Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for MOT appointments in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Neither the Department for Transport nor the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which administers the MOT scheme, collects or holds data on waiting times for MOT appointments. The MOT test is delivered by a network of around 23,000 privately operated garages across Great Britain. Based on available evidence, there appears to be sufficient capacity within this network to meet demand.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to undertake a review of assisted-travel provision and associated cost increases at UK airports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) already assesses airport compliance with accessibility requirements through its accessibility framework. It publishes an annual performance report which ranks airport performance and works with airports to improve accessibility services.
In November 2024, the Department also established the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, which published its independent report in July 2025. It set out 19 recommendations, including a review of the CAA’s airport accessibility framework (CAP1228). The Group is now supporting implementation.
As the aviation industry operates primarily in the private sector, no assessment has been made of the costs associated with accessibility provisions at UK airports.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of recruitment and retention challenges in the driving instructor and driving examiner workforce; and what steps she plans to take to raise entry standards, including English proficiency, improve qualification outcomes, recognise driving instructors within safeguarding frameworks, and support alternative career pathways for trainees who do not qualify.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since July last year, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners who are now in post and delivering driving tests.
DVSA has had difficulty in retaining experienced driving examiners, some of whom retire or leave DVSA for other roles. To encourage existing driving examiners to stay, DVSA is making an exceptional payment of £5,000 to driving examiners and eligible roles (divided into two payments) over the next 12 months. By keeping more experienced driving examiners and bringing in new ones, DVSA will lose less testing capacity from the system, making more tests available for learner drivers.
DVSA sets out the national standard for driver and rider training on GOV.UK. This is what people must be able to do, know, and understand, to provide training to drivers and riders.
Details on the steps to becoming an instructor can also be found on GOV.UK. As part of the process of becoming an ADI, candidates must take and pass theory, driving ability and instructional ability tests.
DVSA requires every prospective ADI in Great Britain to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring (DBS) check before beginning the ADI qualification process. They are also required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.
The ADI Registrar also has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person.
DVSA is not responsible for delivering training to those undertaking the ADI qualification process. The sponsor or training school of each trainee should ensure they include all elements of training. DVSA therefore cannot offer support in alternative career pathways for trainees who do not qualify to become an ADI.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken by local authorities to repair a reported pothole was in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. The Department does not hold data on the time taken by local highway authorities to repair reported potholes, but national guidance recommends that defects and potholes which require urgent attention should be made safe at the time of inspection or as soon as possible.
This year, local highway authorities were required to publish transparency reports setting out progress on highway maintenance, including the number of potholes they estimate they have filled in recent years. This information can be found on the websites of relevant local highways authorities.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of potholes filled by local authorities in England in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. The Department does not hold data on the time taken by local highway authorities to repair reported potholes, but national guidance recommends that defects and potholes which require urgent attention should be made safe at the time of inspection or as soon as possible.
This year, local highway authorities were required to publish transparency reports setting out progress on highway maintenance, including the number of potholes they estimate they have filled in recent years. This information can be found on the websites of relevant local highways authorities.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Great British Railways has published (a) service performance standards, (b) routes for consolidation, and (c) a transition timetable in November 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great British Railways does not yet exist.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations she has received from airport operators regarding the potential impact of business rates changes announced in the Budget on the competitiveness of UK airports.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to enabling investment so that airports can play their full role in the growth mission.
HM Treasury received budget submissions from several airports and AirportsUK. Both Ministers and officials have met with the sector and corresponded throughout the year on the impact of changes to rateable values as a result of the 2026 revaluation.
Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years.
At Budget 2025, the government also published a Call for Evidence on Business Rates and Investment. It will explore the concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. The government is seeking to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation, aiming to conclude this work in sufficient time before pre-list discussion commences.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in spirit duty on trends in levels of pub closures.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade.
At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to maintain its current real-terms value.
Using HMRC’s published ready reckoner, freezing alcohol duty rates when inflation is 3.66% would cost the Exchequer around £400m a year. This ready reckoner can be found here:
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes-bulletin-january-2025#change-in-various-duties.