Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the paragraph entitled East West Rail lease write-offs on page 9 of the National Audit Office’s Department for Transport Overview 2024–25, which states that £2.6 million in lease costs for East West Rail rolling stock were written off following delays to testing, whether (a) East West Rail Company Ltd, or (b) her Department, has written off any such lease costs; and if she will provide a breakdown of those costs.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The published Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024/2025 included the £2.6m lease cost write-off. The breakdown comprised of approximately £900k in 2023/2024 and approximately £1.7m in 2024/2025. The costs were for rolling stock contracted payments to the Rolling Stock Company (ROSCO).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Winslow to Bletchley.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has set any key performance indicators for recruitment campaigns for driving examiner roles.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:

• monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaigns
• average times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.

The performance in these areas have improved in the past 12 months. For example, before November 2025, the average time DVSA took to advertise and onboard potential driving examiners (DE) into training was 16 weeks. In December 2025, DVSA improved its recruitment process and the average time DVSA now takes to onboard potential DEs is 13 weeks. Further proposals should see this reduce by another 2-3 weeks for future campaigns.

For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage.

In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently only has data for one complete and one ongoing campaign.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to access employment in their qualified profession due to regulatory or accreditation barriers; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce this number.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Decisions regarding an individual's professional recognition are made and recorded by independent regulators. Data related to the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to due to regulatory or accreditation barriers is therefore not collected by the Department.

As we said in the industrial and trade strategies, the department is currently working with regulators to prioritise the recognition of professional qualifications with international partners to support the UK's economic growth and labour market.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to overseas-qualified doctors who have the right to work in the UK but do not currently meet the requirements to practice in the NHS; and whether he plans to review pathways to enable such professionals to contribute to the healthcare workforce.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Overseas‑qualified doctors must meet General Medical Council (GMC) registration and licensing requirements before practising in the National Health Service. A range of information and guidance is available through the GMC website to support doctors through the registration process. Professional standards and entry requirements remain a matter for the independent regulator. NHS employers recruit locally and determine role requirements in line with service needs.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of levels of underemployment among refugees with a right to work; and what steps his Department is taking to improve skills recognition and employment matching for such individuals.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government agrees that we need to make full use of the skills and qualifications of refugees. We want everyone who can to succeed in work, contribute to economic growth and have roles which align with their potential.

That is why DWP work coaches are trained to support claimants, including refugees, into work looking both at how their existing skills can be best matched to employment vacancies as well as identifying any skill gaps and providing support to address these.

For those who have qualifications obtained overseas, work coaches signpost to the European National Information Centre (ENIC), who provide guidance and advice on getting foreign qualifications recognised in the UK.

In addition, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. As part of this, we will improve our support for employers to help them find the right candidates to fill their vacancies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total value of public funding committed to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure is across all schemes since 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since 2024, the Government has allocated the following funding to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure:

Autumn Budget 2024: £0.3 billion

Spending review 2025: £1.8 billion

Autumn Budget 2025: £1.5 billion

Total: £3.6 billion funding out to 2030.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Nationwide plans announced to design safer streets as 9 in 10 women report feeling unsafe walking at night, published 25 March 2026, what assessment she has made of the biggest barriers to the installation of lighting on walking, wheeling and cycling routes.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Barriers to the installation of appropriate lighting include a lack of energy infrastructure, higher scheme cost for upfront work, the impact on nature and wildlife, the long-term revenue budget required for the ongoing maintenance of lighting installation, and the balance between these factors that is part of scheme development. The forthcoming guidance from ATE will include the importance of implementing better-designed lighting.

ATE’s Route Check Tool includes specific metrics relating to lighting coverage, visibility, user safety, and minimising light pollution, helping authorities to plan routes that meet modern safety and design standards.

Found: Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob Collier; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Rebecca Smith

Found: Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob Collier; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Rebecca Smith

Found: Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy Shanker; Rebecca Smith

Found: Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy Shanker; Rebecca Smith

Found: Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob Collier; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy Shanker; Rebecca Smith