Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many days were disabled accessible lifts at train stations recorded as being out of use for each year from 2015 to date.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This information is not held by the Department. The Office of Rail and Road publish biannual statistics containing data on passenger lifts at Network Rail owned stations in Great Britain on its data portal at the following link: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk.
This includes information on the number of lifts, lift reliability and lift entrapments.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, of the qualifying journeys, how many claims were (a) made and (b) not made under train operators' delay repay schemes in each of the past three years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
(a) The number of claims received by train operators under train operators’ delay repay scheme in each of the last three years is published in the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) Table 4410 – Delay Compensation Claims, and can be found on the ORR data portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/delay-compensation-claims/table-4410-delay-compensation-claims/
(b) No data exists for the number of claims not made on qualifying journeys under train operators’ delay repay schemes. Data on the proportion of qualifying journeys that are claimed for can be found for selected years here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/654e4ae06a650f000dbf4812/dft-rail-delays-and-compensation-2023-full-report.pdf
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of surface flooding due to inadequate drainage on the M60 motorway.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways’ data shows the number of reported flooding events have decreased on the M60 motorway in recent years. This follows targeted investigations by National Highways and the implementation of measures to reduce flooding risks.
National Highways undertakes regular inspections and maintenance to keep drainage systems functioning effectively. It has also delivered several improvement schemes on the M60 and plans to start further upgrades later this financial year.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether National Highways has included improvement works at Costco, Broadway, Oldham in its capital programme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways is considering the case for improvements to Junction 21 of the M60 as part of its proposed new National Programme of small scale enhancements to the strategic road network, for possible delivery in the third Road Investment Strategy period, covering 2026-2031.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the government has carried out a review of the effect of highway one way systems on congestion and pollution.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has made no such assessment. Local authorities are responsible for the day to day management of their roads, including decisions on implementing traffic management measures such as one way systems. These are one measure available to them to consider but it is for them to consider if they are appropriate, taking into account local factors such as traffic flow and road layout.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of car weight trends on wear and tear on highways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of car weight trends on wear and tear on highways. Commercial vehicles (typically those greater than 7.5 tonnes) are the dominant factor in determining road design and contributing to road wear rather than cars.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions have taken place with National Highways since July 2024 on the effectiveness of litter removal and general grounds maintenance of its assets.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s officials have held regular discussions with National Highways since July 2024 on these topics. These discussions have generally taken place as part of wider meetings on topics such as reviewing performance against National Highways’s agreed performance indicators (including on litter); planned improvements on the Strategic Road Network; research into driver littering behaviour; and plans to trial innovative interventions such as geofencing.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of (a) heavy goods vehicle and (b) large goods vehicle driver vacancies; and what steps her Department is taking to help (i) train and (ii) retain drivers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport publishes data on heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver vacancies which is collected as part of the domestic road haulage survey, sent to businesses which operate an HGV. The data releases can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-freight-statistics-2024/heavy-goods-vehicle-driver-vacancies-in-the-united-kingdom-2024
In addition, the Department meets regularly with the road haulage sector through the Freight Workforce Group and Road Freight Industry meetings to discuss industry concerns, including skills shortages.
The Government has confirmed £136 million for Skills Bootcamps in 2025-26 to support more than 40,000 learners, including in HGV driving. Skills Bootcamps are now funded through Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local areas directly, empowering local leaders with greater control over skills development. Local leaders are considering what occupations to prioritise.
The Government also continues to support the sector with skills training through the Urban Driver and Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver apprenticeships, and through Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) via Jobcentre Plus.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has taken place on the post covid trends in levels of concessionary bus travel among pensioners and disabled people; and its impact on health, loneliness and social isolation.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport’s concessionary travel statistics show that there were 624 million older and disabled concessionary bus journeys in England in the year ending March 2025, an increase of 4% compared with the year ending March 2024. While this is still below pre-COVID levels, concessionary bus journeys have been increasing year-on-year since the pandemic.
The Government recognises the importance of local bus services in keeping communities connected, including for concessionary bus passengers. The Government is taking action to help improve local bus services across the country. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. The Act also includes measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of bus networks.
In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Greater Manchester Combined Authority have been allocated £66.4 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, this could include expanding services and improving reliability, which are currently significant obstacles for too many people.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many commercial food delivery cyclists does the government estimate currently operate in the UK; and how many are assessed to have valid public liability insurance in place.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department does not collect any information relating to either the number of food delivery cyclists or how many of them might have liability insurance.