Department for Transport

This Government is committed to meeting our obligations under the Windsor Framework relating to the approval of vehicles for the market in Northern Ireland, and to ensuring that consumers in NI are not restricted in their choice of vehicles.

Since the requirements for vehicle approval in Great Britain are derived from the EU's it makes sense to consider amendments made by the EU favourably. This government closely monitors those amendments and takes an explicit presumption in favour of alignment with them.

To this end the government will consult on proposals to align with Euro 6e emissions regulations, and is considering options for requiring the fitment of the safety technologies mandated by the EU's general safety regulation.

The government meets regularly with individual manufacturers, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and has met the National Franchise Dealers Association to understand the issues facing them, including those caused by misalignment between the GB and EU schemes.

The Spending Review and the 10-year Infrastructure Strategy recognises Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs and will deliver at least £445 million of rail enhancements to realise them. The detail of how this investment is to be realised will be determined by the Wales Rail Board in the coming months. The funding secured at the Spending Review includes delivery of the infrastructure changes needed to support the introduction of 50% more services across the North Wales mainline during 2026 and consideration of the future requirements of that line.

The government has no plans to impose a ban on tree and shrubbery clearance work by Network Rail. As stated in the previous answer (HL9261), Network Rail has processes in place for managing tree removal around nesting season. Network Rail has committed to increase biodiversity across the rail estate by 2035 but ultimately must prioritise the safe and efficient operation of the railway. Vegetation with suspected or identified nesting birds would only be removed if safety concerns were significant and following consultation with ecologists, lawyers and the British Transport Police.

No assessment has been made by officials about the number of potholes in the car park at Penrith. We understand from Avanti West Coast and Network Rail that a temporary repair of potholes has been put in place at the station front, and a re-surfacing of the road at the station is expected within the coming year. Avanti West Coast will raise with Network Rail the importance of the car park in any plans for pothole repairs.

There are currently no plans to install a shelter at the southern end of platform 1 as most of the station is covered by existing canopies. The decision to install a shelter would require agreement from Avanti West Coast as station manager and Network Rail as station owner. The Department expects Avanti West Coast collaborate with Network Rail to identify opportunities for investment, above and beyond essential renewals for station investments, where affordable.

The ZEV consultation earlier this year identified that upfront cost remains a significant barrier for many consumers.

Following grant announcement, the Government has had multiple calls with vehicle manufacturers and trade bodies to explain vehicle eligibility and how to apply for the grant.

We will continue these discussions to ensure manufacturers have all the information they need.

The UK Government is committed to supporting the Cape Town Agreement. It is the first global agreement on fishing safety, to ensure mandatory minimum standards to safeguard fishers working at sea and deter vessels engaged in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing from operating by making poor working conditions subject to detention and inspection globally.

The Explanatory Memorandum on the Cape Town Agreement will be laid as a Command Paper before Parliament upon their return from recess on 1 September for 21 sitting days. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be asked to commence accession procedures once Parliament has resolved it is content to accede.

The Government has made no such assessment. The Department’s street design guidance Manual for Streets includes a hierarchy that puts consideration of the needs of people walking and cycling first. Kerbside strategies are one tool available to local authorities to help manage their roads in line with this hierarchy and with the wider principles of the Manual, to achieve their local objectives. Local authorities are encouraged to share good practice with each other.

The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper information where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it. The fee payable by private sector organisations for this information is £2.50 per enquiry. The law also allows the DVLA to set fees to cover the full costs of the driver licensing and vehicle registration services it delivers as a whole. This means that some services attract a fee while others are provided free of charge if it is beneficial to do so. The DVLA regularly reviews all its statutory fees to ensure that they remain set at appropriate levels.

In the financial year 2024-25 the total revenue from vehicle keeper data was £37.5m. The DVLA is unable to break this down into just private parking enforcement companies so this figure also includes revenue from requests received from other companies and organisations.

National Highways (NH) has had traffic restrictions on the A1 at Water Newton to Stibbington in place from 1 November 2024 as a large agricultural vehicle caused substantial damage to the bridge. This has required nearside lane closures that will be in place until 12 September 2025.

NH has 16 planned overnight closures during the period 17 July 2025 until 4 October 2025 to carry out various temporary maintenance and technology works to maintain the network. NH plan to carry out the work overnight to limit disruption to drivers during the day.

NH has an Interim remedial scheme where it will undertake interventions to widen the A1 to allow for 2 lanes running. This will begin in September 2025 and finish in October 2025. This will require a combination of initial nighttime closures followed by a series of 6 weekend closures.

