Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) timeline, and (2) key milestones, of the changes to passenger rail fares, including integrated contactless ticketing in city regions, as set out in Better Connected: a strategy for integrated transport, published on 2 April.

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

The Government is working with mayoral combined authorities and local partners to implement improvements to passenger fares and ticketing, with work accelerated in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. With initial delivery of schemes in the West Midlands by spring 2027, and Manchester later this year. We are also exploring options for further improvement with smarter ticketing to passengers in the North and East Midlands, with cutting-edge digital trials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for full implementation of the Public Service Vehicle (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023.

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

The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (AIR) require the provision of audible and visible route and location information on board most local bus and coach services in Great Britain. The regulations have been applied on a phased basis; local services subject to the Regulations must comply with them by October 2026, with the last tranche of partially compliant vehicles needing to comply by October 2031. We expect operators to ensure this happens on time.

The Government understands and recognises the specific challenges to comply with AIR within some parts of the sector, for example the rail replacement sector. We continue to work closely with partners to assess the sector’s readiness for full compliance and to provide support to help them achieve this. This includes the development of new technological solutions for providing information on board coaches, funding for smaller operators, alongside the existing time-limited exemption from the technical requirements of AIR, which is due to end on 31 July 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dismissal of a non-executive director of the Department for Transport Operator Limited, Chris Gibb, following reported criticism of revised plans for HS2; and what impact they expect that to have on the provision of independent expert advice on rail policy.

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

The Chair terminated Chris Gibb’s employment following a breach of his terms of appointment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a freight facilities grant in England, or an interest free loan scheme, to support with the cost of new siding connections.

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

The Department for Transport currently has no plans to re-instate the Freight Facilities Grant in England or offer interest free loans to support the cost of new siding connections.

The Department has committed £20m in 2026/27 to the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme, which assists companies with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport instead of road, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government which organisations will be involved in the development of the Accessible Travel Charter; and what the timetable is for the development of the charter.

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

The Department has committed to creating an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set out commitments for participating transport providers and authorities to sign up to, which are clear to passengers and move us closer to the Department’s ambition for a barrier-free transport system.

We remain fully committed to working with operators across all transport modes, local government, regulators, disabled people, and their representative organisations. 160 organisations have been invited to contribute to the development of the Charter to date, either through a written survey, participation in workshops to frame our approach, or meetings with officials. We are also grateful for the ongoing scrutiny provided by the Department’s Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), which provides independent expert advice.

We want to continue to engage as widely as possible as we develop the Charter principles. We will continue this work by organising further targeted sessions as the work evolves, including through direct engagement with people who have lived experience, to ensure this is fully embedded.

The Charter will set out outcome-focused commitments across the emerging themes of culture shift, accessible information and transport providers working together better locally in disabled passengers’ interests. Setting out what passengers should expect across all modes of transport, these principles will provide a clear and practical framework for improving the accessibility of our transport network.

Our aim is to publish the Charter before the end of 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review how vehicle excise duty is calculated for all road vehicles, including motorcycles, to remove any inconsistencies in the system.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. Different rates apply to cars, vans, and motorcycles, and the rate for each vehicle is calculated according to a range of factors, such as its date of first registration, weight, or CO2 emissions. As of April last year, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles now pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles.

There are no current plans to review how VED is calculated for all road vehicles. The Government regularly reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs at fiscal events to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy.

Found: Baroness Hollins; Lord Mohammed of Tinsley; Baroness Nichols of Selby; Baroness O’Neill of Bexley; Baroness Pidgeon

Falling pupil numbers drive budget pressures for schools, most of whose funding is provided on a per-pupil basis, as facilities and senior staffing costs are relatively static. In 2023/24, 14.7% of local authority-run schools were in debt, up from 7.9% six years earlier. The IfG estimates that empty school places account for almost two-fifths of that rise.