Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will meet representatives of Great Western Railway to discuss the use of half-length trains.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Ministers meet with train operators regularly to discuss a range of issues including operational performance. I expect to meet with Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail again in the coming months to continue to hold them to account on progress towards sustained good performance.

Train lengths are regularly reviewed and adjustments are made where appropriate. GWR deploys its Intercity fleet of 5, 9 or 10 carriage trains to best meet demand.

Sometimes services are formed of fewer carriages than planned but this is only done as a last resort – this could be because of damage or vandalism, for example following an infrastructure problem, or because of an animal strike or fatality. Trains can also develop faults which means they cannot be used for passenger service until the problem is resolved.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety, security, and resilience of national and regional transport infrastructure, with particular reference to South Yorkshire.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport works closely with transport operators to assess the risks to transport infrastructure arising from, for example, severe weather, security threats or accidents. These risk assessments are used by national and local government and the transport industry to inform planning at all levels. This includes the South Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum.

Following the publication of the UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, the Department for Transport is working with cross-government and transport sector stakeholders to identify transport-specific opportunities and interventions to address gaps identified in capabilities.

South Yorkshire will also receive £570 million in City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding by March 2027. Following this, the region will benefit from a £1.5 billion share of the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement. This will fund a number of active travel improvement schemes—including segregated cycleways, improved footpaths, and highways upgrades—that will improve safety for both active travel and road users. The Magna Tinsley scheme, for example, incorporates safety by design. It has already delivered a new toucan crossing at the Sheffield Road/Raby Street junction to provide a safe crossing point from Tinsley Village across Sheffield Road. Further improvements are planned, including segregated cycleways and improved footways.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy towards the sustainability of general aviation, particularly in the fields of flying and engineering training, air ambulance activities, police aviation, and the offshore and onshore commercial helicopter sectors.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

General Aviation continues to be considered as part of our wider work around the opportunities and challenges facing the wider aviation sector. The Department will continue to work with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue policy development within the Department for Transport relating to general aviation.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department is focused on delivering the Government’s priorities; building a stronger economy, creating opportunities across all regions and achieving our ambition for Great Britain to be a clean energy super power. General Aviation has a role to play, supporting jobs and skills, connecting communities and preserving our rich aviation heritage and will continue to be considered as part of our wider approach to the opportunities and challenges facing the wider aviation sector.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that closures of the M6 in Cumbria are having on traffic congestion in Kendal; and what plans they have to amend their scheme for the construction of bridges on the motorway to avoid diverting traffic through the town.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

National Highway’s (NH) will always need to prioritise the safety of both road users and its work force. At times for the M6 Lune Gorge scheme, this will mean full motorway closures are needed between Junction 37 and 38 to allow high risk construction activities to take place. Due to the layout of this section of the network, the only suitable diversion route is via the M6 J36, A590, A591, through Kendal, A6 exiting at M6 J39. Diversion routes are planned in advance with local councils.

NH has reviewed traffic flow data on the M6 and will use over-night closures, when traffic is much less, in order to minimise the impact to both drivers and local communities.

For certain activities, such as bridge demolition, there will also need to be weekend closures. NH recognises the potential disruption these may cause and will look to minimise the use of them.

When a diversion route does need to be used, this will be communicated well in advance in order to reduce the impact on communities such as Kendal.

NH is planning to deploy innovative construction methods, such as particular types of cranes and rolling roadblocks, to reduce the number of full closures needed, and the diversion of traffic through Kendal.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to oversee and support general aviation aerodromes and the businesses that depend on those aerodromes; and if so, whether they will consult the general aviation sector about changes in policy oversight.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department regularly engages with the general aviation sector on any policy changes. The Department also works with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list the allocation of responsibilities of Ministers in the Department for Transport.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The responsibilities of Ministers in the Department for Transport can be found below:

The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all Department for Transport business, including:

• overarching responsibility for the departmental portfolio and oversight of the ministerial team
• delivering the transport priorities of the government: making transport cheaper, greener, and more reliable
• ensuring the transport network is safe and accessible
• corporate functions such as oversight of departmental finance and public appointments

The Minister for Rail is responsible for:

• rail
• light rail
• London and TfL

The Minister for Roads and Buses is responsible for:

• roads
• buses
• accessibility
• automated vehicles (AVs)
• motoring agencies
• micromobility

The Minister for Local Transport is responsible for:

• local transport
• active travel
• violence against women and girls (VAWG)
• taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs)
• road safety

The Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation is responsible for:

• aviation and airport expansion
• maritime
• decarbonisation and electric vehicles (EVs)
• freight and borders
• security

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 applies to Transport for London, and what discussions they have had with Transport for London about the use of the powers in that Act.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 would apply to Transport for London. However, the Government announced on 6 August that it will repeal the Act as part of the Employment Rights Bill which is currently at Final Stages in the Lords. The Act was unworkable for public transport when it was passed.

