Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce a national road pricing scheme for motorists.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in which month she expects to lay the Private Parking Code of Practice.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Private Parking Code of Practice was laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the operation of local rail services integrated into Greater Manchester’s Bee Network will be under a concession awarded and managed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

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

Local rail services integrated into Greater Manchester’s Bee Network will continue to be operated by the existing train operating companies, with those operators managed by the Department for Transport Operator Limited. The Government and the rail industry have been working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester to progress this, which will lead to better outcomes for passengers through simpler fares and improved connectivity with other modes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2026 to Question 19073 on East West Rail Line: Rolling Stock, (a) which modifications to the trains remain outstanding, (b) when she expects those modifications to be completed, (c) when she expects the full testing regime to be completed and (d) what outstanding steps will be required following completion of testing before passenger services can commence.

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

Physical modifications to the trains intended for the Oxford-Milton Keynes service have been completed. Trains remain subject to software being finished and tested. Passenger services will commence once staffing arrangements have been finalised and the necessary staff are in place, the trains have completed the required software updates and testing, and all remaining infrastructure requirements, including Winslow station handover, have been completed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the adequacy and testing of NATS contingency arrangements for a failure of its flight processing systems.

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

The Secretary of State has commissioned the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to lead an independent investigation of the NATS outage on 8 September, which will also consider the technical issue that occurred in Prestwick on 21 September. The review will examine the causes of the incidents, broader questions relating to NATS' resilience, capital investment and modernisation plans, helping to identify any lessons needed to strengthen the resilience of the UK air traffic management system.

The Department also receives regular updates from NATS on the modernisation of its air traffic control systems, with technical changes closely monitored and overseen by the CAA as the independent regulator.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 4264 on Passenger Railway Services: Public Ownership, what savings from management fees have been realised to date following the transfer of passenger services into public ownership; what her Department’s latest estimate is of annual savings once all franchised contracts have expired; and whether any transferred operator’s Police Service Agreement with the British Transport Police Authority has changed in cost since transfer.

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

Savings from management fees and other savings are routinely considered by the Public Ownership Programme as part of continuing reporting processes. The programme does not publicly report on fees saved during transfers due to commercial confidentiality reasons.

Public ownership will save taxpayers up to an estimated £150 million every year on fees currently paid to privately-owned train operating companies, once all services currently delivered under contract with the Department have transferred.

Police Service Agreements (PSAs) are required for train operators on the railway. While PSA costs may change from year to year, there has been no change in the overall approach to PSAs, nor any substantial change in costs for transferred operators, as a result of public ownership.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much apprenticeship levy funding paid by businesses in the automotive sector has expired unused in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are widespread misconceptions that there is significant unspent levy funding available to spend. However, this is not the case. Over the last five financial years, 99% of the English growth and skills budget was spent.

Levy-paying employers in England can access funding through their Apprenticeship Service accounts, yet we do not record their industry or sector when they first register for an account. Therefore, we are unable to provide sector-specific data that shows the amount of levy funds entering employers’ accounts or the amount that has been spent or that has expired.

It should be noted that the UK wide apprenticeship levy is not legally hypothecated and, as such, revenues from the levy are paid into the Consolidated Fund and not directly allocated to apprenticeships.  Separately, the annual growth and skills (previously apprenticeship) budget for England is set at each spending review. The English growth and skills budget increased to a record breaking £3.3 billion in the 2026-27 financial year.

The funds in levy paying employers accounts are notional (reaching around £6.7 billion) and far exceed the total levy paid by employers annually and is more than double the annual growth and skills budget. If all levy paying employers spent all their notional levy funds, we would far exceed the available budget and there would be insufficient funding for non-levy payers, typically SMEs, which represent around 30% of apprenticeship spend.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Prime Minister has approved the Government's proposed designation of Heathrow expansion as Critical National Growth Infrastructure.

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

The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) proposes designating Heathrow expansion as Critical National Growth Infrastructure, recognising its potential importance to national growth. We have consulted on this approach, and the Government will carefully consider the views received through the consultation, alongside the Transport Select Committee's recommendations, before setting out its response and any next steps in relation to the HENPS.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department supports the proposed designation of Heathrow expansion as Critical National Growth Infrastructure; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Heathrow expansion on economic growth outside London.

