Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review diversion routes for M4 closures to ensure that country lanes are not used.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

For planned closures on the M4, National Highways will identify and review diversion routes in advance to ensure they are safe, suitable and appropriate for the surrounding road network, including for heavy goods vehicles.

National Highways will agree diversion routes with the relevant local highway authorities, ensure they are clearly signed in line with national standards and ensure they are monitored while in operation. Diversion routes are kept under review and may be amended where issues are identified.

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 DVLA's new casework system on processing times and the number of cases that have not been processed.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is rolling out a new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated. This will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication.

The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve Poole train station.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

South Western Railway (SWR) is responsible for making sure its stations are well-maintained and meet the standards that passengers expect. Now SWR is in public ownership, it is working more closely with Network Rail and together jointly developing a strategic station plan to improve the station building and facilities. SWR is also planning a station adoption group with local stakeholders to improve the general look of the station.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether they will require their department and agencies to offer payroll deductions to all employees to enable them to join a credit union.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This is a service that we do not current offer in DfT or our agencies. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase pothole repairs.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government has provided a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government’s investment of £1.6 billion this financial year, a £500 million increase compared to last year. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term pothole repairs and to instead invest in preventative road surface treatments so that roads can be fixed properly and kept in good condition for longer so that fewer potholes form in the first place.

In addition, in January 2026 the Department released a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. The ratings enable the Department to identify where councils need to improve and to support them. As part of this, the Department is providing development support to help councils adopt best practice and to improve their rating and the condition of their roads.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has issued to the police on detecting and enforcing traffic contraventions committed by autonomous vehicles where no human driver is actively controlling the vehicle.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Section 39 of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (“AV Act”) sets out the Secretary of State’s duty to identify and investigate incidents involving automated vehicles which have potential regulatory consequences. Chapter 2 of the ongoing Call for Evidence, “Developing the Automated Vehicles Regulatory Framework”, seeks views on the most appropriate methods of detection and enforcement of relevant incidents, including traffic infractions.

In addition, guidance specifically relating to forthcoming pilots of automated vehicles, prior to the introduction of the full AV Act, is currently being drafted in conjunction with first responders.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance she has issued to companies conducting autonomous vehicle trials on public communications on the (a) capability and (b) legal compliance of prototype systems.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The ‘Code of Practice: automated vehicle trialling’ is publicly available online through the government’s website. The Code of Practice was published to support organisations or individuals wishing to trial automated vehicle technologies and services. Further guidance will be published to support organisations wishing to deploy through the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme, which government intends to introduce in spring.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department maintains a record of safety interventions, traffic contraventions and near-misses arising from autonomous vehicle trials.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not retain a specific record as set out in the Honourable Member’s question. However, any data related to any incidents from automated vehicle trials, which take place with a safety driver in the vehicle, would be captured within road safety data regularly published by the Department.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In 2024-25 13,491 nights were booked in hotels by DfT staff. The Department’s travel booking system does not include or record star ratings. All staff are required to book accommodation via a central booking system within the Department’s travel & subsistence policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Transport for London on the distribution of the structure fund for repairs and renovations.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is currently seeking views from key stakeholders, including Transport for London, on how best to design and deliver the Structures Fund.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVLA is taking to reduce the number of people using addresses not belonging to them for driving license applications.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the policy of verifying addresses for vehicle registrations and driving licenses.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the DVLA on levels of fraud.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she intends to introduce mandatory address verifications on driving license applications.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVLA are taking to reduce levels of address fraud for vehicle registrations and driving licenses.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce address checks for driving licenses and vehicle registrations.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Driver and Vehicle Account provides motorists with a single online place to access all its services and information. The account allows customers to update their driving licence and vehicle information. To open an account, customers must verify their identify through GOV.UK One Login and this verification process includes an external identity check for verification of personal details, including the address. Information about the account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Anyone applying for a driving licence for the first time must provide evidence of their identity so that the DVLA can verify and authenticate them. While there is no requirement for an applicant to verify their address, the DVLA does ask applicants applying online to provide current and historical addresses where appropriate to help the identity verification process.

The DVLA also requires proof of identity when a vehicle is first registered. To ensure services are customer friendly and cost effective, when a subsequent application is sent to change the details of a registered keeper there is no requirement to provide proof of identity or address.

It is already an offence to provide false or misleading information and there are no plans to introduce additional checks for driving licence applications or vehicle transactions.

The DVLA’s operational fraud team monitors both vehicle and driving licence records for evidence of fraud and acts on intelligence received from the police and other sources. This includes investigating possible anomalies in the use of addresses provided.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to promote the new road safety strategy to the public.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

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.

The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign delivers paid advertising to change attitudes and behaviours among those at most risk on the road, currently focused on the priority issues of speed, drink driving and drug driving. THINK! campaigns will play a key role in encouraging safer road user behaviours to support delivery of the strategy.

This will include paid campaign activity to raise awareness of any potential significant changes to road safety legislation, with the introduction of these potential changes also supported by wider communications including via DfT social channels and GOV.UK, media engagement and partner and stakeholder networks.

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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce speeding on rural roads in Newbury constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As part of the Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026, the department is exploring new sub-categories for rural roads to help target safety and speed management interventions more effectively, ensuring resources are focused where they will have the greatest impact.

Local authorities have a duty under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to manage the safe movement of vehicular and other traffic, including pedestrians, and are best placed to assess matters such as speed management interventions.

Responsible authorities are asked to have regard to the Department for Transport’s Setting Local Speed Limits guidance, which ensures speed limits are set appropriately and consistently while allowing flexibility to respond to local circumstances.

As committed to in the Strategy, the Government will be updating this guidance to further support local authorities in making well‑informed decisions about managing speed on their roads. Final decisions on local speed limits remain with the relevant authority, working with the police who are responsible for enforcement.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she plans to undertake a public awareness campaign to promote the new Highway Code rules as part of the Road Safety strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is a shortage of pilots.

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

As the UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, it is for individual airlines to train, recruit and retain pilots to meet today’s demand and the demand of the future.

A training organisation has been approved to deliver a first officer apprenticeship, which would provide training completely cost-free to young people. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage airlines to deliver this apprenticeship.

Supporting the UK’s aviation workforce is a key priority for this government and I applaud the efforts of British Airways, TUI and Jet2.com to ensure a sustainable pipeline of future pilots by periodically offering partly or fully funded training programmes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidential criteria were applied when assessing motorcycle bus lane consultation responses.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Details of the analysis carried out on the consultation responses are given in the consultation outcome published on 21 November 2024 and available at:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/motorcycles-in-bus-lanes/outcome/motorcycles-in-bus-lanes-consultation-outcome.

The consultation response was informed by analysis commissioned by the Department. A copy of this report will be placed in the House library at the earliest opportunity.

