Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will publish a monitoring and evaluation framework on disability equality training in order to establish a baseline level of training to meet requirements under Section 36 of the Bus Services Act 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are clear that high‑quality staff training is essential to providing bus services that are accessible for all passengers. That is why the Bus Services Act 2025 will mandate that both bus drivers and passenger-assisting staff undertake disability awareness and assistance training.
Section 36 of the Bus Services Act 2025 provides powers for the Secretary of State for Transport to require carriers and terminal managing bodies to record and publish training statistics in order to ensure that compliance can be monitored. Once commenced, we will expect all relevant operators and terminal managing bodies to comply with their reporting duties. We will engage with relevant stakeholders when developing such requirements, and will provide the industry with more information in due course.
The approach to evaluating the impact of the requirements under Section 36 will be considered as part of a wider monitoring and evaluation plan for the Bus Services Act 2025. In particular, and as stated in our Impact Assessment on the new measures on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), we intend to undertake process evaluation, for example evaluating the mechanisms for developing, delivering and reporting on the new disability training requirements, as part of the process evaluation for the Act’s wider training requirements on VAWG and anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had discussions with Northern on ticket office staffing levels at Brinnington station.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern’s contract, has regular conversations about Northern services, including ticket office staffing and opening hours. Operators must comply with their obligations under the ticketing and settlement agreement between the Secretary of State and the operator.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) what discussions her Department has had with Avanti West Coast on the use of Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) notices to address anti-social behaviour on the rail network and (b) whether the Department plans to introduce a consistent, network-wide approach to WIPs.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No such discussions have taken place. Usage of Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) notices is an operational matter for operators, Network Rail and the British Transport Police. The Department keeps security under constant review, however no change of policy for Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) is planned at this stage.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will issue guidelines to airlines on the treatment of passengers with neurological disabilities, including standardised procedures for fitness-to-fly assessments.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Aviation must be accessible to all, and everyone has the right to travel with dignity and ease. UK law prohibits refusal of carriage by air based on any disability, impairment, or condition, except where restrictions are required due to safety reasons.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published guidance on airline accessibility including on assisting people with hidden disabilities. In addition, it issued its Airline Accessibility Guidance in 2024, which will be used to assess airline performance against accessibility requirements. This states that decisions on requiring medical clearance must be made on a case-by-case basis, and only where there is a valid reason for doing so.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing national regulations on bus lane fines for volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions on which other vehicles may use bus lanes are for local traffic authorities to take. They are best placed to manage their networks and can grant exemptions through Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) where appropriate. Exemptions can include emergency service vehicles, such as volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle illegal driving instructors; and what steps he is taking to increase public awareness on the requirement for driving instructors to be approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes matters of illegal driving instruction extremely seriously. DVSA strives to stamp out illegal driving instruction by targeting offenders and working in conjunction with the local Police force to identify and ultimately, when appropriate, prosecute those involved in this type of criminality.
DVSA’s Counter Fraud and Investigation team thoroughly investigate allegations of illegal driving instruction and always looks to validate any information it is provided with during any investigations. Depending on the information available, DVSA may proceed directly to an investigation or conduct targeted roadside checks, often involving the police, to identify ongoing illegal instruction. The outcomes of DVSA’s investigations can range from issuing a warning to pursuing prosecution.
Information for those wanting to start driving lessons is available on DVSA’s ‘Ready to Pass?’ website on GOV.UK. DVSA advises candidates that anyone teaching them to drive for payment must be either a qualified and approved driving instructor or a trainee driving instructor. There is also further information for candidates on how to find your nearest driving instructors.
DVSA advises candidates to check that their driving instructor is displaying their badge in their windscreen, which shows they are registered with DVSA, this could either be a green badge if they are fully qualified or a pink badge if they are a trainee instructor.
Individuals who have not been through the approved driving instructor process pose a very real threat to road safety. It also damages the reputation and credibility of the driver training industry. DVSA recommends that anyone with concerns about a possible illegal driving instructor follow the advice on GOV.UK: Report an illegal driving instructor.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to expand protections for British seafarers employed by companies registered outside of the UK.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is acting through the Employment Rights Bill to improve protections for seafarers by providing powers to protect the working conditions of those working aboard international services frequently calling at UK ports. The Bill will also close a loophole that prevented prosecution of employers who failed to provide notification of proposed collective redundancies aboard ships registered outside of the UK. These protections will benefit seafarers working aboard services in scope, including when they are employed by companies registered outside of the UK.
My Department will also continue to work internationally to improve protections for seafarers, including through implementing the amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention agreed in April by representatives of shipowners, seafarers and governments at the International Labour Organization in Geneva. The new provisions include measures that will help to protect seafarers against violence and harassment, strengthen their rights to repatriation and improve access to shore leave. It is expected that these amendments will come into force internationally on 23 December 2027.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the (a) misuse (b) abuse and (c) theft of blue badges in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local authorities have powers under the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000, for local authorities to withdraw a badge if the holder consistently misuses it or allows it to be misused by others. Similarly, authorities have the power to withdraw the badge if the holder ceases to be eligible, for example because their impairment has improved or because they obtained the badge by false representation.
The Department provides non-statutory guidance to local authorities on operating the scheme, including advice on enforcing the scheme, and regularly engages with local authority stakeholder groups to help share best practice.
It also works closely with organisations such as the British Parking Association (BPA) and Disabled Motoring UK (DM:UK), who advocate for stronger enforcement powers and better data sharing between councils. These efforts have led to increased penalties and prosecutions for misuse, and the confiscation of fraudulent or stolen badges.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to invest in upgrades to (a) the M60 and (b) other national highways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is currently developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which will span the five-year period from April 2026 to March 2031. The Strategy is scheduled for publication in March 2026 and will outline the funding settlement allocated to National Highways for operating, maintaining, renewing, and enhancing the Strategic Road Network (SRN) during RIS3.
A draft version of the Strategy was published in August, setting out the overall funding envelope and the key objectives that National Highways is expected to achieve. RIS3 will build on the progress made since the first Strategy (RIS1) was introduced in 2015, continuing efforts to:
Deliver a long-term programme of capital renewals for ageing roads and structures
Implement committed enhancement schemes
Advance long-term performance targets
An Interim Settlement is currently in place for National Highways for the 2025–26 financial year.
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 8 April 2025 to Question 42868 on Railways: Stockport, whether her Department has made an assessment with North Rail Partnership of the potential merits of implementing proposals to improve passenger services at Reddish South railway station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We expect train operators to develop timetables that best match the capacity and frequency of their services to passenger demand in a way which is operationally sustainable and delivers value for taxpayers.
Current demand at Reddish South has not signalled a need to review the service patterns there. Rail North Partnership (RNP) will assess and assist with any proposal around services based on local or regional priorities put forward. For example, by Stockport Council or Transport for Great Manchester.
Any proposal must balance the economic and social benefits of any enhancement with the performance of existing services and the financial impact on taxpayer subsidy.
I have asked RNP to contact the Hon Member to discuss any proposals he wishes to present.