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

The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) proposes designating Heathrow expansion as Critical National Growth Infrastructure, recognising its potential importance to national growth. We have consulted on this approach, and the Government will carefully consider the views received through the consultation, alongside the Transport Select Committee's recommendations, before setting out its response and any next steps in relation to the HENPS.

As part of the consultation on the draft HENPS the Department conducted analysis to look at the potential impact of Heathrow expansion on the economy, including outside London. This analysis can be found in the Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report (HEAR) located here: Draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement appraisal report - GOV.UK. The HEAR is supported by further economic impact modelling located here: Heathrow expansion economic impact modelling - GOV.UK. This analysis found that the scheme could add up to 0.05% to UK GDP in 2056, with up to 40% of these benefits accruing to regions outside of London and the South East.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2026 to Question 29345 on RAF Northolt, how much his Department (a) has spent in each financial year since 2022-23 and (b) plans to spend on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and associated infrastructure at RAF Northolt; and whether he has undertaken a value for money assessment comparing that expenditure with the cost of using an equivalent volume of conventional aviation fuel.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department has not incurred any additional costs from the use of higher-blend SAF at RAF Northolt in any financial year since 2022-23. The Department also has no plans to spend on higher-blend SAF or associated infrastructure at RAF Northolt.

No value for money assessment has been undertaken, as the use of higher-blend SAF at RAF Northolt has not resulted in any additional cost to Defence when compared with conventional aviation fuel.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many automotive manufacturers and suppliers are expected to receive support under the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme; and when that support will become available.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises the impact that high energy costs are having on the automotive sector. Through the launch of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) the Government is committed to helping eligible businesses, including many from the automotive sector, to reduce their electricity costs to bring them more into line with other European economies.

Applications for BICS are now open until the 30^th November 2026. If approved, a business will begin to receive exemptions from April 2027. They will also receive an additional payment in 2027 to cover costs approximately equivalent to an extra year’s benefit.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2026 to Question 29628 on Cars: Manufacturing Industries, what criteria her Department uses to assess whether compliance costs under the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate are affordable for vehicle manufacturers.

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

The Government continues to engage with vehicle manufacturers on a regular basis regarding the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, including as part of the long-committed ZEV Mandate Review, which is currently subject to consultation. The consultation closes on 23 October, and we will publish the outcome of the review in our consultation response.

Data from the ZEV Mandate shows the average cost of trading ZEV allowances to meet compliance in the UK in 2024 was approximately £4,000 per traded ZEV allowance for cars. DfT analysis estimates the average additional cost of discounting for ZEVs was around £2,800 per vehicle in 2025. Both are substantially lower than the Mandate’s compliance payment levels. Vehicle discounting is common and recent industry data suggests discounts on ZEVs are increasingly at levels comparable to petrol vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with NATS on (a) air traffic controller vacancies, (b) recruitment and training capacity and (c) disruption attributable to staffing levels.

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

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) review into the NATS outage of 8 September 2026 will be carried out by a dedicated team working independently of NATS, government and the aviation industry in order to deliver a robust and impartial review.  To further ensure the independence of the review, an Independent Challenge Panel, whose membership will be approved by the Secretary of State, will provide independent challenge and advice throughout.

The review will examine the causes of the incidents, broader questions relating to NATS' resilience, capital investment and modernisation plans, helping to identify any lessons needed to strengthen the resilience of the UK air traffic management system.

Whilst the CAA review will consider the adequacy of the resilience requirements, governance and assurance arrangements applied to NATS critical operational systems and supporting infrastructure, it is the responsibility of air navigation service providers to ensure that an adequate and trained workforce is in place to operate safely and effectively.

However, my department recently introduced secondary legislation giving the CAA powers to recognise the previous training of third country and military ATCOs towards meeting the requirements needed to achieve a UK civil ATCO licence. This will reduce the time it takes these individuals to become a civil ATCO in the UK and increase resilience across the sector.

Dividends received by the Department from NATS are shown in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on Gov.uk .

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place to ensure the independence of the Civil Aviation Authority’s review into the NATS technical incident on 8 September 2026.

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

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) review into the NATS outage of 8 September 2026 will be carried out by a dedicated team working independently of NATS, government and the aviation industry in order to deliver a robust and impartial review.  To further ensure the independence of the review, an Independent Challenge Panel, whose membership will be approved by the Secretary of State, will provide independent challenge and advice throughout.

