Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 12-month period during which holders of non-designated foreign driving licences are permitted to drive in the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This department reviews GB driver licensing arrangements from time to time. Any changes to the current 12-month period during which the holders of non-UK driving licences are permitted to drive in the UK would be subject to appropriate consultation and revised legislative provisions.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has any plans to review the statutory minimum provision within the English National Concessionary Travel scheme to support disabled and elderly residents to safely and equitably access services and activities within their communities; and whether she has any plans to extend the scheme to include companion travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £795 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel times, would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
However, local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including funding companion passes locally. In the year ending March 2026, 66% of local authorities are offering companion passes to disabled people as a discretionary concession. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
The Government is investing in bus services long-term and has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year.
Hampshire County Council will be allocated £45 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £14.2 million they are already receiving this year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including funding discretionary concessions.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the validity period of driving theory test certificates for learner drivers who have been unable to secure a practical driving test date within the standard two-year window due to ongoing DVSA booking backlogs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.
Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing everything it can to ensure that learners can access practical tests within the theory test validity period, to prevent candidates from having to retake the theory test.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for a safe, accredited inspection or certification process to allow second-hand infant car seats in good condition to be re-used; and whether she will review current guidance in light of the environmental and social impacts of requiring these items to be discarded.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not provide specific guidance on the use of second-hand infant car seats and has not evaluated the feasibility of an inspection or certification process for such products.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) advises against using second-hand car seats for several reasons, including the risk of hidden damage from previous collisions. Such damage can compromise the seat’s structural integrity even when no visible defects are present. Detecting these issues would require complex and costly assessment techniques, making an accredited inspection or certification process impractical.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring a unique provisional driving licence number to book a driving test to help tackle the (a) bulk buying of driving tests by bot accounts and (b) reselling of driving slots.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
When booking a driving test every customer must provide their unique UK driving licence number. A driving licence number can be assigned to only one car practical driving test within the booking system at a time.
DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. The DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.
On 28 May, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. DVSA is reviewing the feedback given and will announce next steps as soon as possible. Further information on the consultation can be found at:
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) salary sacrifice schemes and (b) the Plug In Car grant in increasing uptake of electric vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Favourable taxation measures to support electric vehicles (EVs), including Salary Sacrifice, remain a key driver of new EV sales. EVs bought through salary sacrifice schemes can also play a key role in supporting the used EV markets, where these cars are often sold after the end of their lease. Most cars in the UK are bought in the used market.
The Plug-in Car Grant (PICG) closed to new orders in 2022. The Government supported over 360,000 vehicles through the PICG scheme. An independent evaluation of this scheme concluded that it had a material impact on demand for new EVs.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the uptake of the Plug In Car grant was for (a) working and (b) non-working people.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government holds data only on the number of vehicles supported thought the Plug-in Car Grant. We do not hold any data that identifies the employment status of recipients.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a public information campaign to tackle common misinformation on electric vehicle ownership and charging.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Government is committed to accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles and increasing awareness of the benefits of electric vehicle ownership. We are working closely with the electric vehicle sector and key partners to ensure that we are delivering consistent and clear information to drivers about making the switch to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Combating misinformation is a key part of this, and we continue to assess how we can do this most effectively.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with electric vehicle public charging point providers on the comparative costs for (a) charging electric vehicles at public charging points and (b) filling up a petrol or diesel car.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. The Government consults with public charging point providers regularly and is monitoring the price of charging.