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 airport surface access planning conditions and sustainability requirements on the level of car parking and drop-off charges paid by passengers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Surface access strategies give airports the tools they need to stay connected, cut congestion and meet environmental targets. The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential impact of airport surface access planning conditions and sustainability requirements on the level of car parking and drop-off charges paid by passengers. We continue to engage with operators to ensure that, where airports do choose to charge, they do so in a way that is fair and transparent.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she intends to make changes to the existing Airports National Policy Statement in the context of the potential of a third runway at Heathrow; and what assessment she has made of the likelihood of securing planning consent for a third runway by 2029.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Government launched a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) on 22 October, to reflect changes in legislation, policy and data. We will consult on any proposed amendments to the ANPS in summer 2026.

When the ANPS has been reviewed, and depending on the outcome of the review, it will be for scheme promoters to decide when to submit a Development Consent Order application for a third runway scheme but the government’s ambition is for a planning decision this parliament.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 110889, when the shore power trial at Portsmouth International Port began; what the outcomes have been; and whether any evaluation has been produced.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The shore power demonstrator trial at Portsmouth International Port was publicly awarded nearly £20m of R&D funding in September 2023. Portsmouth International Port began delivery of the project shortly afterwards as part of the UK SHORE Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition.

Most civil and electrical infrastructure works within the port side boundaries of Portsmouth International Port are now complete and the multi-berth shore power units are now on the berths. In November 2025, a successful dry connection test (without the provision of electricity) was completed, where one of the shore power units was plugged into Britanny Ferries’ Guillaume de Normandie vessel.

Separate to the UK SHORE funded project, Portsmouth International Port accepted a connection offer from Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE). This connection offer was for a 15 Megawatt grid upgrade to secure the grid capacity for the shore power units. The Port is awaiting final details from SSE on energisation of the grid upgrade.

No specific evaluation for this project has yet been completed as the demonstration phase isn’t complete. A technical study is underway for all ZEVI projects, including Portsmouth, that will analyse the data generated throughout the multi-year demonstration period.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is tacking to help tackle anti-social behaviour on the bus network.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is working across government and with partners, industry and local transport authorities, to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling by bus. Through the Bus Services Act 2025 we have introduced measures to combat anti-social behaviour (ASB) on the bus network. This includes mandating training for staff working in the bus industry, introducing a power to enable the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance on the inclusivity of bus stations and stops and giving local transport authorities the power to create byelaws and deploy officers who can deal with ASB and fare evasion on the bus network.

In addition, the Department previously provided £2.5 million to pilot five Transport Safety Officer (TSO) teams on the network. The pilots ended in March 2025, and a full evaluation of the programme will be published in due course. We have also recently published TSO practitioner guidance for local authorities wanting to implement a scheme in their area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the provision of central reservation barriers on the National Highways motorway and trunk road network, how many crossover accidents, where vehicles have breached the central reservation, occurred in 2024 and 2025 on sections equipped with a) steel barriers, and b) rigid concrete barriers; and what is the total length and number of assets of life expired steel central reservation barrier on that network that require replacement.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Data on road traffic casualties on the roads in Great Britain is collected via the STATS19 process. The most recently available STATS19 dataset is for 2024 and was published by DfT in September 2025:

https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/cb7ae6f0-4be6-4935-9277-47e5ce24a11f/road-safety-data.

STATS19 does not record the barrier type and so it is not possible to ascertain the answers to points (a) and (b).

Based on the available asset data, there are approximately 10,400km of vehicle restraint barriers on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) operated by National Highways, which is made up of barriers in the central reservation and verges. This comprises 9,300km of steel barrier, 870km of concrete barrier and 230km of wire barrier.

1% (equivalent to approximately 100km of barrier) is categorised as the worst condition banding (i.e 'severely corroded / unserviceable / at end of life'). National Highways prioritises for intervention those assets in the worst condition and barriers in higher risk locations, such as the central reservation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 1 December 2025 to Questions 93461 and 93459, if she will publish the locations, route sections and lengths for a) the 52.6 km of rigid concrete barrier installed in each of the periods 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, b) the 14 km of forecast steel to concrete barrier replacement projects proposed for the Interim Settlement period 2025-26, and c) the projected total length of steel to concrete barrier replacement during RIS3 (2026 to 2030), including any year by year profile held.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The data requested in parts (a) and (b) is currently undergoing verification and will be supplied to the Rt. Hon Member shortly. With respect to part (c), the projected total length of steel to concrete barrier replacement has not yet been finalised for Road Period 3.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the updated Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/24; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recommending that local authorities permit motorcycles to use bus lanes.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not currently have plans to update Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/24.

The Department for Transport undertook a consultation on the potential merits of recommending that local authorities permit motorcycles to use bus lanes in 2024. The responses received to the consultation did not provide a robust evidence base on which to amend the current policy that it is for local authorities to determine whether to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes in their areas.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105288 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what criteria is used to determine which rail infrastructure schemes are included in the Department’s longer-term rail infrastructure pipeline.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This government believes in the importance of rail investment to support economic growth and bring connections to people all across the country. The type and level of investment is determined by the needs of passengers, rail users and the network, while delivering value for money and meeting the government’s priorities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether evidence or representations from stakeholders in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Motor Insurance Taskforce; and what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Northern Ireland insurance market, including differences in (a) pricing, (b) claims costs and (c) legal frameworks.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The work of the motor insurance taskforce focused on issues and concerns associated with the cost of insurance premiums and claims that are shared across the UK.

The taskforce heard representations that some of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland have led to increasing costs there. Some of those, such as road safety and costs associated with taking claims through the judicial system, are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider. The government will continue to work constructively with the Executive on relevant areas of policy.

The taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and subsequently met on 28 April 2025 and 21 July 2025, which was the final meeting of the taskforce. Taskforce members were the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, who were the co-chairs.

We do not plan to publish the minutes or summaries of meetings as they cover the formulation and development of ‘live’ government policy and to do so would hinder future policy development as it could inhibit a free exchange of views.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Motor Insurance Taskforce met since its establishment; on what dates those meetings took place; which organisations and departments were represented; and whether she plans to publish minutes or summaries from those meetings.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The work of the motor insurance taskforce focused on issues and concerns associated with the cost of insurance premiums and claims that are shared across the UK.

The taskforce heard representations that some of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland have led to increasing costs there. Some of those, such as road safety and costs associated with taking claims through the judicial system, are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider. The government will continue to work constructively with the Executive on relevant areas of policy.

The taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and subsequently met on 28 April 2025 and 21 July 2025, which was the final meeting of the taskforce. Taskforce members were the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, who were the co-chairs.

We do not plan to publish the minutes or summaries of meetings as they cover the formulation and development of ‘live’ government policy and to do so would hinder future policy development as it could inhibit a free exchange of views.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what targeted measures are being considered to improve (a) affordability and (b) access to car insurance for young people, particularly those in rural or poorly served public transport areas.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The motor insurance taskforce focused on driving down the cost of claims, with a view to stabilising and ultimately, reducing the premiums that drivers of all ages pay. 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.

Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses, and this includes the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant.

The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not intervene or seek to control the market.

We have not made a specific assessment on younger drivers, however the latest industry data shows that the average cost of motor insurance premiums has decreased, following the peaks seen between 2022 and 2024, government remains alert to developments in the cost of premiums and claims costs. The government will continue to engage closely with sector stakeholders as we deliver the actions set out in the taskforce report.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Motor Insurance Taskforce has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of car insurance premiums on young drivers.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The motor insurance taskforce focused on driving down the cost of claims, with a view to stabilising and ultimately, reducing the premiums that drivers of all ages pay. 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.

Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses, and this includes the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant.

The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not intervene or seek to control the market.

We have not made a specific assessment on younger drivers, however the latest industry data shows that the average cost of motor insurance premiums has decreased, following the peaks seen between 2022 and 2024, government remains alert to developments in the cost of premiums and claims costs. The government will continue to engage closely with sector stakeholders as we deliver the actions set out in the taskforce report.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will fund and deliver a public awareness campaign in rural Somerset to promote the updated Highway Code as part of the new Road Safety Strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran THINK! advertising campaigns nationally to raise awareness of the changes.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering road safety education and have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions. THINK! Highway Code campaign resources are available for local authorities to download from the THINK! website and are free to use for educational purposes: https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts across England and Wales encouraging compliance with the Highway Code.

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.

In addition to the Highway Code activity, THINK! also runs paid advertising campaigns focused on the priority issues of speed, drink driving and drug driving. The primary audience for these campaigns is young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. All THINK! campaigns are run nationally, therefore rural Somerset is included.

As set out in the Road Safety 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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of the Wheels to Work scheme on youth unemployment; and what steps she is taking to support that scheme.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

I refer the Rt Honourable Gentleman to the answer given on 3 February 2026 to question number 108310.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 108309, in which month the upcoming national strategy for integrated transport is expected to be published.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department is committed to publishing the integrated national transport strategy shortly, which will set the long‑term vision for domestic transport across England.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Dft 1-985, what progress she has made towards implementation of targets for Road Safety and the methods for monitoring of these targets in the long-term.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In November 2025, we published research and analysis on “Effectiveness of targets for road safety” which can be found here: Effectiveness of targets for road safety - GOV.UK. The evidence suggests that targets play a role in reducing fatalities, but their impact cannot be separated from wider road safety strategies.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

The Strategy sets ambitious targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65%, and 70% for children, 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 includes a set of Safety Performance Indicators to provide an understanding of performance against the commitments made in the strategy, including the targets.

All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board which I will chair.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has conducted analysis of 20mph zones introduced across different localities in England comparing their impact on number of incidents, serious injuries and fatalities; and whether her Department has developed best practice guidance to ensure consistent delivery.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department’s comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits was published on 22 November 2018. It substantially strengthened the evidence base on perceptions, speeds and early outcomes associated with 20mph speed limits.

The power to set local speed limits, including 20mph limits and 20mph zones remains with traffic authorities. Any authority that wishes to install such schemes has the Department’s full backing. We believe that traffic authorities are best placed to decide where lower limits will be effective on the roads for which they are responsible, and that consultation and community support should be at the heart of the process.

As outlined in the Road Safety Strategy, the Government will be reviewing and updating its guidance on ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’. This will support local authorities in making well‑informed decisions about managing speed on their roads.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the proposed expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to international maritime voyages is not in addition to the International Maritime Organisation’s expected rules.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Addressing international emissions from shipping is critical and it is important action is taken globally through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Government firmly supported adoption of a global market-based measure, the IMO Net-Zero Framework, last autumn and is disappointed the decision has been postponed. We continue to work with other IMO Member States to secure adoption.

The Government also wants to ensure decarbonisation continues here in the UK and has proposed to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to emissions from international voyages from 2028. If the IMO Net-Zero Framework is adopted, the Government will review the scope of the UK ETS to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system for operators as set out in the consultation on the proposed expansion of UK ETS to emissions from international voyages from 2028 published in November 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025 to Question 95968, for what reason there is a difference between the estimates of the fiscal cost of freezing rail fares (a) as set out in that Answer and (b) the figures published in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The difference is due to a difference in rounding. The estimates provided in the Department’s previous response were sourced from the published Budget document, where numbers are rounded to the nearest £5m. The OBR choose to round figures to the nearest £1m in their own publications, including their Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in November 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how paragraph 3.9.2 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports will be applied by decision-makers when considering development consent for port infrastructure.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are currently considering the views received from consultation on, and Parliamentary scrutiny of, the draft revised National Policy Statement for Ports, and will lay a final text in Parliament in due course.

In line with the recommendation of the Transport Select Committee, we are considering further guidance on how developers assess carbon emissions as part of Environmental Impact Assessments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Motor Insurance Taskforce examined motorcycle insurance as part of its work leading to the Final Report published on 10 December 2025.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The taskforce was given a strategic remit to set the direction for government policy, in order to identify short- and long-term actions that may stabilise or reduce motor insurance premiums, but not the cost of motorcycle insurance specifically. The scope of the taskforce was agreed by ministers at the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, as the co-chairing departments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase (a) seafarer jobs and (b) freight volumes on domestic short sea shipping routes.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Domestic shipping routes are an important part of the UK maritime sector and wider economy. Such routes accounted for 71.2 million tonnes of freight moved in 2024. Moving freight in this way can be environmentally beneficial and improve inland transport efficiency. We support the shift towards greater use of waterborne freight, and Government intends to undertake a comprehensive review of the potential for waterborne freight and the barriers that currently constrain its growth.

Shipping is a commercial market, and demand for shipping goods stems from wider economic demand, but it is important the sector can respond to those opportunities. Government continually considers the UK offer to attract shipping businesses to base themselves, and operate in, the UK market. Recent improvements to Tonnage Tax for shipping operators have proved successful.

The Department also remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs in the UK. The apprenticeship levy is available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the £18m Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects to launch (a) Round 7 of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC7) and (b) round 2 of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure competition (ZEVI2); and how much public funding will be allocated from the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) budget for (i) CMDC7 and (ii) ZEVI2.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We intend to launch the CMDC7 and ZEVI2 competitions in Spring 2026. The budgets will be announced when the competitions launch and will be funded from the recently announced UK SHORE £448m budget for the 2026 – 2030 financial period.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from the maritime ports sector on modal shift of freight from road to domestic short sea shipping routes.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Departmental officials have discussed the case for promoting greater use of coastal and other domestic short-sea shipping routes with the British Ports Association and with the UK Major Ports Group on several recent occasions. The Government remains committed to incentivising modal shift.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information she holds on the recent progress of the International Green Corridor Fund feasibility studies to decarbonise merchant shipping routes between (a) the ports of Holyhead and Dublin and (b) the ports of Tyne and Ijmuiden.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Green Corridors have the potential to be effective mechanisms to deliver first mover activity and accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector globally, as demonstrated in the published findings of the International Green Corridor Fund. These bilaterally-funded studies, with Ireland and the Netherlands, demonstrated the economic feasibility of industry delivering Green Corridors on these routes. The Government is focussed on delivering change through the policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy alongside international action at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This will support industry to deliver Green Corridors and widespread decarbonisation of the maritime sector.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were killed in road traffic accidents in England in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how that figure compares to each of the preceding two years.