The review will examine the causes of the incidents, broader questions relating to NATS' resilience, capital investment and modernisation plans, helping to identify any lessons needed to strengthen the resilience of the UK air traffic management system.

Whilst the CAA review will consider the adequacy of the resilience requirements, governance and assurance arrangements applied to NATS critical operational systems and supporting infrastructure, it is the responsibility of air navigation service providers to ensure that an adequate and trained workforce is in place to operate safely and effectively.

However, my department recently introduced secondary legislation giving the CAA powers to recognise the previous training of third country and military ATCOs towards meeting the requirements needed to achieve a UK civil ATCO licence. This will reduce the time it takes these individuals to become a civil ATCO in the UK and increase resilience across the sector.

Dividends received by the Department from NATS are shown in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on Gov.uk .

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department received in dividends from NATS in each of the last five financial years.

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

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) review into the NATS outage of 8 September 2026 will be carried out by a dedicated team working independently of NATS, government and the aviation industry in order to deliver a robust and impartial review.  To further ensure the independence of the review, an Independent Challenge Panel, whose membership will be approved by the Secretary of State, will provide independent challenge and advice throughout.

The review will examine the causes of the incidents, broader questions relating to NATS' resilience, capital investment and modernisation plans, helping to identify any lessons needed to strengthen the resilience of the UK air traffic management system.

Whilst the CAA review will consider the adequacy of the resilience requirements, governance and assurance arrangements applied to NATS critical operational systems and supporting infrastructure, it is the responsibility of air navigation service providers to ensure that an adequate and trained workforce is in place to operate safely and effectively.

However, my department recently introduced secondary legislation giving the CAA powers to recognise the previous training of third country and military ATCOs towards meeting the requirements needed to achieve a UK civil ATCO licence. This will reduce the time it takes these individuals to become a civil ATCO in the UK and increase resilience across the sector.

Dividends received by the Department from NATS are shown in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on Gov.uk .

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a new tax on electric vehicles based on mileage travelled.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government will introduce Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, from April 2028. This will help address the decline in fuel duty receipts as more people switch to electric vehicles.

From April 2028, electric cars will pay 3 pence per mile, around half the equivalent fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol or diesel driver, while plug-in hybrid cars will pay a reduced rate of 1.5 pence per mile. Drivers will pay eVED alongside their existing Vehicle Excise Duty.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to freeze the qualifying date for the historic vehicle exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase rates of Vehicle Excise Duty for petrol and diesel vehicles.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase the standard rate of Insurance Premium Tax.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2026 to Question 21965 on Aerospace Industry, how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed in the Civil Aviation Authority's certification function in each year since 2019; and what the planned staffing level is for each of the next three years.

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

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for determining the staffing and resources required to discharge its statutory functions. Since EU Exit, the CAA has developed and significantly expanded its certification capability to undertake responsibilities that were previously carried out at the European level and to support demand from the UK aviation sector.

The Department is assured that the CAA keeps its resource requirements under regular review to ensure it can effectively deliver its regulatory obligations and respond to industry needs. The timeliness of certification activity is influenced by a range of factors, including the complexity of individual applications and the information provided by applicants, as well as regulatory processes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 19484 on Large Goods Vehicles: Electric Vehicles, what operational assumptions her Department uses when assessing the total cost of ownership of zero-emission HGVs compared with diesel equivalents, including assumptions on (a) annual mileage, (b) payload, (c) vehicle utilisation, (d) charging costs and (e) vehicle lifespan.

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

The Department for Transport's operational assumptions regarding the total cost of ownership of zero emission HGVs relative to diesel HGVs will be published alongside the next consultation on the HGV CO2 emissions regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 19483 on Network Rail: Biodiversity, what assessment she has made of the risk that publishing the names of Network Rail projects to which protected species licences apply, without publishing the precise location of protected species, would result in the (a) disturbance, (b) persecution or (c) collection of protected species.

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

Network Rail’s position is that publishing project or site names could, in some cases, allow the location of protected species to be inferred and thereby increase the risk of disturbance, persecution or collection. It therefore does not publish a project or site list for protected-species licences, while continuing to meet its legal and regulatory obligations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2026 to Question 26995 on Airports: Fees and Charges, in which cases surface access targets have been considered through the planning process as part of airport expansion proposals; and what targets were proposed and imposed in each case.

