Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of closing Junction 38 of the M6 during the Lune Gorge bridge replacement works on local businesses.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government, working in close partnership with National Highways, is fully committed to this project being delivered in a way that minimises disruption to road users, businesses and local communities. National Highways has undertaken assessments to understand the impact this work will have on the region including an assessment of the impact on traffic flows of the proposed traffic management arrangements. National Highways is also reviewing a detailed feasibility report of proposals for Junction 38 which was provided last year. The review is expected to conclude in January 2026.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will instruct National Highways to meet with BWB Consulting and Kier in an engineer-to-engineer review of proposals for temporary slip roads at Junction 38 of the M6.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways has facilitated discussions between BWB Consulting and Kier engineers, including a meeting held on 17 December 2025 to review proposals for temporary slip roads at Junction 38. A further update on temporary slip roads will be provided at the Stakeholder Engagement Group meeting at the end of January 2026.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the speed camera anomaly on the numbers of commercial drivers where the incorrect enforcement of speeding has resulted in the [a] loss of employment, or [b] compromised the ability for prospective drivers to gain driving opportunities.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This anomaly resulted in a very small number of people incorrectly facing enforcement action for speeding offences and the Police have begun the process of redress.
Anybody affected by the anomaly will be contacted directly and, where appropriate, be reimbursed and/or have points removed from the licence. Steps will be taken to remedy any incorrect prosecutions.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve public awareness and understanding of changes to the Highway Code as part of the new Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I would like to make clear that improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities.
Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many instances of ANPR failure linked to tampered or unreadable number plates have been recorded by (a) police forces and (b) National Highways in the past three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not collect data on instances of ANPR failure recorded by police forces.
National Highways (NH) holds data from 27 July 2023 onwards with regard to the Dartford Crossing, since the introduction of the new Dart Charge service. As part of NH’s administration of the Dart Charge service ANPR monitors all vehicles which make the crossing on this route. A very small proportion of crossings cannot be charged due to a range of factors, including environmental conditions, dirt on number plates, or deliberate obscuring or tampering.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she is having with National Highways to determine how many drivers are impacted by the speed camera anomaly and rectify the issue to prevent the anomaly from occurring in the future.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As set out in the 16 December Written Ministerial Statement, National Highways has confirmed that this technical anomaly has occurred approximately 2,650 times on the impacted cameras over four years since 2021 and National Highways are now looking back to 2019. To place this in context, fewer than 0.1% of activations since 2021 were impacted by this anomaly and not all of the erroneous activations will have resulted in enforcement action.
A Home Office approved solution has been developed which National Highways are now working with the police to implement. It is important that road users have confidence in the technology on our roads and that is why I have committed to an independent investigation into how this anomaly came about to prevent this reoccurring in the future.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether National Highways undertook a detailed assessment of the potential to construct temporary slip roads to allow Junction 38 of the M6 (northbound and southbound) to remain open for the duration of the Lune Gorge bridge replacement works; and whether that assessment was completed before the current construction programme was designed and approved.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when any assessment by National Highways of temporary slip roads at Junction 38 of the M6 was undertaken; and whether the findings of that assessment informed the current construction programme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the up-front technology and systems investment costs required for Network Rail and National Highways to deliver the efficiency gains assumed in the regulated settlements.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Technology and systems investments are integral to delivering efficiencies within Network Rail’s plan for Control Period 7. Significant investments have been made in specific technology and systems programmes, for example £930 million on Digital Signalling, £215 million on Electrical Safety and Delivery, and £185 million on Project Reach which aims to secure external investment to upgrade Network Rail’s telecoms infrastructure through utilising private sector funding. These investments are made to drive Network Rail's delivery against its overall strategic objectives, one of which is efficiency.
For National Highways, the upfront technology and system costs required to support efficiency delivery and performance outcomes will form part of the overall investment plan to be confirmed when RIS3 is published in March 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) up-front and (b) ongoing costs are for the corporate initiatives underpinning the projected efficiency saving by 2028–29; and how much of those costs relate to (i) AI, (ii) digital tools and (iii) shared services programmes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.