Asked by: Melanie Ward (Labour - Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of pilot fatigue have been reported to the Civil Aviation Authority in each of the past 10 years.
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.
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 executive agency reform will be permanent.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport efficiencies quoted in the Departmental Efficiency Plan are in line with the Government Efficiency Framework. In particular, the Government Efficiency Framework states that efficiencies “… should be sustainable (recurring)” and “exist in the year they are realised and remain in all subsequent years at equal or greater value.”
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve public transport provision in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in keeping communities connected.
We introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year. East Midlands Combined Authority will be allocated £65.5 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £21.7 million they are already receiving this year.
On 1 January 2025, the Government introduced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London, and in the Spending Review announced that this would be extended until March 2027. The £3 cap replaced the £2 cap, and without action, the cap would have ended and fares would have returned to their previous levels. Local authorities can also use their LABG funding to introduce local fares initiatives to further reduce travel costs
Rail services in East Midlands Combined Authority are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help make public transport more affordable.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in keeping communities connected.
We introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year. East Midlands Combined Authority will be allocated £65.5 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £21.7 million they are already receiving this year.
On 1 January 2025, the Government introduced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London, and in the Spending Review announced that this would be extended until March 2027. The £3 cap replaced the £2 cap, and without action, the cap would have ended and fares would have returned to their previous levels. Local authorities can also use their LABG funding to introduce local fares initiatives to further reduce travel costs
Rail services in East Midlands Combined Authority are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current statutory consultation requirements for introducing parking restrictions on main roads, and whether she plans to review these requirements.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
No such assessment has been made. We have not identified a need for change but will continue to monitor their impact as part of wider traffic management reviews.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the long-distance simplified fares trials on passengers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has commissioned independent evaluation on the trial, this research has not yet concluded. The current evidence is provided by London North Eastern Railway and is available at: https://assets.ctfassets.net/mxack5k9p2sw/6k2Evw4OmGsvywKgBg9U9j/e63a4ca09d2c4e01fada29f731d90f7b/Simpler_Fares_LNER_Website_Copy_Enhanced_Sept_2025.pdf.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the implementation costs are for the DVSA, DVLA and VCA reform programmes underpinning the projected £39 million per year efficiency saving by 2028–29.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The forecast efficiencies of £39m in 28/29 set out in the Departmental Efficiency Plan from reform of the Executive Agencies is the net position and were based on forecasted efficiencies of £52m and forecasted costs of £13m.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will consider increasing funding to improve the (a) security and (b) enforcement of vehicle registration marks.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026, the Government published its Road Safety Strategy, which sets out plans to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Great Britain’s roads, including through a focus on robust enforcement.
The Strategy also sets out the Government’s intention to consult on addressing the growing problem of illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ number plates. The Department for Transport has published a consultation on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, including the use of illegal number plates designed to evade detection. Separately, the DVLA has been engaged in work to strengthen the relevant number plate standard and officials are considering options to support more robust application and audit processes for number plate suppliers.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many pothole damage claims there were in 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of pothole damage claims in 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her oral contribution of 8 January 2026, Official Report, column 420, on what evidential basis she said that the majority of single tickets under the extension of contactless ticketing will be the same price or lower than under the previous fares structure.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As part of our fares simplification to expand Pay As You Go (PAYG) with Contactless ticketing, we introduced single leg pricing. The Department worked with the rail industry to ensure that as much as possible, single fares will cost roughly half the price of a return. The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of PAYG rollout, in the South East, following the launch of phase one stations last year. This will measure the impact of both PAYG technology and fares reform on passenger experience. Once the evaluation is complete, we will make the final reports public.