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

The Government expects airports to work with relevant local and regional partners to plan for their surface access needs and to set appropriate targets through their surface access strategies. Where airport expansion requires planning consent, the surface access implications of the proposed development, including any necessary transport measures and mitigation, are considered through the relevant planning process.

Recent approvals by this Government on airport expansion projects at Gatwick and Luton include specific surface access targets which must be met.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2026 to Question 2345, in which month Active Travel England expects to publish (a) the introductory document on designing safer streets for women and girls, (b) the revised best practice guide to community consultation and engagement and (c) the associated training materials for local authorities.

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

On 28 September 2026, Active Travel England launched its Women and Girls Digital Safety Hub. The hub provides practical resources, guidance and case studies to help councils and delivery partners better consider the needs of women and girls when planning and delivering active travel schemes.

It includes the new introductory guide which includes key design principles for designing safer streets for women and girls, alongside the updated best practice guide to community consultation and engagement. The hub can be accessed here Women and girls' safety hub | Active Travel England

A schedule of training is expected to follow in the New Year for council officers, developers and practitioners.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to announce additional financial support for the purchase of electric vehicles in the forthcoming Budget; and whether he has received representations from the Secretary of State for Transport on increasing the £7.5 billion currently allocated to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The government is committed to supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicles. The government is already investing over £7.5 billion through to 2035 to help consumers, businesses and the automotive sector make the switch. This includes £2 billion for the Electric Car Grant, through which more than 160,000 drivers have already benefited from discounts across more than 60 models.

Decisions at the Budget are for the Chancellor, and it would be inappropriate to speculate on future fiscal announcements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2026 to Question 30027 on Bus Services: Concessions, which (a) programmes and (b) budgets within her Department will be reprioritised to fund the £60 million cost of extending free bus travel for disabled people in 2027-28; and how much funding will be reallocated from each.

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

The Department for Transport will provide £20 million towards the cost of removing the time restrictions on disabled persons’ bus passes in 2027-28, with the remaining £40 million being provided by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Funding will be met from within the Department for Transport's existing 2027-28 budgets. Decisions on the allocation of funding between departmental programmes and budgets have not yet been finalised and will be determined through the Department's normal business planning process ahead of the financial year.

This is a permanent policy change and funding for future years will be confirmed at the next Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving examiners started to practice in each month since July 2024.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Answer, 9 September 2025, to Question 73857 provides data on the number of new driving examiners (DE) who successfully completed training and moved into post, broken down by month from July 2024 to July 2025. The table below provides this data for August 2025 to September 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what key performance indicators are used by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to assess the effectiveness of driving examiner recruitment campaigns; what target value is attached to each metric; and what the recorded performance against those targets was for each campaign.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues driving examiner (DE) recruitment across the country to provide as many tests as possible; a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

The table below provides updated data, where possible, for the recruitment campaigns listed in the Answer, 21 April 2026, to Question 124880.

[note 1] - No of applicants invited to interview and driving assessment are the same as this was an assessment centre.

[note 2] – The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to recruit from merit lists for these live recruitment campaigns. The final numbers for the recruitment campaigns shown are therefore not yet known.

For any given campaign listed, the difference between those recruited and placed on a training course, and the number of applicants that successfully passed training for that campaign, reflects the number of applicants who did not complete training, including those who failed or withdrew. As some of these campaigns are still live, and commenced less than 12 months ago, it is not possible to provide data on those who left the Agency within 12 months.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Recruitment comes out of a central budget, so total costs of each individual campaign cannot be fully derived.

The Answer, 24 February 2026, to Question 113313 shows the number of vacancies advertised for campaigns from July 2024 to December 2025. For the February 2026 campaign, 80 vacancies were advertised. All campaigns, apart from May 2023 and February 2026 campaigns, advertised for roles nationally, rather than for particular regions. The May 2023 campaign was advertised as ‘National (except London and South East England)’ and the February 2026 campaign advertised for positions in ‘Southern England, East Midlands, East Anglia & London’.

