Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58271 on Driving Tests: Stockport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the average waiting time at the Bredbury driving test centre.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this is having on learner drivers. All staff at the agency are working tirelessly to reduce waiting times at all test centres, including at Bredbury.
There are currently 13 driving examiners at Bredbury test centre. This has risen from 9 examiners in 2022. Bredbury test centre is part of a cluster of test centres, including West Didsbury and Sale, that serve customers in Stockport.
DVSA continues to deploy examiners within the cluster to test centres based on demand.
Within the cluster of test centres from recruitment campaigns, one potential new driving examiner (DE) started their training course on 23 June for West Didsbury. A further potential new DE for Sale will start their course on 25 August. DVSA has made three further offers, with applicants scheduled for courses in the late summer/early autumn.
DVSA is continuing with its recruitment campaigns, including for this cluster of test centres. DVSA will continue to assess recruitment needs of all test centres in Great Britain when it launches any future recruitment campaigns.
DVSA continues to offer overtime incentives to its driving examiners, including those in this cluster.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Avanti West Coast on the quality of public toilets at Stockport station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department meets with Avanti West Coast (AWC) regularly to discuss issues impacting passengers, such as this and to ensure they are addressed as soon as possible. The Rail Minister will also make sure that AWC arranges a meeting with you directly to discuss improvements that can be made for passengers.
AWC is responsible for day-to-day management of Stockport Station, including facilities management and cleaning. To help monitor performance and drive high standards of customer experience, the Department requires train operators to employ the Service Quality Regime, which consists of regular inspections of the condition and availability of assets such as toilets, as well as the cleanliness of stations and trains. Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail. AWC works with Network Rail seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.
Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail. AWC works with Network Rail, seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to extend Project Reach to Stockport railway station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The tranche 1 fibre commitment for Project Reach of 1000km includes the rail route Manchester–Crewe–Stafford which runs via Stockport.
Stockport station is not currently included in the initial list of 12 NR managed stations identified for improvements to mobile coverage. However, there could be scope to include this as part of the flexible interventions once the priority stations and tunnels have been delivered.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) frequency of Northern Rail services in (i) Stockport constituency and (ii) across Greater Manchester on Sundays.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern has acknowledged to passengers and the Government that its current performance is not acceptable. The organisation has developed and is beginning to implement a performance improvement programme to create the modern, flexible organisation which can deliver reliable service and a customer-focussed seven-day railway.
Resolving Sunday working arrangements with RMT conductors is central to this. We are encouraging Northern and RMT to continue their discussions, so that passengers in the North can return to a reliable Sunday service. We are watching closely to make sure this work continues at pace.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the speed of the rollout of the Access for All scheme across (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.
In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This included Bredbury, Flowery Field and Newton for Hyde stations in Greater Manchester. Those progressing to design phase will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to provide funding for step-free access at Heaton Chapel Station.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.
In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This did not include Heaton Chapel railway station.
Given the acute funding pressures on capital investments, any sources of funding that can be identified locally, for example from s106 monies, would also be a way of bringing accessibility at this station further forward.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of driving tests in Stockport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - 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 the country.
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.
Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.
The table below shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in May 2025, at centres that serve customers in Stockport.
Driving test centre | Average waiting time in June 2025 (weeks) |
Bredbury (Manchester) | 24 |
West Didsbury (Manchester) | 24 |
Sale (Manchester) | 24 |
National | 22.5 |
From recruitment campaigns, one potential new driving examiner (DE) will be starting their training course on 23 June for West Didsbury. A further potential new DE for Sale will start their course on 25 August. DVSA has made three further offers, with applicants scheduled for courses in the late summer/early autumn. The latest recruitment campaign has yielded nine recruitment drives for the cluster, all of which will be completed by 14 June.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will publish the average response time for British Transport Police at Stockport station in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
British Transport Police (BTP) response times are dependent on the severity of the incident.
BTP have provided the following figures for incidents at Stockport railway station over the last 5 financial years:
Financial year | Immediate* grade incident BTP response time (20 minute target) | Priorityˤ grade incident BTP response time (60 minute target) |
2024/25 | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
2023/24 | 17 minutes | 19 minutes |
2022/23 | 15 minutes | 32 minutes |
2021/22 | 16 minutes | 29 minutes |
2020/21 | 13 minutes | 20 minutes |
* incidents where there is, or is likely to be, a danger of death, the use of violence, or a serious injury to a person or serious damage to property.
ˤ urgent initial police action is required, but the incident does not meet the threshold for immediate response
Home Office forces will also attend if they are available and are able to arrive at the scene before BTP.
Please note that reduced rail travel in 2020/21 and 2021/22 due to COVID-19, and therefore also reduced numbers of incidents, may have contributed to the reduced response times for those years.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Transport Police.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of rail (a) capacity and (b) performance of Manchester Airport Station.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I recognise that Manchester Airport station needs to be improved, both in terms of its capacity and its passenger experience. That is why Network Rail is working with TransPennine Express as the station operator and local stakeholders including Manchester Airports Group to extend the platforms to allow more trains to serve the station. At the same time, we are looking at how to improve the experience for passengers, including those from overseas, for whom this station is a major gateway to Manchester and the whole of the North.