A report suggested that many yellow boxes are bigger than they need to be, on average by 50%. We believe the current rules may be abused by some authorities to raise revenue with no evidence of any benefits to traffic flow. Change law to give drivers more leniency with the suggestions below:

We want the Government to increase the speed limit on dual carriage and motorway to 80 MPH.

We believe the Government needs to find a way to reduce the backlog of driving tests. We want the Government to review the process for booking driving tests, ban the resale of tests at inflated prices and the use of automated bots to buy tests.

Amend the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, Transport Act 2000 and relevant legislation, and fund mandatory free bus passes for all carers of disabled people. There are disabled people who cannot travel without their carers and we think carers should be able to travel with them for free.

I would like there to be a separate specific MOT test classification that can be done to verify a vehicle is roadworthy with aftermarket modifications.

We think public transport strikes on shouldn't be able to shut down the service entirely. We want minimum service level of 30% for people to attend their commitments of work, school, medical appointments, etc. This should be established by law, like it is for some other public services.

Pass legislation so that transport workers (rail, bus, air, underground and related services) cannot undertake strike action and disrupt transport networks nationwide.

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Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of the increased deployment of drone technology to deliver urgent medical supplies to (1) remote, and (2) urban, areas.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to innovation in drones and other growth sectors, with further information available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, and work is ongoing across Government, including between the Department and the Civil Aviation Authority, to support the safe and effective introduction of drones into medical logistics.

The Department continuously reviews the available evidence surrounding the use of drones in medical logistics and is supportive of new trials to further build this evidence base, in particular regarding the benefits of the use of drones to deliver urgent medical supplies in remote and urban areas. Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care, working in collaboration with the Department for Transport, Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation, supported five pilot projects, allocating them a total of £500,000, to explore the use of drones in the National Health Service. Given the potential of drones to improve how the NHS delivers patient care, the Department of Health and Social Care is supportive of trials that explore the use of drones in medical logistics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to increase the adoption of drone technology across the health service.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to innovation in drones and other growth sectors, with further information available on the GOV.UK website in an online only format, and work is ongoing across Government, including between the Department and the Civil Aviation Authority, to support the safe and effective introduction of drones into medical logistics.

The Department continuously reviews the available evidence surrounding the use of drones in medical logistics and is supportive of new trials to further build this evidence base, in particular regarding the benefits of the use of drones to deliver urgent medical supplies in remote and urban areas. Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care, working in collaboration with the Department for Transport, Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation, supported five pilot projects, allocating them a total of £500,000, to explore the use of drones in the National Health Service. Given the potential of drones to improve how the NHS delivers patient care, the Department of Health and Social Care is supportive of trials that explore the use of drones in medical logistics.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a national freight crime strategy, including proposals for criminal law measures, and on what timeframe.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.

Whilst there are no plans to introduce a national freight crime strategy, we will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it.

There are strong links between freight crime and serious, organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.

This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, and we are continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.

The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) insurance fraud and (b) ghost brokers in the motor insurance industry.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government recognises the harm caused by insurance fraud, including ghost broking. This is why we have launched an Insurance Fraud Charter with key firms setting out a series of voluntary measures to disrupt and deter insurance fraud. As part of the Stop! Think Fraud public communications campaign, the Government supported a campaign led by the Association of British Insurers, the City of London Police, and the Insurance Fraud Bureau to highlight the signs of Ghost Broking and encourage public reporting to CheatLine. We continue working with law enforcement and industry partners, including the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, to combat this crime and protect consumers.

The Government also launched a cross-government motor insurance taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, to help drive down the costs of motor insurance and will consider related fraud as part of this. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.