DVSA monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

In April 2026, DVSA changed the way it assesses prospective DEs. Working with the Government Recruitment Service’s (GRS) occupational psychologists, the assessment process was redesigned, introducing online tests aimed at identifying applicants with the specific skills needed to succeed, and to mitigate the use of AI within the application process.

DVSA continues to monitor the pass rates for each stage and bring in applicants as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 124880, how many candidates recruited and placed on a training course subsequently (a) withdrew, (b) failed training assessments and (c) left the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency within 12 months of qualification in each recruitment campaign listed.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues driving examiner (DE) recruitment across the country to provide as many tests as possible; a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

The table below provides updated data, where possible, for the recruitment campaigns listed in the Answer, 21 April 2026, to Question 124880.

[note 1] - No of applicants invited to interview and driving assessment are the same as this was an assessment centre.

[note 2] – The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to recruit from merit lists for these live recruitment campaigns. The final numbers for the recruitment campaigns shown are therefore not yet known.

For any given campaign listed, the difference between those recruited and placed on a training course, and the number of applicants that successfully passed training for that campaign, reflects the number of applicants who did not complete training, including those who failed or withdrew. As some of these campaigns are still live, and commenced less than 12 months ago, it is not possible to provide data on those who left the Agency within 12 months.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Recruitment comes out of a central budget, so total costs of each individual campaign cannot be fully derived.

The Answer, 24 February 2026, to Question 113313 shows the number of vacancies advertised for campaigns from July 2024 to December 2025. For the February 2026 campaign, 80 vacancies were advertised. All campaigns, apart from May 2023 and February 2026 campaigns, advertised for roles nationally, rather than for particular regions. The May 2023 campaign was advertised as ‘National (except London and South East England)’ and the February 2026 campaign advertised for positions in ‘Southern England, East Midlands, East Anglia & London’.

DVSA monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

In April 2026, DVSA changed the way it assesses prospective DEs. Working with the Government Recruitment Service’s (GRS) occupational psychologists, the assessment process was redesigned, introducing online tests aimed at identifying applicants with the specific skills needed to succeed, and to mitigate the use of AI within the application process.

DVSA continues to monitor the pass rates for each stage and bring in applicants as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 124880, how many driving examiner vacancies were advertised in each recruitment campaign; and how many successful candidates were appointed in each Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency region.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues driving examiner (DE) recruitment across the country to provide as many tests as possible; a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

The table below provides updated data, where possible, for the recruitment campaigns listed in the Answer, 21 April 2026, to Question 124880.

[note 1] - No of applicants invited to interview and driving assessment are the same as this was an assessment centre.

[note 2] – The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to recruit from merit lists for these live recruitment campaigns. The final numbers for the recruitment campaigns shown are therefore not yet known.

For any given campaign listed, the difference between those recruited and placed on a training course, and the number of applicants that successfully passed training for that campaign, reflects the number of applicants who did not complete training, including those who failed or withdrew. As some of these campaigns are still live, and commenced less than 12 months ago, it is not possible to provide data on those who left the Agency within 12 months.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Recruitment comes out of a central budget, so total costs of each individual campaign cannot be fully derived.

The Answer, 24 February 2026, to Question 113313 shows the number of vacancies advertised for campaigns from July 2024 to December 2025. For the February 2026 campaign, 80 vacancies were advertised. All campaigns, apart from May 2023 and February 2026 campaigns, advertised for roles nationally, rather than for particular regions. The May 2023 campaign was advertised as ‘National (except London and South East England)’ and the February 2026 campaign advertised for positions in ‘Southern England, East Midlands, East Anglia & London’.

DVSA monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

In April 2026, DVSA changed the way it assesses prospective DEs. Working with the Government Recruitment Service’s (GRS) occupational psychologists, the assessment process was redesigned, introducing online tests aimed at identifying applicants with the specific skills needed to succeed, and to mitigate the use of AI within the application process.

DVSA continues to monitor the pass rates for each stage and bring in applicants as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of each driving examiner recruitment campaign; and what the average cost per successful qualified driving examiner was in each case.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues driving examiner (DE) recruitment across the country to provide as many tests as possible; a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

The table below provides updated data, where possible, for the recruitment campaigns listed in the Answer, 21 April 2026, to Question 124880.

[note 1] - No of applicants invited to interview and driving assessment are the same as this was an assessment centre.

