Baroness Pidgeon

The Office for Product Safety and Standards is leading a programme of action to tackle the causes of fires in e-bikes and e-scooters. This includes targeted regulatory action, working with Local Authority Trading Standards at ports and borders, to identify non-compliant businesses and prevent unsafe products entering the market.

OPSS has published 21 product recalls and 28 product safety reports covering regulators’ interventions on e-bikes and e-scooters, lithium-ion batteries and chargers, since 2022.

OPSS’ enforcement actions are published on gov.uk quarterly. Information on products that present risks are published on the Product Recalls and Alerts site on gov.uk.

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year and puts people and the journeys they make at the heart of how we plan, build and operate transport, reflecting transport’s key role in unlocking access to opportunities. Accessibility will be a priority area of the Strategy and it will aim to support disabled people, including those who are blind and partially sighted, to travel more confidently and independently across the transport network with fewer barriers.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their roads, including pavements, to meet Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010. It is for them to ensure they are designed and maintained in a way that takes account of the needs of everyone.

The Department has produced a range of good practice guidance to help them in this, including in Inclusive Mobility, and regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders including various disability groups.

The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairment. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.

In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate. Recent reforms that the Department has implemented to the process by which Traffic Regulation Orders are made will make it easier for them to do so.

The government supports expansion at Heathrow Airport and has received proposals for a third runway at Heathrow. Once proposals have been reviewed, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), which provides the basis for decision-making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow. This will include expectations on environmental impacts of an expanded Heathrow, including the likes of carbon, noise and air pollution.

The Planning Act 2008 requires that before amending the ANPS, the Secretary of State must carry out an Appraisal of Sustainability of the policy, which will be published alongside any amended ANPS.

The Government is currently assessing proposals for the delivery of a third runway at Heathrow Airport. On 30 June 2025, the Secretary of State for Transport published a letter online to potential promoters outlining the criteria against which any proposals would be considered, including stating how schemes must contribute to economic growth and be delivered in line with our legal, environmental and climate commitments.

The assessment of the proposals is being carried out to support the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow Airport. It will be for scheme promoters to decide when to submit any Development Consent Order (DCO) application for a third runway scheme depending on the outcome of the ANPS review. The Secretary of State will decide whether to grant consent for the DCO, in accordance with the Planning Act 2008.

Old Oak Common station provides full street to platform step-free access, with HS2 platforms designed to offer full level boarding. Platforms serving the Elizabeth Line and conventional rail services have been designed to accommodate different kinds of rolling stock that have different boarding heights. Therefore, the national standard platform height of 915mm has been used in their design. The government recognises that there are potential benefits for passengers using the Elizabeth Line if full level boarding could be provided at Old Oak Common for these services. The Department has instructed further work from HS2 Ltd to understand the technical feasibility and to mitigate any potential operational impacts of providing level boarding for the Elizabeth Line. All the evidence to enable a final decision on this matter is expected by the end of this year.

The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper information where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it. The fee payable by private sector organisations for this information is £2.50 per enquiry. The law also allows the DVLA to set fees to cover the full costs of the driver licensing and vehicle registration services it delivers as a whole. This means that some services attract a fee while others are provided free of charge if it is beneficial to do so. The DVLA regularly reviews all its statutory fees to ensure that they remain set at appropriate levels.

In the financial year 2024-25 the total revenue from vehicle keeper data was £37.5m. The DVLA is unable to break this down into just private parking enforcement companies so this figure also includes revenue from requests received from other companies and organisations.

On 25 March, the government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports. This call for evidence focused on potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth and the future energy demand at ports, including the provision of shore power to customers, including cruise operators. We are considering the responses to the call for evidence.

In addition, research and development into the future fuels and technologies necessary to decarbonise the sector have been supported through the UK SHORE R&D programme, including projects such as Portsmouth’s shore power installation. This project will go live later this year, backed by nearly £20m of government funding, and will allow visiting cruise ships to connect.

The Government working closely with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on fundamental reforms to the connections process that will release up to 500GW of capacity from the connections queue. This may enable quicker provision of shore power where capacity is released in port locations.

The Community Rail Network (CRN) is a membership organisation which supports community-based groups and partnerships that connect their community with their railway. The Department provides funding towards the Network. Over £800,000 has been granted to the CRN via core and project funding in this financial year.

Support for wider Community Rail Partnerships is also provided via the Train Operating Companies. As we move towards establishing Great British Railways, the Community Rail movement will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities.

As we move towards establishing Great British Railways (GBR), the Community Rail movement will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities. We will continue to work closely with the Community Rail Network to identify opportunities to support the community rail sector ahead of the standup of GBR.

The dumping of hire bikes and e-scooters is clearly unacceptable. As announced in December’s English Devolution White Paper, we will legislate to empower local leaders to manage shared cycle schemes. This will include consideration of how costs arising from monitoring of and enforcement against this kind of antisocial use could be recouped by local authorities in the future. Existing e-scooter trials are run under the supervision of the Department for Transport. Within these trials, local authorities, working with their e-scooter operator, will determine requirements for fleet management, including how to tackle overcrowding at parking bays.

South-Western Railway has made some recent upgrades to Wi-Fi and customer satisfaction with Wi-Fi has been on a positive trend since these upgrades were made. There may be opportunities to consider further improvements in the future, and these would be subject to a positive business case which balances the needs of passengers and taxpayers.

South-Western Railway (SWR) successfully transferred into public ownership on the 25 May 2025. The current priorities of SWR are to improve operational performance and introduce the new Class 701 fleet.

I have asked the new Managing Director of South-Western in due course to review catering on longer distance routes including the London Waterloo to Exeter service - any decision will be subject to a positive financial case which balances the need of passengers and taxpayers.