The price cap ensures the Electric Car Grant targets the more affordable end of the zero emission car market. We expect this grant will support a range of models, including several under £20,000 or leased at under £200 per month.

The Sustrans Transforming Mobility Report highlights how paid access panels could be one means by which local transport authorities engage with disabled people to shape, review, and monitor transport policies and projects, so that accessibility is embedded from the start of projects.

This recommendation is aimed at local leaders, who know their communities and are best placed to make decisions about how they can improve local transport for disabled people. Improving accessibility is a collaborative effort, with operators, industry, and local authorities having key parts to play – alongside the support of all passengers. Breaking down barriers to opportunity is a core mission statement for this government and that is why we are developing an Integrated National Transport Strategy to enable us to better work with partners across the transport sector to deliver a network that works for all passengers.

More widely, the government is committed to improving public transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. The Bus Services (No.2) Bill, introduced by the government on 17 December is intended to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them and includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive. In addition, on 1 October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

Ensuring the rail network is 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 have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of the establishment of Great British Rail.

To access the grant, manufacturers must hold a validated science-based target, which means they are committed to sustainable practices. These are assessed by the independent Science Based Target Initiative.

If a manufacturer holds a science-based target, whether and how much grant funding a vehicle could receive is based on the carbon emissions from the generation of energy used to assemble the vehicle and produce its battery. These criteria are assessed by the Department for Transport.

Teams from the System Operator contribute to elements of the Great British Railways (GBR) design programme, where their expertise is relevant. They do this alongside other teams from across the industry with the design programme deliberately set up to draw on relevant capabilities from all parts of the railway. In addition, the Department for Transport has asked Network Rail’s System Operator to engage the railway industry in preparatory work on the anticipated changes to access and use of the railway network.

Some staff have been moved into the System Operator since March 2025 following the shut down of the previous government’s Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT].

The responsibility for light rail and tramways is devolved, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the development and delivery of their own system. Therefore, it would be for local authorities to specify criteria for any future tram scheme, or tram extension, ensuring to adhere to the relevant procurement regulations when running their procurement competitions.

In addition, under the Government’s Social Value policy, public contracting authorities, such as local authorities, can set rigorous environmental and social standards, and other criteria that play to the strengths of local supply chains who can meet those standards. This is also subject to the requirement not to discriminate directly or indirectly against tenderers on grounds of nationality.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act was the first step towards fixing our railways, enabling the majority of services to be owned by and run for the public, but we need further fundamental reform to fix the underlying structural problems and put passengers and customers back at the heart of the railway.

Great British Railways (GBR) is set to be the ‘directing mind’ for the rail industry, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services into a single public body. A design programme for GBR is underway, which is jointly run by the Department for Transport, DfT Operator and Network Rail.

We anticipate that GBR is to be set up over the following 12 months after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent. The Bill is expected to be introduced later in this session.

We are committed to growing shared micromobility in Great Britain. The Government continues to trial rental e-scooters so we can learn what works, and on 21 July I announced these trials will be extended to May 2028, and for the first time since the trials began, I am offering new towns and cities the opportunity to join.

Cycle sharing is already here and growing, as highlighted by this report. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill introduced on 10 July included a measure to regulate on-street micromobility services which will give our local leaders the powers to regulate shared micromobility so they can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and ensure they are used safely and responsibly.

We are overhauling the complex fares and ticketing system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare, with the move to Great British Railways (GBR) enabling passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network.

We need to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers as we reform fares and deliver GBR, ensuring everyone gets a fair deal. Delivering better quality services, and increased reliability of trains, alongside a clearer fares offer will ensure an enhanced passenger experience.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently 66. In London, the Older Person's Freedom Pass is eligible to all London residents over the age of 66, which is the statutory eligibility for the ENCTS as set out in legislation. This therefore means that there would be no instance where a passholder of London's Older Person Freedom Pass would be using their pass in an area where the eligibility for free travel is set at a higher age.

Residents who live in a London borough and are aged 60 or over are eligible for the 60+ London Oyster photocard. This concession enables passholders to travel for free on Transport for London (TfL) services and cannot be used to board services outside of London, with the exception of a small number of National Rail services connecting into London. This is an additional concession, funded and delivered at the discretion of TfL.

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with local authorities on these matters. The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairments and those with wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate. Recent reforms by my Department to the process by which Traffic Regulation Orders are made will make it easier for them to do so.

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with local authorities on these matters. The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairments and those with wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate. Recent reforms by my Department to the process by which Traffic Regulation Orders are made will make it easier for them to do so.