[note 2] – The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to recruit from merit lists for these live recruitment campaigns. The final numbers for the recruitment campaigns shown are therefore not yet known.

For any given campaign listed, the difference between those recruited and placed on a training course, and the number of applicants that successfully passed training for that campaign, reflects the number of applicants who did not complete training, including those who failed or withdrew. As some of these campaigns are still live, and commenced less than 12 months ago, it is not possible to provide data on those who left the Agency within 12 months.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Recruitment comes out of a central budget, so total costs of each individual campaign cannot be fully derived.

The Answer, 24 February 2026, to Question 113313 shows the number of vacancies advertised for campaigns from July 2024 to December 2025. For the February 2026 campaign, 80 vacancies were advertised. All campaigns, apart from May 2023 and February 2026 campaigns, advertised for roles nationally, rather than for particular regions. The May 2023 campaign was advertised as ‘National (except London and South East England)’ and the February 2026 campaign advertised for positions in ‘Southern England, East Midlands, East Anglia & London’.

DVSA monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

In April 2026, DVSA changed the way it assesses prospective DEs. Working with the Government Recruitment Service’s (GRS) occupational psychologists, the assessment process was redesigned, introducing online tests aimed at identifying applicants with the specific skills needed to succeed, and to mitigate the use of AI within the application process.

DVSA continues to monitor the pass rates for each stage and bring in applicants as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 124880, how many additional practical driving tests per month are expected to be delivered by the 188 additional full-time equivalent driving examiners employed on 31 March 2026.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues driving examiner (DE) recruitment across the country to provide as many tests as possible; a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

The table below provides updated data, where possible, for the recruitment campaigns listed in the Answer, 21 April 2026, to Question 124880.

[note 1] - No of applicants invited to interview and driving assessment are the same as this was an assessment centre.

[note 2] – The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to recruit from merit lists for these live recruitment campaigns. The final numbers for the recruitment campaigns shown are therefore not yet known.

For any given campaign listed, the difference between those recruited and placed on a training course, and the number of applicants that successfully passed training for that campaign, reflects the number of applicants who did not complete training, including those who failed or withdrew. As some of these campaigns are still live, and commenced less than 12 months ago, it is not possible to provide data on those who left the Agency within 12 months.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Recruitment comes out of a central budget, so total costs of each individual campaign cannot be fully derived.

The Answer, 24 February 2026, to Question 113313 shows the number of vacancies advertised for campaigns from July 2024 to December 2025. For the February 2026 campaign, 80 vacancies were advertised. All campaigns, apart from May 2023 and February 2026 campaigns, advertised for roles nationally, rather than for particular regions. The May 2023 campaign was advertised as ‘National (except London and South East England)’ and the February 2026 campaign advertised for positions in ‘Southern England, East Midlands, East Anglia & London’.

DVSA monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

In April 2026, DVSA changed the way it assesses prospective DEs. Working with the Government Recruitment Service’s (GRS) occupational psychologists, the assessment process was redesigned, introducing online tests aimed at identifying applicants with the specific skills needed to succeed, and to mitigate the use of AI within the application process.

DVSA continues to monitor the pass rates for each stage and bring in applicants as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2026 to Question 18160 on Buses: Driving Tests, how many applications for category D1 practical driving tests were made in each year since 2019; and what the average waiting time for such a test was in each of those years.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold data on the number of applications for category D1 practical driving tests.

Category D1 is a sub-category of category D. Practical driving test slots are initially booked as category D; the actual vehicle category is not confirmed until a few days before the test.

The answer of 16 July to Question 18160 provides the number of D1 minibus tests conducted by DVSA and by delegated examiners in each calendar year for which data is available.

There is no separate waiting time for category D1 tests because category D1, category D and lorry tests are all classed as vocational testing.

The below table shows the average waiting time for vocational tests for each financial year since 2019.

Please note for 2019, 2020 and 2021, DVSA calculated waiting times for vocational driving tests across all driving test centres, including part time and remote test centres. For the following years of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, DVSA calculated waiting times by using the official measure which includes permanent test centres only. Permanent centres may be excluded from time to time, for example if they close temporarily.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 4286 on TransPennine Express, whether the business case for low earth orbit satellite connectivity on mainline trains has been approved; and how much funding has been allocated to TransPennine Express for that purpose.

