Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2026 to Question 14998 on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and British Overseas Territories, what the purpose and principal outcomes were of each monitoring visit undertaken since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Monitoring visits are undertaken to ensure compliance with the Overseas Territories’ international and UK maritime obligations. Outcomes identify areas of non-compliance, areas for improvement and best practice. Where non-compliance is identified, corrective actions plans are agreed for completion over a 36-month period.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing road risk prevention orders, or a similar mechanism, to prohibit individuals suspected of posing a serious road safety risk from driving pending the outcome of criminal proceedings.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is providing £2.7 million per year for three years for the Roads Policing Innovation Programme, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to strengthen national roads policing coordination. This funding supports the programme as a whole, including work on impaired driving. Core police funding, operational deployment and forensic toxicology capacity remain matters for the Home Office, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
On road risk prevention orders, the Department has recently consulted on similar issues through its motoring offences consultation. This included seeking views on temporary licence suspension for those suspected of drink or drug driving until court attendance, guilty plea or while bailed pending forensic analysis, and on suspending licences for those under investigation for serious driving offences resulting in death or serious injury.
The Department also intends to publish a response to the 2022 call for evidence on repeat drug-driving offenders alongside the response to the motoring offences consultation. That call for evidence sought views on a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme and a rehabilitation course.
No final decision has been taken on introducing a drug-driving rehabilitation programme, a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme, or linking any interim driving prohibition to course completion or drug testing. Responses to the motoring offences consultation are now being analysed, and it would not be right to pre-empt the outcome of that process.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of linking any interim driving prohibition for drug driving offenders to the successful completion of an approved drug driving rehabilitation course and a negative drug test.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is providing £2.7 million per year for three years for the Roads Policing Innovation Programme, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to strengthen national roads policing coordination. This funding supports the programme as a whole, including work on impaired driving. Core police funding, operational deployment and forensic toxicology capacity remain matters for the Home Office, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
On road risk prevention orders, the Department has recently consulted on similar issues through its motoring offences consultation. This included seeking views on temporary licence suspension for those suspected of drink or drug driving until court attendance, guilty plea or while bailed pending forensic analysis, and on suspending licences for those under investigation for serious driving offences resulting in death or serious injury.
The Department also intends to publish a response to the 2022 call for evidence on repeat drug-driving offenders alongside the response to the motoring offences consultation. That call for evidence sought views on a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme and a rehabilitation course.
No final decision has been taken on introducing a drug-driving rehabilitation programme, a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme, or linking any interim driving prohibition to course completion or drug testing. Responses to the motoring offences consultation are now being analysed, and it would not be right to pre-empt the outcome of that process.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department has provided since 4 July 2024 for (a) drug driving enforcement, (b) toxicology services relating to drug driving offences and (c) the National Roads Policing Coordination Centre's drink and drug driving workstream.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is providing £2.7 million per year for three years for the Roads Policing Innovation Programme, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to strengthen national roads policing coordination. This funding supports the programme as a whole, including work on impaired driving. Core police funding, operational deployment and forensic toxicology capacity remain matters for the Home Office, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
On road risk prevention orders, the Department has recently consulted on similar issues through its motoring offences consultation. This included seeking views on temporary licence suspension for those suspected of drink or drug driving until court attendance, guilty plea or while bailed pending forensic analysis, and on suspending licences for those under investigation for serious driving offences resulting in death or serious injury.
The Department also intends to publish a response to the 2022 call for evidence on repeat drug-driving offenders alongside the response to the motoring offences consultation. That call for evidence sought views on a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme and a rehabilitation course.
No final decision has been taken on introducing a drug-driving rehabilitation programme, a drug-driving high-risk offender scheme, or linking any interim driving prohibition to course completion or drug testing. Responses to the motoring offences consultation are now being analysed, and it would not be right to pre-empt the outcome of that process.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance has her Department provided to the sector on using banking and borrowing flexibilities under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate to allow the deferral of obligations under the advanced fuel and power-to-liquid sub-mandates over a multi-year period.
Answered by Keir Mather - 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: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which protected species most frequently require surveys, licences and mitigation before Network Rail can undertake maintenance and enhancement works.
Answered by Keir Mather - 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: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car test in each month since March 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The answer to Question 6274,15 June 2026, provides data for how many driving test centres recorded the maximum waiting time of 24 weeks for a practical car test in April and May. Data for June is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars#car-driving-test-waiting-time-and-availability-data .
In June 2026, 10.99 full-time equivalent driving examiners left the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 29 May 2026, to Question 1543, on Department for Transport: Public Relations, if she will name each public relations company that has provided services since July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since July 2024 the Department for Transport have only contracted with one company, 23 Red Limited, who have provided public relations services to support THINK! drink and drug driving campaigns.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to use the powers contained in the Highways (Finance) Bill to introduce user charging or tolls on any road that is currently free to use.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has no plans to use the powers in the Highways (Financing) Bill to introduce user charging or tolls on any road that is currently free to use.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2026, to Question 1718, of National Highways: Expenditure, what company or contractor provided the public affairs services for National Highways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I refer the Hon Member to Question 16599 answered on 14 July 2026.