The Government is fully supportive of a thriving and competitive international passenger rail market and welcomes the prospect of new entrants. The Department recognises that depot capacity for international trains is a key barrier facing new entrants and officials are currently exploring options to address this. Any decision will be subject to the usual business case process and the Government will provide more details as this work progresses.

Ministers and officials at the Department meet with the British Transport Police on a regular basis to discuss the work the force are doing to ensure the railway remains a safe environment for the public and rail staff.

The BTP’s County Lines taskforce are undertaking excellent work to tackle County Lines activity on the railway. The taskforce is an intelligence-led proactive unit, focused on tackling drug supply and child exploitation, working across the whole rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.

As rail infrastructure projects have not been devolved to Wales the categorisation of these projects is in line with wider devolution policy managed by Treasury.

Every Government funded rail project in Wales or England are always categorised as England and Wales investment projects.

The categorising of East West Rail as an England and Wales project does not mean that Wales is disadvantaged in any way.

A sum of £123m has been allocated by the Government to deliver detailed designs of the first phase of MRH. The designs will produce a more accurate cost estimate, a delivery schedule and subsequently form the basis of a ‘Final Investment Decision’. This phase is due to enter service in the early 2030s. The costs and delivery timescales for later phases are subject to further development work and subsequent investment decisions.

The Government strongly encourages cyclists to wear helmets, and this is reflected in The Highway Code, but there are no plans to mandate this.

A previous review of this matter concluded that the safety benefits of mandating helmets would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that it would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits.

The first phase of Midlands Rail Hub (‘Western’ scope) would enable additional trains each hour between Birmingham and South Wales and the South West, and on Birmingham’s Cross City Line. This includes extending Chiltern services from Moor Street to Snow Hill station by improving connectivity across the region. The costs and delivery timescales for later phases are subject to further development work and subsequent investment decisions.

The Department for Transport publishes statistics on vehicle distance travelled on local bus services, which can be used as a proxy for bus service provision. These figures have been combined with Office for National Statistics population estimates to assess trends in provision per capita. The year ending March 2024 figures have been calculated using mid-year 2023 population estimates, as these are the latest available figures.

Data for Solihull and Birmingham is not available, so figures for West Midlands Combined Authority have been provided instead.

Table: Vehicle distance travelled (kilometres) per capita on local bus services from year ending March 2015.

The Department is working at pace to further support the growth of international rail services and address the barriers to entry, including addressing capacity challenges. The Department is actively engaging with a range of stakeholders, including the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Eurostar, London St. Pancras Highspeed and potential new operators to support the long-term growth of international rail passenger services.

Hagley Road Sprint was included in West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) £1.05bn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) programme for the years 2022/23 to 2026/27. CRSTS is a devolved funding programme and it is for local leaders to decide how to allocate this funding to address their local transport priorities. WMCA has also been allocated a £2.4bn Transport for City Region (TCR) Settlement for the years 2027/28 to 2031/32 to support them to drive growth, improve access to opportunities and decarbonise their transport infrastructure.

The Government is reducing the number of different funding streams we pay to Local Transport Authorities. Major city regions will benefit from the recently announced £15.6bn Transport for Cities fund while our smaller cities, towns and rural areas will receive £2.3bn from the Local Transport Grant and over £800m bus capital funding. Local leaders can use this funding to invest in local prioritises, such as investment in new zero emission buses (ZEBs).

To support the domestic ZEB industry, the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel was established in March 2025. A key objective of the Panel is to help create a steady pipeline of manufacturing orders. This pipeline involves gathering the necessary data on bus orders over the next ten years into one place so that it is accessible to all ZEB stakeholders. This will offer greater planning certainty to local transport authorities as they develop future decarbonisation strategies. Equally, UK-based manufacturers are well placed to benefit from this stability.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with road safety experts on updating legislation for the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads.

Legislative updates to the speed and weight limits of agricultural tractors were made in 2015. This increased the maximum weight limit for tractor-trailer combinations to 31 tonnes.

The government is not currently considering updates to the existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles but has engaged with the sector on this topic.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with road safety experts on updating legislation for the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads.

Legislative updates to the speed and weight limits of agricultural tractors were made in 2015. This increased the maximum weight limit for tractor-trailer combinations to 31 tonnes.

The government is not currently considering updates to the existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles but has engaged with the sector on this topic.

As part of the bus franchising process, local transport authorities (LTAs) must develop a robust assessment of all elements of a move to franchising. This assessment requires LTAs to demonstrate a financial and economic case for franchising in their area which considers whether the authority would be able to afford to make and operate the scheme, and whether the scheme represents value for money.