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

The business case referred to is being strongly pursued and, therefore, no allocation of funding has yet been made to TransPennine Express.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2026 to Question 18731 on Planning Permission: Biodiversity, what estimate she has made of the proportion of (a) all planning applications and (b) residential planning applications that will be subject to the biodiversity gain condition following implementation of the exemption for sites of 0.2 hectares or less.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The answer given to question 18731 still stands. The new exemptions came into force in August 2026, and government continues to monitor the numbers of planning applications subject to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Planning portal data for September 2026 suggests that around 90% of planning applications were exempt from BNG.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the requirement for lead applicants to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund to have an annual income of under £5 million on the eligibility of charities whose income includes Housing Benefit received in connection with supported accommodation; and whether she plans to review the treatment of such income in future funding rounds.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund was established to support voluntary, community and faith sector organisations delivering homelessness and rough sleeping services, with an annual income below £5 million.

This eligibility criterion was set out in the published prospectus and applied consistently to all applicants.

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of this requirement on charities whose income includes Housing Benefit received in connection with supported accommodation. Eligibility was assessed against an organisation's overall annual income as reported in its financial accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2026 to Question 3018 on Air Ambulance Services: EGNOS, what progress her Department has made on its review into the case and viability of rejoining the EGNOS programme; what assessment she has made of the timeline for concluding this review; and if she will list the dates of formal discussions held with representatives of the European Union regarding EGNOS since June 2026.

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

The Department is undertaking a comprehensive review of the transport case and the practicalities of rejoining the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), with the aim of determining the policy approach by the end of the year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2026 to Question 18208 on Railway Stations: British Transport Police, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) police officers, (b) PCSOs and (c) other operational staff that the British Transport Police budget settlement will fund in each financial year from 2025-26 to 2028-29.

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

The British Transport Police (BTP) is operationally independent from Government, and the Secretary of State has not made any estimate of numbers of police officers, PCSO’s and other operational staff the British Transport Police budget settlement will fund in each financial year from 2025-26 to 2028-29.

However, the British Transport Police has provided the following estimates.

The table shows budgeted full-time equivalents (FTEs) by employee type as at 31 March for the respective years. Future FTE figures are forecasts and are subject to change. Historical FTE figures may also be revised as a result of reconciliation between systems and retrospective data quality work.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2026 to Question 16602 on Office of Rail and Road: Public Relations, what was the purpose of the £14,280 expenditure with Savanta; and whether that expenditure included (a) polling, (b) opinion research, (c) stakeholder engagement and (d) communications advice.

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

The Office of Rail and Road's expenditure with Savanta, split over a two-year period, was to support ORR's small in-house public affairs function. Given the commercial sensitivity of contracting with suppliers, ORR does not publish detailed information about the services provided under individual contracts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish updated forecasts of (a) UK production and (b) imports of non-HEFA sustainable aviation fuel against the volumes required to meet the SAF Mandate in each year from 2027 to 2030.

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

The Government keeps the development of the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market under review, including the expected contribution from domestic production and imports.

Projections of future fuel supply and buyout payments under the SAF Mandate are dependent on future market developments and form part of ongoing policy development and analysis. As such, the Department is not currently providing projections for specific future years.

The Government is supporting UK SAF production through the £219 million Low Carbon Fuels Fund, which aims to develop investable UK SAF projects and a diverse range of SAF production pathways.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward amendments to the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill to require the Civil Aviation Authority to assess and publish the costs and effects on participation of significant rule changes affecting gliding and other general aviation activities; and what safeguards she plans to provide against disproportionate air navigation charges on those activities.

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

The Bill already provides a framework for proportionate and accountable rulemaking. The Civil Aviation Authority will be required to consult those it considers likely to be affected before making rules, including general aviation stakeholders where relevant. The framework also ensures appropriate ministerial oversight, with Ministers setting the CAA's strategic priorities and objectives, retaining powers of direction, and being able to reserve specified matters to the Secretary of State.

Charges for air navigation services are set by the CAA through an established process which includes safeguards such as targeted consultation and rights of appeal. Charges follow the internationally recognised ‘user pays’ principle and general aviation is largely exempt.

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The Committee are launching an inquiry into the UK export support system. The inquiry examines whether the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade alongside UK Export Finance: