Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Uber accounts are not used by unlicensed taxi drivers.

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

Enforcement of the private hire vehicle licensing regime is a matter for licensing authorities and the police. Any licensed private hire vehicle operators found to be enabling the use of unlicensed drivers or vehicles to carry passengers may be prosecuted and risk revocation of their licence.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory fare meters in private hire vehicles.

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

Licensing authorities have the power to set maximum taxi fares for journeys within their area. Regulated fares provide an important element of customer protection in the rank and hail market where passengers do not have a choice over which vehicle they hire. A uniform set of tariffs enables taxi meters to be used to ensure taxi fares are accurately calculated.

Licensing authorities have no power to set fares for private hire vehicles (PHVs). Fares for PHVs, which must be pre-booked with a licensed operator, are set by the PHV operator. The competitive pre-booked market allows PHV operators to compete on price as well as other factors such as quality of service.

Apart from in London, meters can be fitted to PHVs and these would need to reflect the relevant PHV operator’s tariff. As different PHV operator tariffs may vary this could have the effect of restricting the range of operators which drivers could work with. Mandating the fitting of meters in PHVs would reduce the flexibility in the PHV sector and potentially affect the availability of vehicles for passengers and the way in which drivers can work to maximise their earnings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.59 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, what proportion of the additional funding for homelessness in 2025/26 has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date for (i) temporary accommodation and (ii) homelessness prevention.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Funding allocations for homelessness and rough sleeping in 2025/26 were published on 18 December 2024 here.

In line with grant funding conditions, local authorities will report their spending at the end of financial year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a reviewing homelessness funding across departments.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy. As part of the current Spending Review, the government is reviewing all spending across government, including funding for tackling homelessness.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to strengthen regulations on out-of-area working of private hire Uber vehicles.

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

The Department is considering options to improve the current regulatory position in respect of taxis and private hire vehicles and will consult shortly on whether to make all local transport authorities, including Strategic Authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.

We believe administering taxi and private hire vehicle licensing across a larger footprint would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers across a whole functional economic area and facilitate integrated local transport planning. Greater economies of scale should also increase the efficiency in taxi and private hire vehicle licensing and the sector. This should reduce the factors that induce people to license out of their usual working area. This would be a significant change for the sector, and responses to the consultation will help inform the final decision.

UK Government recognition of the state of Palestine

Madleen Freedom Flotilla Ship

National Carers Week 2025 and the Women in the North report

Climate and Nature Bill

FareShare’s 30th anniversary

National Operating Department Practitioner Day

Better Jobs, Better Services campaign

Reductions to CrossCountry trains catering services

Found: Ian Byrne Clive Efford Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Mr Richard Quigley Sir Andrew Mitchell Lorraine Beavers

Found: Ian Byrne Clive Efford Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Mr Richard Quigley Sir Andrew Mitchell Lorraine Beavers

Found: Ian Byrne Clive Efford Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Mr Richard Quigley Sir Andrew Mitchell Lorraine Beavers

Found: Entwistle Abtisam Mohamed Debbie Abrahams Cat Eccles Paul Davies Lauren Edwards Graeme Downie Lorraine Beavers

Found: Entwistle Abtisam Mohamed Debbie Abrahams Cat Eccles Paul Davies Lauren Edwards Graeme Downie Lorraine Beavers