Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) how many additional practical car driving tests were delivered by DVSA in each month since July 2024 compared with the same months in the previous year; b) of those additional tests, how many were delivered by (i) examiners working overtime, (ii) warrant card holders temporarily deployed from other DVSA roles, and (iii) newly recruited examiners; and c) during which months warrant card holders from non-examiner roles were deployed to conduct practical driving tests.

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

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars shows the number of car practical driving tests conducted up to February 2026.

The spreadsheet attached shows the number of overtime tests for the period July 2023 to January 2026. Further information is not available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what international case studies her Department has examined to establish best practice for the enhancement of key data and insight capabilities on the freight and logistics system.

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

The Department recognises the value of international comparisons when developing freight and logistics analytical projects. Recent examples include:

• Australia’s National Freight Data Hub, which provides a central platform for sharing freight data to improve supply‑chain visibility.

• The United States’ Bureau of Transportation Statistics national commodity flow survey to understand performance monitoring.

• Republic of Korea’s Transport Database to understand integration of multimodal transport data to support long‑term planning.

The Department will continue to monitor international best practice as we strengthen the evidence base for the freight and logistics system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115449, in which month in Q2 2026 the Department expects to publish the findings of the Call for Evidence on Restricting the generation of surplus funds from traffic contraventions.

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

It remains the Department’s plan to publish the findings of the Call for Evidence: 'Restricting the generation of surplus funds from traffic contraventions' in March. This was commissioned by the previous Government as part of its Plan for Drivers.

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, which organisations representing disabled people were engaged in relation to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design; on what dates that engagement began and concluded; and what form that engagement took.

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

Three workshops were held on the floating bus stop guidance, one in-person (17 November 2025) and two online (18 and 24 November 2025). All three workshops were facilitated by Transport for All and attended by officials from the Department and ATE. They consisted of facilitated discussions about the draft guidance.

The groups attending and representing the interests of disabled people were Guide Dogs, Mencap, Motability Foundation, Transport for All and Wheels for Wellbeing. Age UK represented issues affecting older people, including mobility and accessibility. Seventeen disabled people with lived experience attended, representing eight different impairment types and using 12 types of mobility aids. Other groups represented included the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking, Bikeability Trust, Campaign for Better Transport, Confederation of Passenger Transport, Cycling UK, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, Policy Connect, and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.

Officials from the department held meetings online to discuss the guidance with representatives from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) on 9 June 2025 and 19 January 2026, with Guide Dogs on 17 October 2025, and with Living Streets on 22 October 2025.

All of the above organisations and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, were asked to comment on the draft guidance, circulated via email, from 26 November to 2 December 2025. The department and ATE also sought feedback from the Urban Transport Group, Transport for London, and ATE’s Technical Oversight and Advisory Group.

A full list of those involved in the consultation process is included in the guidance: www.gov.uk/government/publications/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design#consultation-requirements.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the increase in income generated by West Midlands Police from escorting abnormal loads over the past five years; and what guidance her Department provides to police forces on charging haulage operators for such escorts.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

West Midlands Police is responsible for how guidance on charging for abnormal roads is implemented in its area. Local variation in the management of abnormal loads may be necessary to account for factors such as geography and road infrastructure.

NPCC guidance for police forces on managing abnormal loads, and the charging framework, were updated in March and May 2025 respectively. These seek to promote greater national alignment across forces, where possible, noting the need for variations. The NPCC has committed to review this guidance twelve months after publication to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of train driver training places.

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

It is the responsibility of operators to determine their own workforce requirements, including the number of train drivers they need to recruit and train.  However, we recognise that the rail industry faces an acute shortage of train drivers and that a system-wide approach is needed to address this.  We therefore look to the Department for Transport Operator (DfTO) and, ultimately, Great British Railways, to provide industry leadership and coordination in this area.

In the interim, the Department has asked train operators to develop comprehensive plans to address train driver availability and resilience in the short and medium term.  The Department is also taking legislative steps to make it easier to recruit and train drivers, including reducing the legal minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18, which is scheduled to come into force on 30 June 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of current battery costs per kWh; and what assumptions underpin projections for future cost reductions.

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

My Department does not publish an official estimate and for benchmarking we reference internationally trusted, independent sources.

Battery technology is becoming increasingly important for our national resilience. Global demand for batteries is surging, the battery value chain from raw material extraction to cell production is very concentrated.

We work closely with international partners to improve security of supply, and the Industrial Strategy published last year clearly shows the importance of building a competitive domestic battery supply in delivering economic resilience and growth for the UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 119491, whether the Department holds a project-level financial breakdown of NO2 Programme expenditure as part of its reporting to the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

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

Appropriate programme level reporting of spend and forecasts are provided regularly to the Government Major Projects Portfolio in line with agreed reporting requirements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure patients are not wrongly removed from the official NHS waiting list due to administrative issues.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/

Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.

Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.

The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will report the number of patients removed from waiting lists data and the reasons for their removal.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/

Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.

Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.

The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

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 standing charge is; and how this has changed since 2021.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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 fixed cost (standing charge) in £/year for the United Kingdom and by region, alongside the average unit price in £/kWh.

