Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total sums paid by learner drivers to DVLA for resitting their Theory Test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The validity period of the theory test certificate is two years. The cost of taking a theory test is £23.00. It is not possible to estimate the total sums paid by learner drivers for resitting their theory test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing everything it can to ensure that learners can access practical tests within that time, to prevent candidates from having to retake the theory test.
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.
Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the preparation of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Learners will therefore need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to enable Irish passport holders to apply for UK driving licences online.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Customers with an Irish passport can already use GOV.UK to verify their identity to renew an existing photocard licence, replace a lost, stolen, damaged or defaced licence and notify of a change of address.
A further enhancement to the online service is scheduled to be available by March 2026 which will enable customers who hold an Irish passport to also apply for their first provisional licence online.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the validity of the Driving Theory Test certificate, in the context of long waiting times for practical driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The validity period of the theory test certificate is two years. The cost of taking a theory test is £23.00. It is not possible to estimate the total sums paid by learner drivers for resitting their theory test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing everything it can to ensure that learners can access practical tests within that time, to prevent candidates from having to retake the theory test.
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.
Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the preparation of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Learners will therefore need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number and (b) monetary value of fines issued for non-compliance with obligatory lighting and reflectors for bicycles in the Thames Valley area in 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Rule 60 of The Highway Code makes clear that cyclists must have their front and rear lights lit when riding at night, and reflectors must also be fitted to their cycle. The Department does not collect any information from the police with regards to fines issued for non-compliance with these rules.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Office of Rail and Road’s 2024–25 train operator statistics, whether she plans to use the data on (a) cancellations, (b) delay minutes and (c) compensation claims as a baseline for new rigorous performance standards.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department issued any formal directions to DfT Operator Limited in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 in respect of (i) service performance and (ii) financial control.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome on Street Works: Fines and Lane Rental Surplus Funds, why the implementation timeline was changed.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The date for laying the statutory instrument was adjusted slightly to allow time to ensure the legislative changes would fully deliver the intended outcomes and this included further engagement with stakeholders. The statutory instrument was laid in Parliament on 13 October. A 12-week notice period following this was always intended to give industry stakeholders and highway authorities sufficient time to understand and prepare for the new regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing commuted sums for maintenance within active travel capital funding.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In the Spending Review we announced that we are allocating £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to support local authorities to both build and maintain cycling and walking infrastructure. This is in addition to almost £300 million for active travel between 2024/25 and 2025/26, which we announced in February.
It is for local authorities to determine how best to use the funding available to them, including what amount to set aside for maintenance purposes.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of (a) the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill and (b) the proposed Revenue Certainty Mechanism on average passenger air fares by 2030 and 2035; and whether passengers will be informed of any additional levies or costs arising from the scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Bill provides the legislative basis for the SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM). The RCM will help producers get the investment they need to ramp up the production of SAF in the UK.
The Government published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF RCM in May 2025. We expect the RCM to cause ticket prices to increase or decrease by up to £1.50 on an average ticket per year, which is expected to be within the range of normal year to year changes in air fares.
The Government has confirmed that the RCM will be funded via a variable levy on aviation fuel suppliers and will look to design the levy in a way that ensures transparency of costs. The Government will actively monitor and control scheme costs including through the setting of strike prices and by controlling the scale and number of contracts awarded.
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 reasons for the re-baselining of Connection Stages 2 and 3 of the East West Rail project; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Oxford–Bedford section can open to passengers before the end of the decade.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Spending Review in June, the Government announced £2.5bn of funding to progress the delivery of East West Rail. The Government has committed to accelerating work to deliver EWR services between Oxford-Bedford and the full Oxford-Cambridge service is subject to an application for a Development Consent Order and is planned to commence from the mid-2030s. An update will be provided on the project shortly.