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

Data on road collisions involving personal injury are reported to the Department by police forces in Great Britain via the STATS19 system. The latest year for which data is available is 2024.

In 2024, 1,353 people were killed in reported road collisions in England. This compares with 1,370 in 2023 and 1,443 in 2022.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether trains carrying Greater Manchester Bee Network branding or livery will remain rail assets of Great British Railways or the Secretary of State, rather than assets of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Livery reflects who is responsible for the service, not who owns the trains. Aside from some devolved services, where there are instances of ownership by the devolved authority, rolling stock is leased from rolling stock companies and managed day-to-day by the train operator. There is currently one Northern unit in temporary promotional Bee Network livery operating on Manchester‑area services, highlighting the forthcoming tap‑and‑go contactless integration on local rail; this is a branding exercise only and does not change ownership or leasing arrangements. As there are currently no rail services devolved to Greater Manchester, any trains operating on the GBR network would carry GBR livery rather than Bee Network branding. Through partnerships with GBR, there could be opportunities for external co-branding of rolling stock where Mayoral Strategic Authorities take a financial stake in service provision.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she made of the affordability of train tickets for travel in the South East of England.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in enabling people to get to education, work, access vital services, and keep communities connected. We are freezing rail fares, from March, for the first time in 30 years, putting money back in passengers’ pockets and easing the cost of living for hard working people.

In the South East, our expansion of Pay As You Go with contactless ticketing has already simplified the complicated web of tickets to Peak and one Off-Peak price. This will allow passengers greater flexibility in their choice of tickets, with some seeing a reduction in their ticket price.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) provision and (b) take up of seafarer apprenticeships in the North West.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

An industry round-table, chaired by the then Maritime Minister, was held in Blackpool in May 2025. The round-table brought key stakeholders from across the maritime industry together to discuss the promotion of maritime careers in the North West. The Department is engaging with Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions on the provision of maritime apprenticeships and will continue to advocate for growing maritime careers and apprenticeships with employers in the North West.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to prioritise road maintenance issues that contribute to (a) serious injuries and (b) fatalities.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This government takes road safety very seriously, and reducing the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads is a key priority. On 7 January 2026 we published our Road Safety Strategy. The strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65%, and 70% for children by 2035.

We are also providing £7.3 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain local roads across the country.

The Government has also announced that a total of just under £25 billion, comprising both capital and revenue funding, will be invested in the Strategic Road Network over the five-year period 2026/27 to 2030/31. Further details, including annual funding profiles and the split between capital and revenue funding, will be set out in the Third Road Investment Strategy, to be published in March 2026.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highway network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards for maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but temporary quick fixes should be avoided wherever possible in favour of a proper risk-based asset management approach. This is a core aspect of the Code of Practice for Well-managed highways infrastructure, which states that “when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure”. This is available online, at: https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 93460 on Roads: Safety Barriers if she will publish the (a) location and route section, (b) date granted, c) reason of each departure from standard; what plans she has for upgrades to rigid concrete barrier.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The locations, routes and dates of approval for the departures from standard allowing steel crash barrier to be replaced with new steel barrier, rather than concrete, are as follows:

• M4 Junctions 13-14: 20/08/2025

• M6 Junction 37-38: 12/05/25

• M5 Junctions 23-24: 24/04/24

• A1(M) Junctions 37-38: 02/12/24

The reason for permitting departures from standard allowing the replacement of life-expired steel barrier with new steel barrier and not concrete barrier is due to the affordability of concrete barrier schemes – this can be either due to the cost of the concrete barrier in isolation or the additional works which would be required in order to change the barrier provision from steel barrier to concrete barrier.

Plans for upgrades to rigid concrete barrier:

Given the availability of new higher-containment modular precast concrete barriers, and higher-containment steel barriers, a tiered approach has now been adopted for the renewal of existing central reserve barriers.  The highest tier is the provision of rigid, higher-containment concrete barrier.  This can be relaxed to the provision of a non-rigid, higher-containment concrete barrier or a higher-containment steel barrier. However, this is only permitted if supported by a documented justification and risk assessment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 109244, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of shore power and grid capacity at UK ports by July 2026 to enable maritime operators to reduce emissions.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are aware of at least nine ports, harbours, marinas, terminals and wharves that do have live operational shore power units allowing some vessels to run on shore power today, and at least another two locations that are currently installing shore power. Of these eleven locations, six of them received R&D funding through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme.

In addition, the Government ran a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports which gathered evidence about the current grid capacity of ports and future grid capacity at ports, including what may be driving the increased energy demand at ports. We will consider this evidence as future policy is developed.

The policies set out in the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy will encourage more investment in maritime decarbonisation, including shore power rollout at more ports. This Government will continue to support Ofgem, the independent regulator, in their work to incentivise network companies to invest strategically ahead of need, ensuring that future grid capacity planning reflects the emerging demands from electrifying sectors, including ports.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the information safeguards referred to on page 88 of her Department's publication entitled A Railway Fit for Britain’s Future: Government Response, published 5 November 2025, will be defined within the rail retail Code of Practice, the Great British Railways licence, or other statutory or regulatory instruments.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The code of practice will set out measures to ensure fairness and manage any concerns of GBR preferencing its own retail arm. We expect the code will ensure that the retail industry management functions managed by GBR will have reporting lines that are separate and distinct from its operational and commercial arm – with appropriate information safeguards also put in place. The full detail of the code will be produced in consultation with industry, via a process led by the Office of Rail and Road.

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 reducing the drink-drive limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood on rural pubs and communities; and if she will publish a full impact assessment, including evidence from Scotland, before bringing forward legislative changes.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government is consulting on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, as part of the recently published Road Safety Strategy.

As part of this, the Government is consulting on the general principle of lowering drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe.

Current evidence does not suggest a widespread or sustained adverse impact on the hospitality sector overall.

The Government will consider potential impacts on rural pubs and communities as part of its analysis of consultation responses.

The Government will conduct an impact assessment following consultation responses and an evidence‑led options analysis, and will publish it in line with usual practice where required.

