Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of search and rescue capacity in the English Channel; and what steps they are taking to strengthen life-saving provision.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
His Majesty's Government makes regular assessments of the adequacy of search and rescue capacity in the English Channel, in response to ever-changing operating patterns and the extremely high-risk appetite of the Organised Crime Networks that facilitate such crossings. In addition to the layered search and rescue response structure already in place, DfT, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and the Home Office Border Security Command are investigating options to increase the rescue capacity of Government-contracted surface assets in the Channel, while the MCA and Border Security Command are advancing plans to enhance the future provision of aviation search assets.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the(a) current DVLA registration process for number plate suppliers, (b) background checks on number plate supplier applicants, (c) measures in place to prevent the acquisition of materials to print non-compliant plates and (d) number of DVLA enforcement officers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and others to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of illegal plates.
The law requires that anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK must be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied. It is an offence to sell a number plate without carrying out these required checks and can lead to a fine and removal from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS).
Officials are considering options to ensure more robust application and audit processes which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. On-road enforcement of number plate offences is a matter for the police.
Officials are also in discussions with the British Number Plate Manufacturers’ Association about the issue of non-compliant materials.
The DVLA’s enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to carry out educational and compliance visits to registered suppliers. Enforcement officers attend the premises of registered number plate suppliers to check working practices and inspect number plates on the premises. Enforcement officers can inspect records held, take copies and/or seize the records.
In addition, DVLA officers carry out intelligence led enforcement activities to tackle a wide range of offences, actively working with our partners to investigate.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with police forces on illegal plates or cloned license plates and serious organised crime; and what steps she is taking with police forces to help tackle the use of illegal or cloned license plates.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and others to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of illegal plates.
The law requires that anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK must be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied. It is an offence to sell a number plate without carrying out these required checks and can lead to a fine and removal from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS).
Officials are considering options to ensure more robust application and audit processes which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. On-road enforcement of number plate offences is a matter for the police.
Officials are also in discussions with the British Number Plate Manufacturers’ Association about the issue of non-compliant materials.
The DVLA’s enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to carry out educational and compliance visits to registered suppliers. Enforcement officers attend the premises of registered number plate suppliers to check working practices and inspect number plates on the premises. Enforcement officers can inspect records held, take copies and/or seize the records.
In addition, DVLA officers carry out intelligence led enforcement activities to tackle a wide range of offences, actively working with our partners to investigate.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to prioritise the (a) voices and (b) needs of disabled people in the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The consultation on the development of the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy closed on 15 December 2025. It outlines that by 2035, this Government wants walking, wheeling and cycling to be a safe, easy and accessible option for everyone. The Department has engaged a number of disability rights organisations during the consultation including the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and held a dedicated workshop on disability and the Strategy on 6 November 2025.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Current Direct Ministerial Appointments are set out in the table below:
Name | Role | Remuneration | Time Commitment | Term |
Laura Shoaf | Shadow Great British Railways Chair | £1,600 day rate | Up to two days a week | 19/3/2026 |
Lee McDonough | HS2 Shareholder Board Independent Member | Nil | 1 day every 2 months | 12 months |
Andrew Sage | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Anne-Lise Scaillierez | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Christopher Bradshaw | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Duncan Walker | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Gary Elliott | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Jayne Golding | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
JoeBen Bevirt | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Kate Kennally | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Kevin Craven | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Louisa Smith | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Marc Bailey | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Neil Pakey | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Richard Parker | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Simon Masters | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Rose Rouse | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Sophie O'Sullivan | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Stuart Simpson | Future of Flight Industry Group Member | Nil | 1.5 hour per meeting approx 2 meetings per year | Not Specified |
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82988 on Bicycles: Infrastructure, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of floating bus stops on independent access to bus services for blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises the concerns raised about floating bus stops, particularly by vision-impaired people, and we are taking steps to address them.
Section 31 of the Bus Services Act 2025 requires the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance for local authorities in England on the provision and design of floating bus stops, within three months of Royal Assent. This must be consulted on with the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee and other relevant organisations before publication. Local authorities will be required to have regard to this guidance.
In addition, local authorities have been asked to pause implementation of certain designs of floating bus stop. I wrote to all local traffic authorities on 20 November setting out the terms of this pause. This applies to floating bus stop schemes which are at the design stage, and which include designs which require people to board or alight directly from or into a cycle track.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of public awareness of road safety issues relating to (a) drug and (b) drink driving in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In respect of drug driving, as the THINK! campaign, launched on the 24th Novmeber is still running. The Department has not yet made an assessment of its reach and impact as this will be evaluated in full next year.
In respect of the 2025 THINK! summer drink driving campaign, at a national level 9 in 10 of those who saw or heard the campaign took action as a result. There was a significant increase in the proportion of young male drivers who said they are very likely to have a 0% alcohol alternative when driving, up from 31% pre- to 42% post-campaign.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department held discussions with Hammersmith and Fulham Council regarding Hammersmith Bridge in the lead-up to the Budget 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department’s officials have held discussions regarding Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London throughout 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate the Government has made of the financial losses suffered by businesses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates to commit fuel theft or evade charges.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
No assessment of potential financial losses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates has been made.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.
The DVLA is part of the British Standard Institute (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The proposed amendments are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers.
Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology is a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE).
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on (a) public awareness and (b) education on (i) drug and (ii) drink driving in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport routinely engages with local authorities to assist them with using and promoting our campaigns, and we work closely with Road Safety GB who help disseminate and coordinate our outreach to their network of road safety officers and professionals.
My department has recently engaged with contacts at Surrey Roadsafe who have helped promote our THINK! drink and drug driving campaigns through their channels. Surrey Roadsafe is a road safety partnership, comprising: Surrey Police, Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey County Council, Surrey Fire and Rescue and National Highways.