Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116791, what representations were made by organisations representing disabled people during engagement relating to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design; and what advice she received from officials on those representations.

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

Three workshops were held on the floating bus stop guidance, facilitated by Transport for All (TfA). The participants included organisations representing disabled people and TfA members with lived experience of disability. The department also circulated the draft guidance for comment to a range of groups from 26 November to 2 December 2025. A list of those involved is included in the guidance at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design

A range of comments and representations were received from seven organisations representing the needs of disabled people. For example these included the need for consistent design approaches; the need to prioritise accessibility; the role of behaviour change and enforcement alongside design; concerns about shared-use bus boarders; and many comments on detailed design points.

This information was used to inform the final version of the guidance which was cleared through my office in the usual way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the independence and (b) effectiveness of private parking appeals services.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is aware of concerns amongst some motorists that second stage appeals services are not independent of parking operators because these are facilitated by the trade associations who represent their members. Last summer, my department consulted on this issue to better understand concerns around the current model and consider if change is needed. The Department is considering the findings of the consultation very carefully and will set out further details as soon as possible.

The 2025 consultation document can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of current and projected gigafactory battery production capacity in Europe; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that capacity for UK automotive demand.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK collaborates with Government, automotive industry, and academia to produce quarterly forecasts. The latest insights show, based on nameplate capacity, European cell production is projected to surpass demand in 2027.

While EU trade remains vital to the sector, it is critical for UK economic resilience and competitiveness that we build domestic battery production capacity and diverse supply chains.

This Government is supporting our domestic battery ecosystem through Industrial Strategy commitments, where we announced the UK's largest single commitment to battery R&D in the Battery Innovation Programme, and significant capital support through DRIVE35 funding.

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 16 March 2026 to Question 119491 on Transport: Nitrogen Dioxide, how the £478 million whole-life cost of the NO2 Programme referenced by the National Audit Office relates to the total programme budget of approximately £880 million; and what proportion of the total programme cost this represents.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Transport provides all capital funding and a small amount of resource funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to access Training Driver Level 3 apprenticeships.

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

The Government is confident in the steps being taken by the rail industry to enable 16 and 17 year olds to access Train Driving Level 3 Apprenticeships. New legislation to lower the minimum age to be a train driver from 20 to 18 will remove the main legal obstacle preventing train operators from recruiting 16- and 17 year olds into the profession, including via apprenticeships. The industry is working with Skills England to reduce the apprenticeship entry age from 18 to 17½, which will allow young people to begin classroom learning and supervised training before becoming eligible for a licence at 18. For 16 and 17 year olds, the industry is also developing preparatory routes, including a new rail foundation apprenticeship from age 16 and access courses to build the non-technical skills needed for driver selection.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average domestic electricity price per kWh was in each year since 2021.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The department publishes statistics on the cost of domestic electricity and gas.

Annual domestic energy bills - GOV.UK

This includes tables (2.2.4 for electricity and 2.3.4 for gas) outlining the average unit price in £/kWh and average fixed cost (standing charge) in £/year for the United Kingdom and by region.

This also includes tables (2.2.3 for electricity and 2.3.3 for gas) outlining the average unit cost in p/kWh inclusive of fixed costs for the United Kingdom and by region.

These are calculated using data supplied directly to the department by a sample of domestic energy suppliers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2026 to WPQ 116586, whether her Department plans to publish details of the savings in fees otherwise payable to former private sector owners used to offset the increase in staff costs for DfT Operator Limited.

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

Once all services currently delivered under contract with the Department have transferred, public ownership is expected to save taxpayers up to an estimated £110-150 million every year on fees currently paid to privately-owned train operating companies.

This is several orders of magnitude less than the costs of scaling up DfTO staffing in anticipation of establishing GBR – as part of which we will be tackling waste and inefficiency across the fragmented railway we inherited.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the annual cost to ferry operators serving the Isle of Wight arising from inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

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

The expansion of the UK ETS to domestic maritime is designed to cut emissions and accelerate investment in cleaner vessels and technologies.