There are significant opportunities for using artificial intelligence to improve rail services, reliability and safety, modernise rail infrastructure, and reduce costs. This Government is committed to creating a unified and simplified railway, putting passengers and customers first, through the creation of Great British Railways and through the public ownership of franchised passenger services.

Great British Railways will work in partnership with private sector companies to unlock and accelerate innovation across the rail network, including through the increased use of artificial intelligence, and to equip the rail sector with the skills and capabilities needed to achieve this. Great British Railways’ work in this area will align with the Government’s Transport AI Action Plan, published in June 2025.

The Department has not recently engaged in discussion with Sunderland City Council regarding changes to the Port of Sunderland Byelaws 1978.

Through the creation of Great British Railways, we are bringing operators together, which will naturally put an end to some of the siloed behaviours that have contributed to opaque and inconsistent revenue protection practices. This transition will ensure a more unified approach across the sector, ensuring passengers are treated fairly and in accordance with the correct procedures.

In addition, the industry has already begun work with revenue protection leads across the rail sector, providing a platform to share best practices regularly. We will respond to the next steps for the report by summer 2025.

The Government continues to prioritise engagement with the UN World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and recognises it as the key forum for multilateral cooperation to improve vehicle safety.

We actively participate in WP.29 and fully support the importance of international regulations in enhancing road safety.

The Government fully supports a thriving and competitive international rail passenger services market, given the benefits it can bring including potentially greater choice, new service offers and lower fares for passengers.

The Government welcomes the Campaign for Better Transport’s report, and recognises the significant growth potential of international rail connectivity. DfT officials are engaging proactively with international partners and industry counterparts, including prospective operators, to discuss the potential for new routes and services and help facilitate these where possible.

The Government fully supports the growth of international rail passenger services given the environmental, social and economic benefits they provide.

My officials continue to engage on a regular basis with infrastructure managers and European partners to discuss the potential for new routes and potential market entrants, particularly given the unique requirements of operating through the Channel Tunnel.

The Government is keen to see the growth of international rail freight, which supports the Government’s growth mission. DfT officials engage regularly with the sector to discuss the potential to increase the number of international freight flows through the Channel Tunnel.

While it is ultimately a commercial decision for industry as to whether to operate new services, the Government is engaging with the International rail freight sector to examine potential measures to facilitate cross channel rail freight. The Department also welcomes ORR’s recent decision to reduce HS1 access charges for freight as part of its control period determination, as well as Network Rail’s freight track access charge discount scheme, both of which will help to facilitate growth in international rail freight.

A proposed timeline for implementing UN Global Technical Regulation No. 22 in the UK will be set out in the consultation. The Government aims to publish this consultation later this year.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has endorsed the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) TechSafe scheme, which helps to ensure technicians have the skills they need to safely repair an electric vehicle (EV) and allows consumers to access a register to find their nearest EV competent technician. According to the IMI, 64,700 technicians are already qualified to work on an EV. This represents 26% of all technicians in the UK.

At MOT vehicles are tested for safety critical components, such as tyres and brakes. The Government has not seen any evidence to suggest that EV battery health impacts road worthiness and therefore the need for testing during the MOT. In 2023, the Department for Transport published a call for evidence, which included questions related to EV testing. The Department continues to consider EV-specific items to improve the MOT test and expects to consult on these changes in the near future.

The battery forms a large part of an electric vehicle’s (EV) value and performance. Information about EV battery health could help consumers in the used vehicle market to make informed comparisons between vehicles and alleviate concerns about battery durability, supporting the growth of the used EV market.

The UK has worked with international partners at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV batteries (GTR No.22). If implemented, this regulation would ensure that EVs provide easily accessible, accurate, and comparable information on the battery’s state of health. The Government is analysing options for the implementation of GTR No.22 regulations in the UK.

The Government is currently considering options for the implementation of UN Global Technical Regulation No. 22 in the UK, taking into account the implementation timelines of other key markets, such as the EU. The Government aims to consult on these plans later this year.

One of the tasks of the new management of South Western Railways (SWR) after train operations come into public ownership will be to pay close attention to the needs of the travelling public. As I know that a long held desire of travellers on this line is the reinstatement of refreshments, this will be examined afresh to see if a positive financial case can be made for it.

South Western Railway (SWR) expects to continue to run the Luggage Buddy scheme that is currently operated, after the move to public ownership in May.

The Department for Transport has worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop a Global Technical Regulation on electric vehicle batteries (GTR 22). If implemented, the regulation would set standards for the lifespan of a battery and its minimum durability. It will also ensure that information about electric vehicle batteries is easily accessible, accurate and comparable. The Government is currently considering options for the implementation of GTR 22 battery regulations in the UK.

In the meantime, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate requires all new electric vehicles to be sold with a warranty that includes battery replacement if capacity falls below 70% in the first 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner.

The Department has a team that is responsible for micromobility policy which includes self-driving delivery robots. That team works with a wide range of other teams on the opportunities and risks they present, including the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

The UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel’s terms of reference sets out the purpose, membership and function of the Panel. These were shared with Panel members. I will share a copy of the terms of reference with the noble Baroness and make a copy available in the House Library.

The Panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.

Membership comprises two classifications: Standing Members and Additional Members. Standing Members include Government departments and wider industry bodies. Bus manufacturers, operators and mayoral combined authorities are invited as Additional Members.

The scope and function of the Panel is shaped by its three central objectives: support the growth of the UK bus manufacturing sector, understand the pipeline of future bus orders to support planning, and explore ways to prioritise passenger-centric bus design.