Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered alternatives to the staff travel pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff for use on the GTR network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what grounds was the decision taken to terminate staff rail pass, the reciprocal travel arrangement between Govia Thameslink Railway and the local bus operators Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, when the rail service is nationalised.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation was undertaken with staff of both Govia Thameslink Railway, Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus ahead of the decision to end the reciprocal staff rail discount.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected. Staff at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus are not within scope of such consultations.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has assessed the potential impact on staff retention and recruitment for local bus operators of the ending of the reciprocal GTR staff rail pass.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has been a difficult decision to end the discretionary bus travel benefits arrangements that have been in place for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff and one that has not been taken lightly. Travel arrangements with bus operators are not typically in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of staff affected by the ending of the reciprocal staff rail pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff on 31 May 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold details on the total number of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus staff affected by the ending of such discretionary arrangements. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Access for All programme, what reasons were provided for the lack of progression of the Wivelsfield bid; and whether it will be considered in future rounds.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 January 2026, schemes were prioritised for Access for All funding, considering a range of factors including passenger benefit, geographic spread, the level of scheme development and the availability of third-party contributions. This applied to the decision that Wivelsfield station will not progress at this time. However, it remains eligible for consideration in future phases of the programme.
The Rail Minister recently met with the Hon Member for Mid Sussex to discuss his decision regarding Wivelsfield station. He encouraged her to work with the rail industry and local partners on lower cost accessibility interventions and alternative funding sources.
I would encourage the Hon. Member to work with Lewes District Council and Southern to explore accessibility improvements at Wivelsfield in the meantime.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current average waiting time is for car driving tests in Wales; how many driving test centres in Wales have an average waiting time of (a) over 12 weeks, (b) over 18 weeks, and (c) over 24 weeks; and what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on reducing driving test waiting times in Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Wales in February 2026 was 16.8 weeks. The table below shows the average waiting time in February 2026 for a car practical driving test at driving test centres in Wales:
Driving Test Centre | Average waiting time in February 2026 (in weeks) |
Abergavenny | 24 |
Aberystwyth (Park Avenue) | 15.75 |
Bala | 14 |
Bangor | 18.5 |
Barry | 6.5 |
Brecon | 10 |
Bridgend | 12.25 |
Cardiff (Llanishen) | 20.25 |
Cardigan | 8.25 |
Carmarthen | 15.25 |
Llanelli | 9.75 |
Llantrisant | 19.5 |
Merthyr Tydfil | 19.75 |
Monmouth | 5.75 |
Newport (Gwent) | 24 |
Newtown | 24 |
Pembroke Dock | 18.5 |
Pwllheli | 3.5 |
Rhyl | 21 |
Swansea | 17.25 |
Wrexham | 11 |
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that local authorities repair potholes in Sussex.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities across Sussex such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, combined, East Sussex and West Sussex are eligible to receive a total of £243,263,000 over the next four years - East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex is eligible to receive £137,527,000 for the next four years.
A portion of this funding is designated as incentive funding and is contingent on local highway authorities demonstrating that they have effective plans to fix and prevent potholes in their area.
To support further improvement in the condition of local roads, the Department introduced a new traffic-light rating system for all local highway authorities in England. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their road, and whether they do so using best practice. East Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, spend and best practice. West Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.
Local authorities can improve their ratings by adopting more best practice in highways maintenance, such as a greater focus on preventative maintenance to avoid potholes from forming in the first place, and by adopting innovative approaches such as those trialled through the Government's £30 million Live Labs 2 programme. The programme has been extended by a year to help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials that reduce costs, emissions and disruption while keeping roads in better condition for longer.
Officials meet regularly with local authorities and their representative bodies to discuss a wide range of local transport issues. The Department also supports councils through its update to the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will provide guidance to help authorities further strengthen their highways management practices.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the condition of road networks in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities across Sussex such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, combined, East Sussex and West Sussex are eligible to receive a total of £243,263,000 over the next four years - East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex is eligible to receive £137,527,000 for the next four years.
A portion of this funding is designated as incentive funding and is contingent on local highway authorities demonstrating that they have effective plans to fix and prevent potholes in their area.
To support further improvement in the condition of local roads, the Department introduced a new traffic-light rating system for all local highway authorities in England. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their road, and whether they do so using best practice. East Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, spend and best practice. West Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.
Local authorities can improve their ratings by adopting more best practice in highways maintenance, such as a greater focus on preventative maintenance to avoid potholes from forming in the first place, and by adopting innovative approaches such as those trialled through the Government's £30 million Live Labs 2 programme. The programme has been extended by a year to help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials that reduce costs, emissions and disruption while keeping roads in better condition for longer.
Officials meet regularly with local authorities and their representative bodies to discuss a wide range of local transport issues. The Department also supports councils through its update to the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will provide guidance to help authorities further strengthen their highways management practices.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with East Sussex County Council on improving its road maintenance rating.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement gives authorities – including authorities across Sussex such as East Sussex and West Sussex – the certainty they need to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance. As part of this investment, combined, East Sussex and West Sussex are eligible to receive a total of £243,263,000 over the next four years - East Sussex is eligible to receive a total of £105,736,000 for the next four years and West Sussex is eligible to receive £137,527,000 for the next four years.
A portion of this funding is designated as incentive funding and is contingent on local highway authorities demonstrating that they have effective plans to fix and prevent potholes in their area.
To support further improvement in the condition of local roads, the Department introduced a new traffic-light rating system for all local highway authorities in England. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their road, and whether they do so using best practice. East Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, spend and best practice. West Sussex received an amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.
Local authorities can improve their ratings by adopting more best practice in highways maintenance, such as a greater focus on preventative maintenance to avoid potholes from forming in the first place, and by adopting innovative approaches such as those trialled through the Government's £30 million Live Labs 2 programme. The programme has been extended by a year to help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials that reduce costs, emissions and disruption while keeping roads in better condition for longer.
Officials meet regularly with local authorities and their representative bodies to discuss a wide range of local transport issues. The Department also supports councils through its update to the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will provide guidance to help authorities further strengthen their highways management practices.