Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the projected efficiency saving from corporate initiatives by 2028–29 represents cash reductions in Departmental expenditure, as opposed to productivity improvements, cost avoidance or spending reclassification.
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: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on (a) purchasing and (b) installing soundproof meeting pods for its headquarters in London since 17 October 2024; and how much of this relates to meeting pods for the Ministerial private office.
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, how much of the efficiency savings attributed to regulated settlements arise from regulatory funding constraints imposed by the Office of Rail and Road.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road has a key role in providing assurance to Government on the regulated settlements for National Highways and Network Rail, this includes assuring what is to be delivered against the available funding as well as what is an appropriate efficiency target.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the comparative capital costs of including discontinuous and full electrification on East West Rail.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In its autumn announcement, EWR Co set out proposals for the discontinuous (partial) electrification of the line. Discontinuous electrification can enable net zero services through the use of hybrid battery-electric trains for reduced upfront capital costs compared to full route electrification. Exact costs will depend on the location and extent of electrification, and updated proposals will be provided at the next consultation on EWR later this year.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her forthcoming Freight and Logistics Plan will identify (a) a National Freight Network, (b) key transport routes and (c) main transport bottlenecks for freight movements across transport modes; and what steps her Department is taking to integrate increased use of data and analytics as part of that Plan.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The forthcoming new plan for freight is informed by the broad range of information the Department holds on the freight and logistics system. This includes information that helps us understand key transport routes, like our published road traffic and maritime statistics, and information to help us understand network bottlenecks, such as our congestion statistics and stakeholder intelligence.
The plan will also reflect the importance of continually improving our data and analytical capabilities and strengthening our associated understanding of the freight and logistics system as an integrated multimodal network. Further detail on the measures and overarching approach we are taking forward to do so will be provided in the plan.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work they are undertaking towards the electrification of railways lines, in particular the Midland Main Line, and what is the timescale for that work.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Midland Main Line (MML) is now electrified as far as Wigston, south of Leicester, which has enabled the phased introduction of East Midland Railway’s new bi-mode intercity trains to begin. As part of Spending Review 2025, however, the decision was taken to pause electrification of the remainder of the route to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby.
Continued electrification remains part of this government’s approach to decarbonising our railways and this includes electrification of the MML. Although it is not currently funded within this Spending Review period, further electrification of the MML will be kept under active review and consideration, as part of our longer-term pipeline of proposed rail investment schemes.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help address safety risks from the abandonment of e-bikes on pavements.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We understand that e-bikes parked obstructively on pavements are not just an inconvenience but a real safety risk, particularly for vulnerable pavement users.
That is why the licensing regime for shared cycle schemes which we are bringing forward through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will create a legal requirement for shared e-cycle schemes to be licensed by local leaders and will include minimum standard conditions to ensure a national baseline of safety. This will provide local leaders with greater powers to combat street clutter and misuse of shared vehicles.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expect to publish details of each implementation project arising from the publication of the cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The cross-government taskforce’s final report highlights the wider range of areas in which government is taking action; including taking steps to address vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. The government will continue to deliver against the actions set out in this report. The departments leading on specific actions are responsible for providing updates on the work being undertaken.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the Road Safety Strategy will (a) improve drivers’ understanding of cyclists’ rights and (b) promote safer interactions between drivers and cyclists on the roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026, the Government published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences.
The Strategy also set 17 safety performance indicators (SPIs) which will be monitored to provide an understanding of performance against the commitments made in the strategy. One of these SPIs will monitor the rate of cyclists/pedestrians killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions per billion miles walked/cycled.
Advances in vehicle safety technology also offer a significant opportunity to prevent collisions, reduce casualties and protect the most vulnerable road users. As part of the Road Safety Strategy, we are currently consulting on proposals to mandate a range of vehicle technologies including Emergency Braking for cyclists. This technology is designed to warn the driver and automatically activate the vehicle brakes when a frontal collision with a cyclist is imminent.
The Government's THINK! road safety campaign currently runs two year-round radio adverts encouraging safer behaviours among drivers to protect cyclists. These promote use of the Dutch Reach for opening car doors and raise awareness of safe passing speeds and distances for motorists when overtaking cyclists.
We will continue to encourage safer road user behaviours, including to improve safety for those cycling via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
Asked by: Melanie Ward (Labour - Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many occasions in the last year the Health and Safety Executive has discussed the issue of pilot fatigue with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Where a fatigue issue may have led to a safety incident, the UK CAA's Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) scheme requires that operators send a report to the UK CAA. However, these reports can only be used to improve aviation safety, and the CAA cannot release occurrence information on pilot fatigue events.
The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty over a given period of time. The CAA monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of flight time to ensure that airlines have appropriate and effective systems in place to manage fatigue.
Although the UK CAA do interact with the HSE on matters of mutual interest, it should be noted that the HSE has no remit in regard to the FTL (Flight Time Limitations) regulations.