The Impact Assessment that accompanies the UK ETS Authority’s final response to the “UK Emissions Trading Scheme Scope Expansion: maritime sector” consultation, presents analysis on the overall cost of the UK ETS to shipping operators. The cost to each individual operator will depend on their level of emissions, whether they choose to invest in measures to reduce these emissions, and the carbon price trajectory over time. Costs for individual operators, including Isle of Wight services, will reflect their emissions profile, how quickly they adopt fuel saving or low carbon measures, and the trajectory of the carbon price over time.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116554, whether she plans to assess the effectiveness of the analysis conducted by Thatcham Research.

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

The Department has no current plans to undertake assessment of the effectiveness of the analysis conducted by Thatcham Research.

Where assessment and research are necessary to support policy development and decisions the Government draws on a broad range of evidence. This includes using existing independent evidence, where it is sourced from robust and reliable research, alongside commissioning specific Government-funded studies when necessary to fill evidence gaps or complement and corroborate existing findings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120369, in which month he expects to publish the statutory Private Parking Code of Practice.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government intends to lay the Private Parking Code of Practice in autumn 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of motorway service areas have at least six ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargepoints; and what target she has set for full coverage.

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

All motorway service areas in England now offer open-access rapid or ultra-rapid charge points and 75% (January 2026, industry data) have at least six or more ultra-rapid open-access charge points.

The Government continues to work closely with distribution network operators, motorway service area operators, charge point operators and other industry stakeholders to address barriers to rollout.

In November 2025, the Government opened applications for a £10 million innovation fund for cutting-edge technologies to support rollout of chargers along the Strategic Road Network (England’s motorways and major A-roads).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) how much funding has been allocated to local authorities for pothole repairs in each year since 2023–24; b) what estimate her Department has made of the number of potholes expected to be repaired as a result of that funding; c) what assessment she has made of the cost per pothole repair, and d) how many additional potholes she expects will be repaired annually as a result of the £7.3 billion funding settlement.

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

The total funding provided to local authorities in each financial year since 2023/24 can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated in its 2026 Survey that the average cost of repairing a pothole is £78.45. The funding increase for local highways maintenance that the Government has confirmed – doubling annual funding by 2029-30 compared to 2024-25 levels – will enable local highway authorities to repair millions of additional potholes in each year of this Parliament. At the same time, the Department is also expecting local highway authorities to adopt best practice in highways maintenance, which includes a greater focus on preventative maintenance so that fewer potholes form in the first place and a greater focus on permanent pothole repairs to reduce the need for repeated and more costly temporary repairs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of passenger demand and peak-time capacity on the effectiveness of Northern services operating on the Clitheroe–Manchester line.

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

The Rail North Partnership (which is a collaboration between Transport for the North and the Department for Transport to manage the Northern and TransPennine Express rail contracts) has regular discussions with Northern about the levels of service and passenger demand and its capacity to meet these across its network.

Every effort is taken to ensure the planned formation of trains is provided. However unfortunately there may be occasions when this is not possible due to more trains than usual requiring repair.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when Ministers in his Department first assessed the relevance of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to the inclusion of maritime emissions within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Neither the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) nor its EU equivalent applies to maritime emissions, and this instrument does not introduce any CBAM obligations for maritime operators.

The Common Understanding, published in May 2025 sets out the parameters for a linking agreement between the UK and EU emissions trading schemes, including that the link should apply in respect of domestic and international maritime.

Linking will facilitate an exemption from the EU CBAM, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK businesses.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of poster-based recruitment for driving examiner roles.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) advertises all driving examiner vacancies on Civil Service Jobs (opens in a new tab) on GOV.UK. Over the last 12 months, DVSA has used the following online job sites to reach a wider pool of applicants:

• DfT Careers [careers.dft.gov.uk] – Driving Examiner role page
  The page explains role duties, skills, and recruitment process.
• GOV.UK [gov.uk] – Working for DVSA recruitment area
• DVSA professions page on DfT Careers
  Lists Driving Examiner roles and links users to the appropriate recruitment routes; used during active campaigns.

The agency also displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. However, posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage.