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Question

Will the Welsh Government be pausing the rollout of bus boarders following the UK Government's decision to do so?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales

I published “Travel for All” this summer, which sets out my commitment and our approach to embedding accessibility and inclusivity into our transport networks across all modes.

 I am aware of the concerns raised over the construction and design of some of the schemes that provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, including bus boarders, through my frequent engagement with the Access and Inclusion Panel in TfW and other disability representatives about accessibility and inclusion issues.

 The Welsh Government and Transport for Wales are currently reviewing the Active Travel Act Guidance, last updated in 2021, which sets out the recommended planning and design solutions for walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. As part of this update, we will soon be consulting on changes to some of these design options to provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, based on feedback we have received.

 We will continue to engage proactively with all key stakeholder groups throughout the consultation and beyond. Officials are also liaising with the DfT and Active Travel England as they develop guidance on these matters for local authorities in England, with the aim to ensure good alignment between our approaches in both countries.

 Regardless of planned changes to our guidance, any scheme that incorporates such features needs to be designed with high quality user engagement and consultation. Through Transport for Wales, we are able to support local authorities in a much more direct way throughout scheme development and design than is possible in England and we therefore do not consider it necessary to pause implementation. Transport for Wales are also developing dedicated training on better understanding and engagement for the consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion in walking, wheeling and cycling design. TfW have already arranged interactive sessions with RNIB for local authority officers to deepen their understanding of the challenges people with sight loss face.

Question

What consideration has the Welsh Government given to pausing the rollout of bus boarders due to safety concerns for disabled people?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales

I published “Travel for All” this summer, which sets out my commitment and our approach to embedding accessibility and inclusivity into our transport networks across all modes.

I am aware of the concerns raised over the construction and design of some of the schemes that provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, including bus boarders, through my frequent engagement with the Access and Inclusion Panel in TfW and other disability representatives about accessibility and inclusion issues. 

The Welsh Government and Transport for Wales are currently reviewing the Active Travel Act Guidance, last updated in 2021, which sets out the recommended planning and design solutions for walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. As part of this update, we will soon be consulting on changes to some of these design options to provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, based on feedback we have received. 

We will continue to engage proactively with all key stakeholder groups throughout the consultation and beyond. Officials are also liaising with the DfT and Active Travel England as they develop guidance on these matters for local authorities in England, with the aim to ensure good alignment between our approaches in both countries.

Regardless of planned changes to our guidance, any scheme that incorporates such features needs to be designed with high quality user engagement and consultation. Through Transport for Wales, we are able to support local authorities in a much more direct way throughout scheme development and design than is possible in England and we therefore do not consider it necessary to pause implementation. Transport for Wales are also developing dedicated training on better understanding and engagement for the consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion in walking, wheeling and cycling design. TfW have already arranged interactive sessions with RNIB for local authority officers to deepen their understanding of the challenges people with sight loss face.

Question

What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with the UK Government on the use of bus boarders in light of the UK Government's decision to pause their rollout?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales

I published “Travel for All” this summer, which sets out my commitment and our approach to embedding accessibility and inclusivity into our transport networks across all modes.

I am aware of the concerns raised over the construction and design of some of the schemes that provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, including bus boarders, through my frequent engagement with the Access and Inclusion Panel in TfW and other disability representatives about accessibility and inclusion issues.

The Welsh Government and Transport for Wales are currently reviewing the Active Travel Act Guidance, last updated in 2021, which sets out the recommended planning and design solutions for walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. As part of this update, we will soon be consulting on changes to some of these design options to provide continuity for cycle routes at bus stops, based on feedback we have received.

We will continue to engage proactively with all key stakeholder groups throughout the consultation and beyond. Officials are also liaising with the DfT and Active Travel England as they develop guidance on these matters for local authorities in England, with the aim to ensure good alignment between our approaches in both countries.

 Regardless of planned changes to our guidance, any scheme that incorporates such features needs to be designed with high quality user engagement and consultation. Through Transport for Wales, we are able to support local authorities in a much more direct way throughout scheme development and design than is possible in England and we therefore do not consider it necessary to pause implementation. Transport for Wales are also developing dedicated training on better understanding and engagement for the consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion in walking, wheeling and cycling design. TfW have already arranged interactive sessions with RNIB for local authority officers to deepen their understanding of the challenges people with sight loss face.