The consultation is seeking views on a range of measures to reduce drink-driving, including options such as alcohol ignition interlocks (“alcolocks”) for offenders and powers to suspend licences for suspected drink or drug drivers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what forms of corrective action the Office of Rail and Road will be able to require where it finds non-compliance with the rail retail Code of Practice, including whether it will be able to impose directions, behavioural remedies, or operational changes on Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The retail industry code of practice announced in the Government's response to the Railways Bill consultation will incorporate clear requirements for how Great British Railways (GBR) should interact with all market participants. The code of practice will be owned and managed by the Office of Rail and Road. GBR’s licence will require it to comply, with the Office of Rail and Road able to demand corrective action if it considers that GBR has not done so.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of collisions and near misses in the last five years involved drivers with vision below the legal standard.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on road injury collisions in Great Britain is reported to the Department by police forces using a data collection system known as STATS19.

STATS19 does not record near misses or identify whether drivers involved in collisions have vision below the legal standard.

Police officers attending collisions can assign a range of factors that in their judgement may have contributed to the collision occurring, including ‘Driver or rider had uncorrected or defective eyesight’. The latest figures are published as part of the Department’s road casualty statistics available from the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain#factors-contributing-to-collisions-and-casualties-ras07.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2026 to Question 107165, in which month the final text of the National Policy Statement for Ports is expected to be published.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I expect the final text to be laid in March 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on promoting regular sight tests for drivers as part of the Government’s road safety strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Both Department for Transport and Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency officials have worked with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers, and we will continue to engage with the DHSC as our policies develop further.

The Department for Transport fully supports the NHS’s recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years.

All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.

Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 108013, if she will list those technology investments and provide the Benefit-Cost Ratio for each of those investments.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I have asked Network Rail to write to you on this matter.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether companies conducting autonomous vehicle trials are required to publish incident and near-miss data; and if not, whether they plan to mandate this before commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles.

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

Data related to incidents from automated vehicle trials with a safety driver would be captured under standard incident report that the Department for Transport regularly publishes. Companies wishing to apply to operate commercial pilots will have to comply with mandated reporting requirements. These reports will initially be submitted to the Department. The Department is considering approaches around the publication of this information.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether penalty points can be applied to a safety operator supervising an autonomous system when the vehicle commits an offence without manual input.

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

Whereas the drivers of normal road vehicles require driving licences, onto which penalty points may be endorsed if they commit relevant offences, this is not the case with operators of automated vehicles.

As set out in the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, a range of civil and criminal sanctions will be available to the in-use regulatory scheme to ensure that operators are held accountable for the behaviour of their vehicles, and for any failures to comply with regulatory requirements. Views are being sought on these sanctions as part of the continuing Call for Evidence, “Developing the Automated Vehicles Regulatory Framework”.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the readiness of autonomous taxi technology for public use.

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

Government intends to introduce the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme in Spring 2026 to provide a clear legal route to deploying passenger services, such as taxi-, private hire- and bus-like services, with no human driver, providing certainty for operators to enter the GB market. Both the service and the technology will be assessed before an APS permit is granted and the vehicle is listed as self-driving. These assessments will be undertaken by agencies of the department, on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who has legal liability for traffic offences committed by autonomous vehicles.

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

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 implements the recommendations of the 4-year review of regulation for automated vehicles carried out jointly by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission (the Law Commissions). It is intended to set the legal framework for the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles in Great Britain. Part 2 of the Act specifically relates to liability for vehicle use in a range of operational circumstances.

In addition, the continuing Call for Evidence “Developing the Automated Vehicles Regulatory Framework” asks a number of questions relating to the potential sanctions which may be available in response to traffic infractions involving Automated Vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue guidance to police forces on prosecuting companies operating autonomous vehicles for traffic contraventions.

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

Section 39 of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (“AV Act”) sets out the Secretary of State’s duty to identify and investigate incidents involving automated vehicles which have potential regulatory consequences. Chapter 2 of the continuing Call for Evidence, “Developing the Automated Vehicles Regulatory Framework”, seeks views on the most appropriate methods of detection and enforcement of relevant incidents, including traffic infractions.

In addition, guidance specifically relating to forthcoming pilots of automated vehicles, prior to the introduction of the full AV Act, is currently being drafted in conjunction with first responders.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will update Circular 01/2007 on speed camera guidance.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As outlined in the Road Safety Strategy, the Government will be reviewing and updating its guidance, including Circular 1/007 ‘The use of speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: guidance on deployment, visibility and signing’. The update is under development and will be informed by research and evidence.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to consult with groups representing motorcyclists to inform the Integrated National Transport Strategy for England.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The department has conducted extensive research and engagement with stakeholders and members of the public to inform the strategy. We have heard directly from motorcyclists and motorcycle representative groups, including the Motorcycle Action Group, through our Call for Ideas which closed with 6,340 responses and an 11-stop Regional Roadshow across England.

The insights gathered through our engagement activities have been analysed and have directly informed the strategy. The strategy will seek to address the main barriers people face in accessing good transport that were identified through our engagement.

Officials also met bilaterally with the Motorcycle Action Group on 29 August 2025 to respond to a range of matters of concern to motorcyclists which included an update on the development of the strategy. An update was also provided at a meeting of the officials-led Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group on 15 September 2025, chaired by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Network Rail’s Liverpool Street station viability appraisal.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The viability appraisal has been submitted as part of the planning application and the determining authority will review this as part of its planning report.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential future costs to the public purse of the Liverpool Street Station redevelopment.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The proposed redevelopment of Liverpool Street station could enable substantial private investment in one of the busiest stations in the UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what policy objectives they have set for Great British Railways, and in what order of priority these objectives have been ranked.

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

Clause 3 of the Railway’s Bill sets out the statutory functions of GBR – what we expect it to do, and Clause 18 its general duties – what we expect it to consider when it is delivering on its functions. Taken together, the functions and duties already set out GBR’s fundamental purpose.

Further, the Railways Bill requires the Secretary of State for Transport to issue the Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS), which is the first strategy of its kind. It will set out strategic objectives for the railway over a 30-year period.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107163, what information her Department holds on airport kerbside drop-off charges.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There is no requirement for airports or airport car park providers to provide details of drop-off charges to the Department. We regularly engage with airports on surface access strategies and drop-off charges form part of these wider discussions. Information about individual airports' car parking and drop-off charges is available on their respective public websites.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.5.12 of the draft amended National Policy Statement for Ports, published on 4 June 2025, what guidance will be available to decision-makers to support them interpreting the term economically reasonable; and what factors will be taken into account in assessing economic reasonableness.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not intend to publish supplementary guidance on the interpretation of this paragraph. The concepts of technical feasibility and economic reasonableness are generally well established, and encompass costs not being disproportionate to benefits. Technical guidance on flood risk assessment is published from time to time by the Environment Agency.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about (1) ongoing delays to the upgrade of the entrance area around Leeds City Station, (2) the principal causes of these delays, and (3) when they expect the work to be completed.

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

The Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway is a scheme within the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA’s) City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). I am pleased that WYCA is using its £830 million CRSTS allocation to invest in local transport priorities, and we will continue supporting improvements to local transport, providing WYCA with an additional £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement for 2027–32.

