Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues tp help reduce the prevalence of phone use whilst driving.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government takes road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The use of mobile phones while driving is unacceptable, and there are already tough penalties for those committing an offence.
We published our Road Safety Strategy on 07 January setting out our plans to improve the safety of our roads. As part of this we are reviewing the motoring offences and published a consultation, exploring areas of particular concern including drink and drug driving.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of the (a) number of local authorities which have exempted blood bikes from the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, (b) cost of those exemptions individually and (c) savings from a national exemption.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Local authorities cannot extend the speed exemption in section 87 of The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to ‘Blood Bikes’ or any other class of vehicle. Like the exemptions to red traffic lights and keep left / right signs in The Traffic Signs, Regulations and General Directions 2016, these emergency driving exemptions are a matter for Parliament. Consequently, no such calculations or estimates have been made.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to publish chargepoint reliability reports under the Public Chargepoint Regulations 2023 submitted by operators for 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, charge point operators are required to publish information on their compliance with the reliability requirement on their website. They must also submit a report for their network of rapid charge points for each calendar year to the Secretary of State. We do not intend to publish individual reports provided by charge point operators under the reporting requirement.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public electric vehicle chargepoints have been installed but are not operational due to electricity grid connections.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold this information.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure qualified drivers are aware of changes to the Highway Code.
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.
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.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of public electric vehicle chargepoints required to meet the 2030 target will be delivered by the private sector.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To date, most public charge points have been delivered by the private sector. We expect that trend to continue as the network continues to grow.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has been made of potential correlation between proposals to introduce a six-month learning period for learner drivers and efforts to reduce driving test waiting times.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Road Safety Strategy, published on the 7th January, includes consulting on a Minimum Learning Period before learner drivers can take their practical test.
A Minimum Learning Period is designed to prepare people better for a lifetime of safe driving by giving them more time to build up essential skills.
With more preparation for their test more people may pass first or second time, which could help reduce the waiting time for tests by reducing demand from learners booking to retake their test.
Introducing a minimum learning period could raise driving test pass rates and for every 1% increase in pass rate sustained over a year, around 40,000 test slots are freed up over the course of the year. Research suggests that a Minimum Learning Period may increase the pass rate by up to 7 percentage points.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the cost per kilometre of East West Rail from Bedford to Cambridge.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Capital cost estimates for Connection Stages 2 (Oxford-Bedford) and 3 (Oxford-Cambridge) routes were published by East West Rail Company in 2024. Final costs for the project will be driven by scope and design choices.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Welsh Government have made a formal request for the devolution of heavy rail infrastructure to Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government committed to invest £445 million to enhance rail infrastructure across Wales at the Spending Review. Through the Wales Rail Board, the UK and Welsh Government are collaborating to make sure this investment delivers the greatest passenger benefits, drives economic growth, promotes social mobility, and tackles inequality.
Great British Railways will have a close and collaborative relationship with Transport for Wales, underpinned by objectives set jointly by UK and Welsh Ministers, to ensure the railway better serves passengers and freight.
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 16 December 2025 to Question 96696 on Roads: Biodiversity, what estimate she has made of the average cost for each Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project of (a) voluntarily delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG) prior to May 2026, (b) delivering BNG on a compulsory basis during the third Road Period and (c) delivering BNG overall for schemes (i) currently under construction or (ii) in the delivery pipeline.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The department does not estimate the average cost of voluntary biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects on the Strategic Road Network. Biodiversity net gain provisions are determined on a project by project basis and assessed as part of the consenting process where relevant. The Roads Period 3 pipeline has not yet been finalised, and currently no schemes fall within the scope of mandatory biodiversity net gain requirements; therefore, no overall estimate has been made.