Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.
Answered by Anna McMorrin - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on how our two governments are delivering, investing in Wales’s future and strengthening our union.
Through a record budget settlement for the Welsh Government, alongside our investment into Welsh rail, Growth Deals, Investment Zones, Freeports, Pride in Place Funds and our Defence Growth Deal for Wales – we are working together to improve public services, support communities, drive jobs, and deliver economic growth.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the planned £5 million towards the feasibility study for the extension of the Borders Railway to Hawick and Carlisle has been released to Scottish Borders Council.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Earlier this year, the Department reaffirmed its commitment of up to £5m towards feasibility work on the extension of the Borders Railway. As part of this, the Department has allocated c. £130k of funding to support the development of a Strategic Outline Business Case to explore ways to improve public transport across the region.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policy on the triple lock for the State Pensions of the report by the International Monetary Fund entitled United Kingdom: 2025 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for United Kingdom, published on 25 July 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an independent international organisation. The Government engages regularly and constructively with the IMF, including during the annual bilateral surveillance process known as Article IV.
The Government is committed to the triple lock for the duration of this Parliament.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the LNER timetable on (a) the local economy, (b) tourism, and (c) connectivity in the Scottish Borders.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As the new East Coast Main Line timetable has been developed, both the Department and the operators, including LNER, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry, have considered the effect on local economies and tourism along the route. This includes the Scottish Borders area, where extra services and stops have been introduced in the last few years to maintain connectivity in advance of the London services being revised this December, and further Scottish Border local services will be introduced in December.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his proposed ban on trophy hunting imports will include the (a) import and (b) export of hunting trophies, (c) enforcement of existing (i) national and (ii) international laws against trophy hunting and (d) enforcement of penalties for offenders.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Defra is engaging with relevant stakeholders on the scope and design of this ban, including on the enforcement of penalties and hunting trophy exports.
We will continue to implement all existing national and international laws regarding trophy hunting trade, for example, under the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the planned scope is of the proposed ban on trophy hunting imports; and when he plans to publish a timetable for introducing that legislation.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, as determined under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once there is sufficient clarity on the Parliamentary timetable.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the measures the DVSA implemented to help reduce waiting times for driving tests that she announced to the Transport Select Committee on 23 April 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.
DVSA conducted 10,400 additional tests in June 2025 as a result of the additional test allowance, which was introduced on 1 June 2025. DVSA conducted 10,638 additional tests in July 2025. The 10,400 and 10,638 additional tests are as a comparison with the number we conducted in the equivalent scheme in June and July 2024.
The table below shows the average waiting times in July at (a) Hawick, (b) Galashiels, (c) Kelso, (d) Duns and (e) Berwick-On-Tweed test centres.
Location | Average Waiting Times July 25 |
Hawick | 22.3 Weeks |
Galashiels | 23.5 Weeks |
Kelso | 24 Weeks |
Duns | 24 Weeks |
Berwick | 22.8 Weeks |
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of waiting times for driving tests on people seeking a driving licence.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.
DVSA conducted 10,400 additional tests in June 2025 as a result of the additional test allowance, which was introduced on 1 June 2025. DVSA conducted 10,638 additional tests in July 2025. The 10,400 and 10,638 additional tests are as a comparison with the number we conducted in the equivalent scheme in June and July 2024.
The table below shows the average waiting times in July at (a) Hawick, (b) Galashiels, (c) Kelso, (d) Duns and (e) Berwick-On-Tweed test centres.
Location | Average Waiting Times July 25 |
Hawick | 22.3 Weeks |
Galashiels | 23.5 Weeks |
Kelso | 24 Weeks |
Duns | 24 Weeks |
Berwick | 22.8 Weeks |
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for driving tests at (a) Hawick, (b) Galashiels, (c) Kelso, (d) Duns and (e) Berwick-On-Tweed test centres.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.
DVSA conducted 10,400 additional tests in June 2025 as a result of the additional test allowance, which was introduced on 1 June 2025. DVSA conducted 10,638 additional tests in July 2025. The 10,400 and 10,638 additional tests are as a comparison with the number we conducted in the equivalent scheme in June and July 2024.
The table below shows the average waiting times in July at (a) Hawick, (b) Galashiels, (c) Kelso, (d) Duns and (e) Berwick-On-Tweed test centres.
Location | Average Waiting Times July 25 |
Hawick | 22.3 Weeks |
Galashiels | 23.5 Weeks |
Kelso | 24 Weeks |
Duns | 24 Weeks |
Berwick | 22.8 Weeks |
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce the length of waiting times for driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.
DVSA conducted 10,400 additional tests in June 2025 as a result of the additional test allowance, which was introduced on 1 June 2025. DVSA conducted 10,638 additional tests in July 2025. The 10,400 and 10,638 additional tests are as a comparison with the number we conducted in the equivalent scheme in June and July 2024.
The table below shows the average waiting times in July at (a) Hawick, (b) Galashiels, (c) Kelso, (d) Duns and (e) Berwick-On-Tweed test centres.
Location | Average Waiting Times July 25 |
Hawick | 22.3 Weeks |
Galashiels | 23.5 Weeks |
Kelso | 24 Weeks |
Duns | 24 Weeks |
Berwick | 22.8 Weeks |