I agree that timely delivery is important so that passengers at Leeds Station benefit from the improvements as soon as possible. CRSTS and TCR are designed to give Mayoral Combined Authorities the flexibility to plan and deliver long‑term transport programmes. It is therefore for WYCA, working with Leeds City Council, to set timelines, manage funding, and deliver the Leeds Station Gateway scheme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 107166, what information her Department holds on level crossing performance, safety incidents and disruption.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Safety at level crossings on the mainline railway is the statutory responsibility of Network Rail, which monitors and records performance, safety incidents and disruption to help inform mitigation measures. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the independent safety regulator, also collects, scrutinises and publishes data on level crossing incidents and enforcement activity.

My Department does not hold a separate dataset on level crossing performance. We rely on Network Rail’s operational data and the ORR’s published statistics, which together provide a comprehensive picture of safety and disruption at level crossings.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) number and (b) rate of train cancellations since the nationalisation of South Western Railway.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The average rate of cancellations on SWR has increased from 3.5 per cent just before entering public ownership to 3.8 per cent in the most recent period.

SWR inherited significant traincrew shortages from the previous private operator, which has contributed to higher levels of cancellations, alongside training drivers to drive the new Arterio train fleet. Under public ownership, driver recruitment has been accelerated, with SWR now training up to 12 new drivers per period to reduce the risk of traincrew‑related cancellations.

Under private ownership, South Western Railway’s (SWR’s) new Arterio fleet were due to be delivered between 2019-2021. The trains were delayed under the previous operator due to issues initially caused by manufacturing and software issues and then by issues including driver training and platform infrastructure readiness.

The publicly owned SWR is now finally introducing the new trains to offer increased capacity and comfort to passengers. SWR now have 38 Arterios in service in comparison to the 7 Arterios pre-public ownership. The average rate of cancellations has increased slightly which is in line with regular variation during the introduction of major fleet upgrades. Technical issues affecting train reliability are expected to improve over time as teething issues are resolved. Overall, operators currently in public ownership remain more reliable on average than those in private ownership.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of variations in ticket pricing between rail operators on the East Coast Main Line serving stations such as Berwick upon Tweed and Newcastle; and whether she plans to require more (a) transparent and (b) consistent pricing for passengers in regions where multiple operators provide competing services.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The move to Great British Railways will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, and we are already taking steps to overhaul the complex fares system and make it easier and simpler for passengers to trust they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare for their journey.

Through public ownership London North Eastern Railway (LNER), TransPennine Express and Northern have expanded the availability of advance fares, making journeys that cross between operators cheaper and simpler. In addition, passengers travelling between Berwick and London can access the same core range of fares whether travelling on a direct service or by changing at Newcastle or York, including using TransPennine Express and then LNER on a single ticket. The only exceptions are specific LNER promotions (mainly the family ticket) and the LNER only First Class single.

Further, the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement ensures that tickets valid for all train operators on the East Coast Mainline, including open access operators, will remain available for passengers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances she has had from Network Rail on steps being taken to minimise unnecessary barrier down-time at level crossings, while maintaining safety; and how such assurances will be monitored.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail is responsible for the safe operation of level crossings across the rail network. The safety measures it puts in place are informed by risk assessments which include, where relevant, available information on barrier down-time. Network Rail is overseen in this by the independent rail safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, which requires duty holders to ensure that the safety mitigations they put in place are reasonably practicable and do not expose passengers, the public or workforce to risk at level crossings.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, since 1 January 2024, how many additional employees have been recruited by DFT Operator Limited (DFTO) on a headcount basis; and what the net change in total employee headcount at DFTO has been in each quarter from January 2024 to the most recent quarter for which figures are available.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below sets out the number of employees recruited from January 2024 and the change to net employee headcount per quarter for DFT Operator Limited (DFTO). The increases in headcount are as a result of the progressive public ownership programme managed by DFTO. The increase in staff costs are being offset by the savings in fees that would otherwise be payable to the former private sector owners.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are in place to hold local highway authorities accountable when roads are left unrepaired for extended periods despite being reported as hazardous.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 local highway authorities themselves are responsible for maintaining their network and for the delivery of maintenance works. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. Local authorities are accountable to the public for these decisions, as they are democratically elected bodies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many serious vehicle accidents have resulted from potholes in (a) Hertsmere constituency and (b) Hertfordshire since 2015.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department’s reported road collision statistics do not identify the cause of collisions. However, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 road safety factors which they believe may have contributed to the collision occurring.

The number of collisions, involving at least one seriously injured casualty, which were assigned road safety factor “poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” between 2015 and 2024 are shown in the table.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government will consider implementing legal requirement for drivers to stop or report collisions involving domestic pets such as cats.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

I understand the distress of owners who lose beloved pets and it is a great source of worry and uncertainty when they are lost.

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats.

Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report a collision involving specified animals including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets.

Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.

Having a law making it a requirement to report road collisions involving cats would be very difficult to enforce and it is not clear what difference it would make to the behaviour of drivers, who are aware that they have run over a cat and do not report it.

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 (a) Court of Appeal judgment in Maritime and Coastguard Agency v Groom [2026] EWCA Civ 6 and (b) Employment Rights Act 2025 on the operational model, recruitment and retention of Coastguard Rescue Officers; and whether she plans to make changes to the (i) status and (ii) funding of HM Coastguard.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department and Maritime and Coastguard Agency is currently evaluating the judgment of the court of appeal and is carefully considering next steps to agree the future operational model for the Coastguard Rescue Service. This includes extensive consultation with all members of the Coastguard Rescue Service and other interested parties to determine the status and future funding model of HM Coastguard, in line with the determination.

The welfare and safety of all Coastguard Rescue Officers remain our priority, and the MCA will continue to support and work with all members of the Coastguard Rescue Service recognising the impact on individuals while assessing any potential liabilities and impacts of the judgement.

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 collection and analysis of data on level-crossing barrier down-time, including average duration and frequency of extended closures, on the safe operation of level crossings.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail considers available information on barrier down time as part of the risk assessments it routinely carries out for level crossings with barriers. The Office of Rail and Road, as the independent rail safety regulator for Great Britain, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Network Rail’s management of its level crossings, including the risk assessments it undertakes, to ensure their continued safe operation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of UK ETS rules for negotiations at the International Maritime Organisation on a global market-based measure.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Addressing international emissions from shipping is critical and it is important action is taken globally through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Government firmly supported adoption of a global market-based measure, the IMO Net-Zero Framework, last autumn and is disappointed the decision has been postponed. We continue to work with other IMO Member States to secure adoption.

