Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to improve the availability of secure, well-lit, and gender-appropriate rest facilities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, the Government and industry are delivering up to £35.7 million of joint investment to upgrade truck stops in 30 counties across England, improving both safety and working conditions for drivers.
The scheme is supporting better welfare and rest facilities such as improved gender-appropriate toilets and showers, rest areas, and increased HGV parking capacity for all drivers.
This funding is also helping operators to deliver security improvements including enhanced CCTV coverage, perimeter fencing, improved lighting, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and new and upgraded security barriers.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that national transport policy is aligned with the priorities of local transport plans.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local Transport Plans are important strategic policy documents produced by local transport authorities. The Department for Transport maintains regular, and close, contact with all local transport authorities, ensuring that national programmes and policies support local priorities where possible.
In recognition of the importance of Local Transport Plans, under the Railways Bill, Great British Railways will have a duty to have regard to Local Transport Plans produced by Mayoral Strategic Authorities to ensure local priorities are considered.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support combined authorities in closing any gaps in local bus provision.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to improving local bus services right across the country, including in combined authority areas. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to give local leaders the tools they need and empower them to choose the model that works best for their communities.
In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority will be allocated £133.5 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £46.8 million they are already receiving this year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish, to deliver better services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.
In addition to the LABG, the Government has also introduced a £3 million Bus Franchising Support Fund in 2026/27 for Mayoral Strategic Authorities that are in the process of developing and implementing bus franchising schemes, to provide targeted support to help their transition to a franchised bus model.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce violence against women and girls on public transport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My Department wants everyone to feel and be safe when travelling, therefore, we have an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work and are working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities to help tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) on transport.
My Department has also been closely involved in the development of the Government’s VAWG (Freedom from Violence and Abuse) Strategy, which includes nine commitments to help improve safety for women and girls on the transport network.
The commitments which form part of DfT’s contribution to the Safer Streets Mission are:
In addition, on the rail network, the British Transport Police work with their partners to raise awareness of VAWG, encourage reporting and receive feedback to improve our response.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the working conditions of PHV drivers working for large national operators such as Uber.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Department for Transport Ministers and officials engage with operators, trade representation groups, and trade unions on the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.
Thanks to the Government’s Employment Rights Act, over 18 million workers are set to benefit from greater fairness and security at work. Our reforms will also strengthen the voices of people in the workplace.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to engage with PHV drivers employed by large national operators on their terms and working conditions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Department for Transport Ministers and officials engage with operators, trade representation groups, and trade unions on the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.
Thanks to the Government’s Employment Rights Act, over 18 million workers are set to benefit from greater fairness and security at work. Our reforms will also strengthen the voices of people in the workplace.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to regulate the service fee charges (commission) charged by large national PHV operators that they draw from their drivers' journeys.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Subject to any obligations under employment law, the commercial terms under which drivers and operators contract are a matter for those parties.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of parking facilities for HGV drivers in the North West.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Survey of Lorry Parking, which was published on 29 September 2022, is the Department for Transport’s primary evidence base on the availability of HGV parking facilities. The survey showed an average shortage across England of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces for the month of March 2022 and identified driver concerns with the quality of welfare facilities and security of lorry parks.
The Survey recorded 37 on site lorry parking facilities in the North West with a utilisation rate of 80%.
The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in: HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. The scheme is supporting operators across 30 counties in England, including the North West.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase access to EV charging points.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 October 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,021 publicly available charging devices (including 17,354 rapid charging devices), an increase of 23% year on year.
The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of over 100,000 further local chargers, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers across the country.
The Department is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions and on the 13 July, announced the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) effectiveness of grants for people who (i) have purchased used electric vehicles and (ii) cannot afford new electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is fully committed to supporting the uptake of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including used vehicles. We’re investing over £4.5 billion to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to electric vehicles (EVs). This includes several grants for ZEVs and charging infrastructure.
In July the Government announced a £63 million package to support the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. This included a £25 million scheme to help local authorities install cross-pavement charging technology. This will provide access to cheaper household energy rates, allowing EV drivers to save up to £1,500 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.