There is no one size fits all approach to bus franchising, and the cost of bus franchising and level of financial risk to LTAs will vary depending on the individual area and the model of franchising that LTAs wish to pursue.

Government is working to provide more active support to LTAs, and is developing a tailored programme of support for LTAs wishing to franchise. In addition, work will continue to reduce the cost of franchising to help make it more accessible to LTAs. My Department is also engaging with LTAs and bus operators to identify potential alternative models of franchising to those pursued by Greater Manchester and other Mayoral Combined Authorities.

At the Spending Review, the Government announced funding for bus franchising pilots, including in York and North Yorkshire and Cheshire West and Chester as part of additional funding to maintain and improve bus services from 26/27 onwards.

To further accelerate the uptake of EVs, the Government offers grants to support the installation of chargepoints in residential and commercial properties. The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant supports the provision of chargepoints for residents in flats and rented accommodation with grants of up to £350. SMEs and residential landlords can also claim car park grants of up to £15,000 and £30,000 per site towards the cost of infrastructure works and chargepoints.

Additionally, on the 13 July, the Government announced the £25m Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant to further support local authorities in England to adopt pavement channels. This will allow EV drivers to access their domestic electricity tariffs by safely connecting a home EV charger to their vehicle parked on-street and adds to published local authority guidance and chargepoint grants.

Britain’s railways consistently rank among the safest in the world, partly due to the robust safety requirements established in legislation.  These requirements include the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems Safety Regulations 2006 and a range of mandatory standards, including National Technical Specification Notices, rail group standards and rail industry standards, which are enforced by the independent railway safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).  The effectiveness of the regulatory regime for Great Britain’s railways was reflected in the ORR’s latest annual health and safety report published on 17 July 2025, which found that safety levels on the network remain high.  The Government keeps rail safety regulations under regular review, including by undertaking post-implementation reviews with industry, to ensure they remain fit for purpose and up to date.

The British Transport Police (BTP) have a comprehensive training programme in place. All new police officers and police community support officers receive input from the County Lines Taskforce safeguarding team in their initial training and the team provide training to other teams within the force when required.

BTP’s County Lines safeguarding team also deliver the national County Lines coordination centre hydra training which is open to all BTP officers. They also invite partners from children’s services to attend and take part alongside them. The force also provide resources and guidance to officers on how to identify exploitation and make effective referrals.

There is no place for modern slavery or county lines in our society and the British Transport Police (BTP) work to make the railway a hostile environment for criminals committing these offences and a place of safety for victims of exploitation.

The BTP are having much success in their programmes to address these issues. In 2024/25 there were over 230 children safeguarded and 14 modern slavery charges secured by BTP.

The BTP are one of five Police forces with a dedicated County Lines Task Force funded by the Home Office. The taskforce is an intelligence-led proactive unit focused on tackling drug supply and criminal child exploitation, working across the whole rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.

I can reassure you that safeguarding and identifying victims is at the heart of the taskforce’s operations and they have dedicated safeguarding professionals embedded in the team to put support in place for vulnerable individuals.

Whilst this vital work takes place year round, I would like to highlight the work the force did recently, during the national County Lines week of action which ran from 23 June – 29 June 2025. BTP’s County Lines Taskforce ran 48 operations across England, Scotland and Wales which saw 38 people offered support after being identified as victims of exploitation by drugs gangs.

All rail operators and infrastructure owners, including those responsible for overground and underground railway stations, have statutory duties to ensure the safety of those using and working on the railways, including by managing issues such as crowding. These duties are set out in The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) and are supplemented by other health and safety laws. These laws, which are enforced by the independent railway safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, give the UK one of the safest railways in Europe.

Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. These statistics show when charging devices were added to the data source, which is not necessarily when they were installed.

Between 1^st April 2024 and 1^st April 2025:

• 2,122 public charging devices were added to the network in the West Midlands region
• 18 public charging devices were added to the network in the Sutton Coldfield parliamentary constituency

The government will work with Local Transport Authorities and other stakeholders to determine how byelaws should be made and enforced, and what specific guidance is required.

The chart(s) in question represent scenario planning that was used to inform decision making of the previous administration and it is not appropriate to disclose them.

There are no current plans to introduce a separate test for agricultural tractor and trailer combinations over a certain weight threshold.

The Department has no current plans to authorise the use of Cornish language signs on trunk roads at entry points into Cornwall or on traffic signs within Cornwall.

Even if local authorities believe they have an exceptional need to translate English traffic signs into other languages, there is no provision for this in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD).