pavement parking, including a default ban. Views were expressed on a wide range of related issues, including public transport. The Department will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department has not had recent discussions with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council or Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.
The Department has consulted on options to help local authorities outside London tackle pavement parking, including a default ban. Views were expressed on a wide range of related issues, including public transport. The Department will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken. The Department has not had recent discussions with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council or Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, but the consultation was open to all local authorities.
Local highway authorities across England are set to benefit from an £8.3 billion boost in funding for highway maintenance, the biggest ever increase in funding for local roads. This funding is in addition to local transport funding from the last Spending Review and in addition to what local authorities were expecting to receive. Buckinghamshire will receive a minimum additional overall uplift of £51 million between 2023-24 and 2033-34, which should allow it to make major improvements to the condition of its local roads.
Each of the 30 measures in “The Plan for Drivers” is being implemented on its own timescale according to what action is required, for example the launch of a public consultation, publication of revised guidance, or procurement of a supplier.