Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered the potential merits of providing free bus travel to over 60s across the whole of the UK.
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 in reimbursement costs to bus operators, and any changes to the statutory obligations would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The potential merits of extending free bus travel to over 60s across England were debated in parliament on Monday 5 January, following an e-petition on this topic.
Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including lowering the age of eligibility. 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.
South Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £52.4 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £17.8 million they are already receiving in 2025/26. 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: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to increase the number of lamppost chargers for electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund has been allocated to all highest tier local authorities in England to ensure equitable chargepoint rollout across the country. Funding is primarily targeted at low powered, on-street charging infrastructure such as lamp column chargepoints to make it easier and more convenient for residents without off-street parking, such as those in terraced housing, to charge close to home.
The Government has also allocated £25 million to English local authorities to install pavement channels, which will support thousands of residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home, accessing cheaper tariffs through their domestic energy supplies.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking make it easier for those in terraced houses to charge their electric vehicle by their home.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund has been allocated to all highest tier local authorities in England to ensure equitable chargepoint rollout across the country. Funding is primarily targeted at low powered, on-street charging infrastructure such as lamp column chargepoints to make it easier and more convenient for residents without off-street parking, such as those in terraced housing, to charge close to home.
The Government has also allocated £25 million to English local authorities to install pavement channels, which will support thousands of residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home, accessing cheaper tariffs through their domestic energy supplies.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of building more driving test centres to meet demand.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - 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 Great Britain.
These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners.
DVSA has no current plans to open any further practical driving test centres. DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the impact of covid-19 on driving test backlogs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - 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 Great Britain.
These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners.
DVSA has no current plans to open any further practical driving test centres. DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to ensure drivers leave at least 1.5 metres of space when overtaking cyclists.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on (a) pedestrian and (b) cyclist safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure the safety of cyclists.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking with local authorities to increase the number of dedicated cycle lines.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards, including dedicated cycling routes. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over 2024/25-25/26. Local authorities are responsible for deciding on how to invest the funding, in line with local priorities.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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.