Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has considered legislation to limit the sale of e-scooters in the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements. While it is not illegal to sell an e-scooter for use on private land, retailers are breaking the law if they knowingly mislead a buyer or do not make the legal restrictions on e-scooter use sufficiently clear.
Meanwhile, the Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which is likely to include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. This will provide a proportionate and more agile process for regulating the use of micromobility vehicles.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with train companies on enforcing rules relating to quiet carriages.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Many train operators have introduced quiet carriages on their services which require passengers to be considerate of others by keeping noise levels to a minimum. The enforcement of this is for the train operators to manage, and Great British Railways will be responsible for this as part of the customer offer in future. In addition, the Railway Byelaws set out rules on the playing of music or causing an annoyance due to the production or reproduction of sound, including possible fines of up to £1,000.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many different transactions or processes between members of the public and DVLA can only be completed if payment is made by a member of the public by (a) cash, (b) cheque and (c) postal order.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) offers nearly 50 main customer facing services and the vast majority of these are available online with a range of payment options. Only seven applications currently require payment by cash, cheque or postal order and these are listed below. These services require a manual payment as the applications must currently be submitted in paper form because (for example) original documentation may need to be submitted or these transactions cannot yet be carried out online.
1 | Application to exchange a non-GB driving licence for a GB one. |
2 | Application for a driving licence following a disqualification. |
3 | Requests for vehicle information from individuals (companies and other organisations can use the automated online service). |
4 | Application for a vehicle registration certificate where the original is not available. |
5 | Application for the reduced rate of vehicle excise duty when the recipient receives the standard rate of Personal Independence Payment. |
6 | Application to amend vehicle excise duty details - for example up or down plating of a heavy goods vehicle |
7 | Trade licence applications, including first licences, renewal or replacement. |
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of self-driving taxis on local economies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme, which was consulted on between July and September 2025, facilitates the deployment of self-driving bus-, taxi- and private hire-like services. Pilot deployments under this scheme, which will be in place from Spring 2026, are anticipated to be in specific locations and small in scale. Over this initial period, the economic impact is anticipated to be small. Pilot deployments will contribute to government’s understanding of the economic impact of these services, including their relationship with existing modes of transport.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is not currently planning to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel. As the aviation industry in the UK operates almost entirely in the private sector, permitted luggage sizes are a commercial decision for each airline.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential benefit of changing the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence test by (a) using CCTV on test vehicles and (b) introducing detailed written feedback for failed tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) of the benefits of using CCTV on test vehicles, as part of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC). The existing testing framework for large vehicles already incorporates structured reporting and feedback mechanisms.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will have direct responsibility for the quality of (a) hot drinks and (b) other catering on nationalised rail services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Catering services are a matter for each train operating company, whether publicly or privately owned, and they are responsible for their catering offer. The Department expects operators to tailor their catering provision to local needs while driving value for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 Great Western Railway franchise fleet maintenance regime.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My officials receive regular updates from Great Western Railway (GWR) with regard to its train fleet. Detailed maintenance arrangements are a matter for GWR, its maintenance providers and the rolling stock owning companies. GWR works closely with its maintainers and the supply chain to source parts to maintain the trains as required. In recent months GWR working with Hitachi has seen more consistent availability of its intercity fleet. The procurement of 26 Class 175 trains will also provide additional rolling stock resilience across the network.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the mechanical adequacy of Great Western Railway's fleet of trains.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My officials receive regular updates from Great Western Railway (GWR) with regard to its train fleet. Detailed maintenance arrangements are a matter for GWR, its maintenance providers and the rolling stock owning companies. GWR works closely with its maintainers and the supply chain to source parts to maintain the trains as required. In recent months GWR working with Hitachi has seen more consistent availability of its intercity fleet. The procurement of 26 Class 175 trains will also provide additional rolling stock resilience across the network.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has been allocated for the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.