In December 2025, the agency introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently has data for only one complete and one ongoing campaign. This survey might contain some data about how effective posters are in generating applications for driving examiner roles, but it is too early to say.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, which online job sites the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has used to advertise driving examiner vacancies in the last 12 months.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) advertises all driving examiner vacancies on Civil Service Jobs (opens in a new tab) on GOV.UK. Over the last 12 months, DVSA has used the following online job sites to reach a wider pool of applicants:

• DfT Careers [careers.dft.gov.uk] – Driving Examiner role page
  The page explains role duties, skills, and recruitment process.
• GOV.UK [gov.uk] – Working for DVSA recruitment area
• DVSA professions page on DfT Careers
  Lists Driving Examiner roles and links users to the appropriate recruitment routes; used during active campaigns.

The agency also displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. However, posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage.

In December 2025, the agency introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently has data for only one complete and one ongoing campaign. This survey might contain some data about how effective posters are in generating applications for driving examiner roles, but it is too early to say.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119471 on Vehicle Certification Agency, what estimate she has made of the additional annual revenue generated from proposed fee increases; what proportion of the deficit that revenue will cover; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those fee increases on businesses using the Agency’s services.

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

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) reported a net deficit of £8.8m in its accounts for the 2024/25 financial year. Potential fee increases, if implemented would support the managing down of the deficit, with any remaining deficits are expected to be covered by efficiencies and additional income in other areas.

A consultation on the proposed fee increases has recently been completed, and the outputs are currently being evaluated.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government Fleet Commitment is achieving its intended objectives across all categories of departmental vehicle use.

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

Through the Government Fleet Commitment (GFC), departments have been encouraged to develop and deliver their own fleet transition plans, recognising the range of use cases departmental fleets serve. An exemptions process is in place for categories of vehicle use which may not be suitable for transitioning to zero emission vehicles during the GFC target period, for example for practical or operational reasons. Further details are available at: Government fleet commitment - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund annually to consider its budget in line with inflation.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund, a new capital fund announced on 22 January 2026, will have an annual budget of £23m starting in 2026/27. This is providing certainty for the remaining years of the Spending Review until 2029/30, providing £92m over the period.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department will give to listed churches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme has ended.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Heritage funding is a devolved matter. However, listed places of worship in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have benefitted from VAT rebate grants from the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which ran from 2001 to 2026.

At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. In last year’s Spending Review, Barnett consequentials were confirmed for Devolved Governments in the usual way, taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes capital funding for the England only Places of Worship Renewal Fund. Decisions on how this funding is spent are for the Devolved Governments to take.

We are working closely with other funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised. The NLHF already offers grants for places of worship across all the UK and is currently investing £100m over 3 years through National Lottery Heritage Grants and a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support to build capacity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department will announce the full details of the new Places of Renewal Fund.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the new Places of Renewal Fund will function as a VAT reclaim scheme, in the same way as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme previously worked.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a new capital fund announced on 22 January 2026. This will have an annual budget of £23m starting in 2026/27. This is providing certainty for the remaining years of the Spending Review until 2029/30, providing £92m over the period. Support will be targeted at places of most need. Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process, will be published in due course. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will award grants for projects to cover capital works, rather than just the VAT element of a project, as is the case with the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. In some cases the amount granted could be greater than just the VAT element currently funded.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department will give to churches at risk of closure that cannot apply for VAT reclaims on repairs through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, since it has allocated its budget for 2025/26.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This government is launching a new capital fund to support listed places of worship, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund. This will have an annual budget of £23m starting in 2026/27. This is providing certainty for the remaining years of the Spending Review until 2029/30, providing £92m over the period. Support will be targeted at places of most need. Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process, will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120007, how much of the average annual real-terms reduction in HS2 capital spending between FY2025-26 and FY2029-30 is expected to be achieved through (a) efficiency savings, (b) reprofiling of expenditure, (c) changes to project scope and (d) changes to the delivery timetable.

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

The HS2 Spending Review settlement reflects the scope of work that the HS2 programme plans to deliver over the period 2026/27 to 2029/30. The average annual real-terms growth rate of -7.9% detailed in the Spending Review report reflects changes in annual spend over this period, based on the expenditure profiles HS2 Ltd agreed with the Department for Transport to deliver Phase 1 scope. It reflects the stages of the programme and supports the reset of the programme Mark Wild is conducting.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the first East West Rail services are expected to operate from Bicester to Winslow.

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

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow Station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed. Appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator was delayed by the sudden General Election in July 2024, and consequently they were not appointed until March 2025.