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, what the latest electric vehicle market share is as a proportion of new car registrations; and what projections her Department has made for that figure.

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

The zero emission vehicle share of new cars registered in 2025 was 22.9% according to DfT's faster indicators of transport activity, updated March 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity#:~:text=Cars%20and%20light%20goods%20vehicles%20registered%20for%20the%20first%20time%20by%20body%20type%20and%20fuel%20type

The Government last published projections for new zero emission vehicle sales in the Cost Benefit Analysis for the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2025. The Government regularly updates its analysis to account for changes in the market environment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the staff costs are of each nationalised train operator company under the control of DfT Operator Limited.

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

Official statistics on train operator costs are published on the Office of Rail and Road portal.

Rail industry finance (UK) | ORR Data Portal

Rail industry finance (UK) – April 2024 to March 2025

Table 7223 – Franchised Passenger Train Operator Finances by Franchise(latest year) | ORR Data Portal

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria were used to determine exemptions from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme maritime extension; and for what reason Isle of Wight ferry services were not included in the exemptions.

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

There is a high bar for exemptions as these undermine the policy objectives. However, the Government agreed to exempt ferries serving Scotland’s islands because of the unique and pressing challenges they face, alongside the legal duties to consider island populations under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department has provided to members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on the relationship between the UK ETS maritime extension and potential CBAM impacts prior to the Assembly’s consideration of the relevant statutory instrument.

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

The Common Understanding published in May 2025 following the UK-EU Summit with the EU to work towards establishing a link between the UK ETS and the EU ETS. This sets out the parameters for a linking agreement, including that the link should apply in respect of domestic and international maritime.

It also states that linking will facilitate an exemption from the EU CBAM, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK businesses. UK exports of goods in scope of EU CBAM are worth almost £7bn, and without a CBAM exemption, UK exporters could face large administrative and direct costs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many potholes were filled on local roads in England in each of the last three financial years; what estimate her Department has made of the number of potholes filled in (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26 to date; what baseline year is being used to measure the Government’s commitment to fix an additional one million potholes per year; and how many additional potholes have been repaired above that baseline since July 2024.

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

Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including repairing defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports.

The record £7.3 billion funding settlement over the next four years will bring annual funding for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes to over £2 billion annually, doubling annual funding by 2029-30 compared to 2024-25 levels. This funding increase is enough to enable local authorities to fill millions of additional potholes in each year of this Parliament when compared to 2024-25. 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 Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current Initial Teacher Training provision in preparing teachers to support children with speech and language needs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with speech and language needs.

Courses must incorporate the minimum entitlement set out in the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework. It remains for individual providers to design courses that are appropriate to the needs of trainees and for the subject, phase and age range that the trainees will be teaching.

We have recently updated the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, adding significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and improving inclusivity for pupils with SEND.

We have also committed to a full review of early career teacher training in 2027, which will include a focus on SEND.

In addition, we have announced a training package of over £200 million that will upskill staff in every school, college and nursery to better support pupils with SEND. Finally, we know the importance of ensuring children can speak and listen well from the earliest years, so we will develop a new oracy framework to sit alongside the revised national curriculum.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether she has made an assessment of the comparative costs of greenhouse gas emissions reporting across the Government estate relative to the emissions reductions achieved as a result of those activities.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

This information is not available. GPA do not manage the greenhouse gas emissions data and reporting across all of the government estate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which month she expects East West Rail services to commence from Oxford Parkway to Bicester.

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 EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. 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 General Election in July 2024, and consequently they were not appointed until March 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the professional overview board of the National Inclusion Standards will include (a) speech and language therapists and (b) other experts on speech, language and communication.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East to the answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121270.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116584 on Aviation: Colour Vision Deficiency, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the published evidence and legal findings relating to operational colour vision assessments in other jurisdictions.

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

While some national aviation authorities have begun to explore operational colour vision assessments, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is not aware of any peer‑reviewed evidence demonstrating their validation or safety equivalence to established testing methods.

The UK CAA does liaise with other regulators that have implemented operational colour vision assessments. This includes discussions on their experience with these assessments, which will be taken into consideration to inform future UK CAA policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether SEND practitioners will be provided with training on how to support children with speech, language and communication.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East to the answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121271.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government Fleet Commitment in increasing the proportion of zero emission vehicles in departmental vehicle hire fleets, in the context of the proportion of electric vehicles rented by departments.

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

Data on vehicles used by Government departments, including vehicles hired for 6 days or more, can be found online at Greening Government Commitments April 2021 to March 2024 report - GOV.UK. However, the data does not break down owned fleet and hired vehicles.

The Government Fleet Commitment was included in the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) framework for the period between April 2021 to March 2025. The GGCs are currently under review to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment, including for example working with lease operators and hire companies to minimise the carbon intensity of their fleets and rental vehicles.

Found: ; St Ives) Paulette Hamilton (Labour; Birmingham Erdington) Alex McIntyre (Labour; Gloucester) Joe Robertson

Found: ; St Ives) Paulette Hamilton (Labour; Birmingham Erdington) Alex McIntyre (Labour; Gloucester) Joe Robertson

Found: Ben Coleman; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Alex McIntyre; Joe Robertson