The Government also wants to ensure decarbonisation continues here in the UK and has proposed to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to emissions from international voyages from 2028. If the IMO Net-Zero Framework is adopted, the Government will review the scope of the UK ETS to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system for operators.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence the Department has that the inclusion of emissions at berth in the UK ETS will lead to emissions reductions in the absence of widespread shore power and alternative fuel availability.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy sets the strategic direction to reduce all domestic maritime emissions, which includes all emissions at berth, and therefore it is important that these emissions are brought into the scope of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The key policies of the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, including the expansion of the UK ETS to cover maritime, alongside the investment of a further £448 million in maritime decarbonisation, will both drive investment and encourage the development of alternative fuels and shore power, increasing their availability. An analytical annex was published alongside the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which sets out the evidence on emissions reductions across the sector.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of returning the Railway Inspectorate to the Health and Safety Executive.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

His Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) was transferred from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in 2006 to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of railway safety regulation. Housing HMRI within ORR allows safety oversight to sit alongside the wider regulatory and economic functions for the rail industry, supporting a more integrated and streamlined approach to enforcing railway safety legislation.

The Government considers the current framework to be effective. As such, no assessment has been made of returning HMRI to the Health and Safety Executive, and there are no plans to do so.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether estimates of net Government support per passenger journey are used internally by her Department for (a) budgeting, (b) business planning and (c) performance monitoring purposes; and in which internal documents such estimates are recorded.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As explained in response to Question 89632, the reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the Spending Review period will be primarily driven by passenger ridership and revenue continuing to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings being made through public ownership. Net Government support per passenger journey is a relevant metric when considering the affordability and acceptability of proposed business plans, and when monitoring performance against those plans.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average monthly payout for delays by Avanti West Coast on the West Coast Main Line in 2025.

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

The Government produces annual figures relating to the amount of delay repay compensation that is paid out by train operating companies including Avanti West Coast. The data for 2024-25 has been collected and will be published in due course. The data for 2025-26 will be collected at the end of the financial year and subsequently published.

In addition to data published by the Department, Avanti West Coast publish data by rail period via its website which may be found on Avanti’s website: https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/help-and-support/delay-repay.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the level of Government support to the rail sector per passenger journey in (1) 2024–25, (2) 2025–26, (3) 2026–27, (4) 2027–28, and (5) 2028–29.

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

The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £8.47 per journey in 2024/25. It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to circa £7.40 per journey in 2028/29.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of plans to introduce fully autonomous taxi services in London by late 2026; and how regulatory, safety and workforce issues relating to autonomous vehicles are being addressed.

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

The Government intends to introduce the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme in Spring 2026 to regulate self-driving taxi-and private-hire-like and bus-like services.

Self-driving vehicles intended for use within a commercial APS fleet will need to undergo an assessment, by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), to demonstrate that they can safely drive themselves at all times.

The initial roll-out of automated services is expected to be more small-scale, and we anticipate that automated services can complement human-driven services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is considering mandating the TechSafe framework as a national safety, competence and assurance framework to support implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act and related vehicle technology regulation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is currently running a public Call for Evidence in support of the regulatory framework for automated vehicles. Responses to this Call for Evidence will inform a public consultation on the proposed regulations later in the year. The Department encourages those with views or evidence on frameworks such as TechSafe to respond to the Call for Evidence.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to track the number of road traffic collisions where dazzling headlights are found to be a contributory factor; and (1) whether they hold any such data since the road safety statistics were published in 2023, and (2) whether the published statistics will include this information in future.

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

Published data and statistics on road collisions involving injury are based on data reported to the Department by police forces via the STATS19 system, which includes details of factors contributing to collisions as recorded by the attending officer based on their judgement at the time of the collision.

Up to 2023, these contributory factors included ‘vision affected by dazzling headlights’, but following a review of STATS19, in the new specification in place from the start of 2024, a wider category ‘distraction to driver or rider from inside or outside the vehicle’ has been introduced. This is part of a wider change to rationalise the contributory factors into fewer ‘road safety factors’ which aims to make the data easier for officers to report consistently.

Statistics based on both the previous system of contributory factors and the new road safety factors are published on the gov.uk website as soon as they are available. The latest published figures relate to 2024, with 2025 data scheduled for publication in September 2026.

The Department has commissioned ground-breaking research into headlamp glare, and the Department’s road safety strategy includes a commitment to undertake further research aimed at identifying what vehicle design factors may be responsible for increased headlamp glare.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there is adequate lorry parking provision and welfare facilities for freight drivers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Through the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme the Department for Transport and industry partners are projected to deliver up to £35.7m of joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. This investment is in addition to joint investment by National Highways and industry of up to a further £30 million, aimed at improving lorry parking facilities along the strategic road network.

The scheme is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve driver facilities such as security measures, toilets, showers, refreshment facilities and increasing lorry parking spaces.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has make it easier for passengers to receive Delay Repay compensation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ten of the 14 Department for Transport contracted operators now offer delay repay schemes that provide automated, one-click delay repay, and we are also developing plans to make it even easier and more convenient to claim Delay Repay, including through the upcoming Great British Railways website and app.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has plans to make it a requirement for cyclists to wear high visibility attire when cycling on public roads.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

There are no plans to make it a requirement for cyclists to wear high visibility clothing when cycling. However, cyclists should ensure that they can be clearly seen by other road users, both for their own safety and for that of others.

This is in line with Rule 59 of The Highway Code which recommends that people who cycle should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing to help other road users to see them in daylight and poor light, with reflective clothing and/or accessories in the dark.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of (a) the ability for police forces to issue fixed penalty notices for motorists caught for excessively driving in the middle lanes of motorways and (b) trends in excessive middle lane motorway driving in (i) England and (ii) the Midlands.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

(a) The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

The Police are operationally independent and they will investigate each case according to its individual merits.

(b) - The Department does not hold this data.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the average cost to drivers in rural communities in England of damage to vehicles caused by potholes.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department monitors industry figures on this issue such as those provided by the RAC, who recently reported that UK drivers spent an average of £320 on repairs following pothole-related damages, with some spending more than £1,000.

The Government takes this issue extremely seriously. We recognise that historic under-investment has made it difficult for local authorities to maintain their roads in the way they would want to. That is why we have confirmed a record investment of £7.3 billion across England for the next four years, on top of the additional £500 million we delivered in this financial year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funding to improve accessibility of pilot training.

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

The aviation industry is a private industry and, therefore it is for employers in this sector to ensure they offer the right training, recruitment and retention support for the skilled workforce that they need.

A training organisation has been approved to deliver a first officer apprenticeship, which would provide training completely cost-free to young people.

My officials are working with the Department for Work and Pensions, and airlines to encourage them to deliver this apprenticeship.

In addition, British Airways, Jet2.com, and TUI have periodically offered partly or fully funded training programmes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what performance targets she has set for Greater Anglia rail services since nationalisation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

GA Trains Limited has been set, and is required, to meet targets for punctuality, reliability, service quality and customer satisfaction under the Services Agreement, and is required to publish its performance against these targets on a regular basis.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria her Department uses to assess the adequacy of private sector delivery of public electric vehicle charge points for meeting the Government's 2030 target.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The majority of public charge points will be delivered by the private sector, which has committed to investing over £6 billion in public charging infrastructure by 2030. Many chargepoints are delivered through a combination of public and private sector funding. This includes the estimated 100,000 chargepoints expected to be delivered under the Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Scheme, which is leveraging significant private sector investment alongside public funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP1616 airspace change process in relation to Gatwick Airport.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the United Kingdom’s independent aviation and aerospace regulator. CAP1616 is the CAA’s process for all airspace changes in the UK, including potential airspace changes at Gatwick Airport. The CAA has recently consulted on potential changes to CAP1616 to ensure that it fair, transparent, consistent, and proportionate.

The Department for Transport consulted on potential changes to the statutory guidance (The Air Navigation Guidance) it provides to the CAA and interested parties for creating, changing or assessing flightpaths. This guidance is used by the CAA to inform its airspace change process. The consultation closed on 26 January 2026 and responses are now being reviewed.

Seek to work with other governments to introduce price caps, regulatory oversight and public service obligations on cross-Channel ferry and rail passenger services, similar to those applied to domestic transport, to help ensure fares are fair, proportionate and affordable for UK residents.

To protect vulnerable motorists the Government should require councils to consider hardship and mental health in traffic enforcement action. It should review current enforcement policies to ensure they are proportionate, humane, and safe.

Fund signs with local crisis support info and helplines on motorway and railway bridges. Work with relevant campaigns and organisations to ensure signs are safe, effective, and help people in crisis find local, face to face support.

Since Brexit, the UK has struggled to fill thousands of class 1 HGV jobs due to a shortage of drivers. At present, there is funding available for training to become a class 1 HGV driver, however, we feel the course does not cover reversing that will be involved whilst in the real working world.

We believe the Government should ban public airports from charging drop-off and pick-up fees by making it a condition of their license to operate as an airport.

Introduce a legal requirement for all public passenger trains to have working CCTV whenever in service, with standardised retention periods and guaranteed police access, to improve investigations and protect women and girls from sexual offences.

Ban any use of electronic device loudspeakers in public places, such as using your loudspeaker for phone calls, private conversations, videos, music, social media, etc, to protect others who don’t wish to listen to the content they’re playing.

We ask the Government to create an independent regulatory authority for the private hire sector. This regulation should ensure fair pay structures for drivers, set fair minimum fares, cap commission, and protect drivers from unfair practices by private hire operators.

We call on the Government to allow visually impaired people to drive with bioptic glasses.

We want the government to require that all road vehicles are limited to 70mph using a speed limiter. The maximum speed for road users is 70mph and therefore no vehicle (other than emergency services) require a vehicle to exceed this speed.

Increase Grant Funding to Driving Mobility Centres to prevent further centre closures. Extend the responsibility to declare a medical condition to the DVLA to include any medical professional who confirms the diagnosis. Enhance control of the regulatory management of Driving Mobility Centres.

Found: If you are sitting in the Department for Transport, where we have good working relations with the Ministers

Found: For instance, the Department for Transport (DfT) is listed as the lead department for 18 of the 29 actions

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase funding for police forces that is ring-fenced for (a) drivers' road safety education and (b) the enforcement of traffic laws.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring police forces are supported and have the resources they need ensure road safety and reduce the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, as well as tackling behaviours that make our roads less safe.

Total funding to police forces in 2026-27 will be up to £18.4 billion, an increase of up to £796 million compared to the 2025-26 police funding settlement.

The police are operationally independent, and it is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Officers to determine how to best to use their available resources, including for road safety on enforcement of traffic laws, taking into account local known problems and priorities.

The Department for Transport continues to run the THINK! Campaign which offers a suite of road safety teaching resources for children (used by teaching intermediaries) and aims to educate young drivers (working alongside police and local authorities). THINK! also delivers paid campaigns aimed at high-risk groups (primarily men aged 17-24), and targets priority issues such as drink driving and speeding. The government will continue to encourage safer road user behaviours via THINK!.

Found: • £50.0 million budget cover transfer to Department for Transport for Electric Vehicles.

Introduce independant oversight of private parking enforcement, require trade associations to follow enforceble complaints processes, and ensure the DVLA investigates non-compliance where accredited bodies fail to act.

Found: The DVLA and Department for Transport decline to intervene, leaving motorists without protection.

Found: www.data.gov.uk/dataset/81f9d676-e77c-4d68-ab0c-b67e0b0b353e/2024-waste-data-interrogator 257 Department for Transport

Found: Department for Culture, Media & Sport N/A N/A Yes Department for Education N/A N/A Yes Department for Transport

Found: [1 2 ] Department for Transport, “Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates

Found: Department for Culture, Media & Sport N/A N/A Yes Department for Education N/A N/A Yes Department for Transport

Found: Major ports are defined by the Department of Transport (DfT) as ports with cargo volumes of at least

Found: 20254 and 3 November 20255 prepared, variously, by the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Transport

Found: having to make developer contributions as a publicly owned company arm’s length body of the Department for Transport

Found: asked Transport Scotland Ports Branch officials to raise the issue with the UK Government Department for Transport

Found: that Scottish Exchequer’s position remains that the [Redacted s.30(c)] to pursue[1]; b. note that DfT

Found: • Currently a jointly funded DND -LHR PSO route by DfT, Transport Scotland, Tay Cities Deal and

Found: 1010-1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: 1010-1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: Percentage of vehicles exceeding the DfT limit at each location(6).

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: 1515-2020-2525-3030-3535-4040-4545-5050-5555-6060-6565-7070-7575-8080-8585-9090-9595-100100+>PSL%ACPO%DFT

Found: DESNZ) (formally known as Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)), Department for Transport

Found: identify electric bicycles.Transport Scotland are currently part of a working group led by the Department for Transport

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support (a) local authorities, (b) regional transport partnerships and (c) the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland to identify areas where there are lower levels of accessible buses that are compliant with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR), and how it will support local operators to increase the proportion of buses in their fleets that meet PSVAR accessibility standards.

Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Cabinet Secretary for Transport

Vehicle accessibility legislation is set out in the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) 2000.PSVAR applies in England, Scotland and Wales and are the responsibility of the UK Government Department for Transport. The Department for Transport provides the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) with a specific fund to enforce the requirements outlined in the PSVAR. It is the responsibility of DVSA to ensure that PSVAR compliance is monitored closely and that any bus or coach operator found to be in breach of these regulations is dealt with accordingly.

The Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) accelerates Scotland’s shift to cleaner, greener buses. Phase 3 of ScotZEB3 aims to maximise the number of accessible zero emission Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) operating on local public bus services. Financial support for new buses and coaches within the ScotZeb subsidy cap may include the integration of accessibility and safety systems required for public service operation, as well as modifications to provide wheelchair-accessible spaces in vehicle classes not covered by Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) 2000.

Found: 53 Machynlleth 7 Figure 1-7 - Site 62a Caersws 7 Figure 1-8 - Site 63c Llanidloes 8 Figure 2-1 - DfT