Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the use of show plates on licensed vehicles used on public roads; whether her Department has considered prohibiting the fitting of show plates to vehicles licensed for road use; what steps she is taking to improve enforcement against vehicles displaying number plates that do not comply with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001, including show plates; and whether she has had discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and police forces on the prevalence of non-compliant and show plates being used on vehicles driven on public roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The DVLA does not routinely collect data on the prevalence of different physical plate types fitted to vehicles.
The Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and is consulting on introducing penalty points and vehicle seizure for being in charge of a vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate and will consider whether legislative changes are needed to strengthen DVLA’s regulatory and enforcement powers. The DVLA works with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council on enforcement activity to tackle the criminal use of non-compliant number plates.
The Government keeps the legislative framework for registration plates under review, including whether further measures are needed. It is already an offence to display a registration mark that does not comply with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.
The DVLA is considering options to strengthen and audit the Register of Number Plate Suppliers. DVLA enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards on compliance activity and investigations. Officials engage regularly with DVLA and policing partners, including police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, on the prevalence and enforcement of non-compliant plates, including show plates.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the percentage of licensed vehicles operating in Greater London that are fitted with ghost, stealth or otherwise ANPR-defeating number plates; what data is collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on the prevalence of such plates among licensed vehicles; and what steps the Government is taking to prevent the use of ghost or stealth number plates in offences linked to sexual exploitation, organised crime and other criminal activity.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The DVLA does not routinely collect data on the prevalence of different physical plate types fitted to vehicles.
The Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and is consulting on introducing penalty points and vehicle seizure for being in charge of a vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate and will consider whether legislative changes are needed to strengthen DVLA’s regulatory and enforcement powers. The DVLA works with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council on enforcement activity to tackle the criminal use of non-compliant number plates.
The Government keeps the legislative framework for registration plates under review, including whether further measures are needed. It is already an offence to display a registration mark that does not comply with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.
The DVLA is considering options to strengthen and audit the Register of Number Plate Suppliers. DVLA enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards on compliance activity and investigations. Officials engage regularly with DVLA and policing partners, including police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, on the prevalence and enforcement of non-compliant plates, including show plates.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 74236, if she will set out (a) the decision-making process used by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency when assessing applications to renew driving licences for drivers aged over 70; (b) what evidence is considered when determining whether a driver meets the eyesight requirements for licensing; and (c) what weight is given to recent eyesight tests conducted by qualified opticians when assessing whether an applicant aged over 70 meets the required visual standards.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The driver licensing framework in Great Britain is designed to be balanced and proportionate. Drivers of all ages are legally required to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition, or if an existing condition worsens, that may affect their ability to drive.
Driving licences expire at the age of 70 and must be renewed every three years thereafter. This renewal process provides a regular opportunity for older drivers to consider their health and fitness to drive, recognising that health and vision may deteriorate with age.
All drivers are responsible for ensuring that they meet the statutory eyesight standards, including the use of corrective lenses where required. Where a driver declares a medical condition that may affect vision, the DVLA may require a vision assessment, which can be accessed for free at Specsavers. These examinations are conducted in accordance with DVLA specifications to determine whether the legal visual standards are met. Drivers can submit the results of an eyesight test done by another optician as long as it includes an ‘Esterman visual test’.
Depending on the outcome of the assessment and the information provided, a driver may retain their licence, be issued with a time-limited licence subject to ongoing review, or where an individual does not meet the required standards, their driving licence will be revoked or their application refused.
Further information on the eyesight standards for driving is available on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules. The Department for Transport is currently consulting on proposals to introduce mandatory eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over. Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-safety-strategy and https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-mandatory-eyesight-testing-for-older-drivers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what month and year her Department expects to make a decision on whether to proceed with any developments to the Northern Powerhouse Rail route referred to in the Answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 107146.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is currently discussing the detail and timing of that work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Department expects DfT Operator Limited to deliver a 3.5 per cent real return as set out in paragraph 11.43 of the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO) is the government’s public sector rail owning group. As a head office it is responsible for overseeing its rail operator subsidiary companies. DfT Operator Ltd therefore has minimal external trading activity and therefore it is not currently required to achieve a specific return on capital employed.
The Government does, however, expect DFTO Group to make efficiencies and savings through public ownership of rail services and from rail reform with the creation of Great British Railways. These efficiencies contribute to the more than 50 per cent reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy from £2.4 billion in 2024-25.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department has provided through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The DfT funds DFTO Train Operating Companies directly for a range of activities including training, agreed during the rolling business planning process. This is currently not through DfT Operator Limited.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116574 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, whether her Department has defined quantitative benchmarks for the total number of public electric vehicle chargepoints required to meet anticipated demand by 2030.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 116574.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116554 on Hybrid Vehicles: Safety, whether there are areas of transport safety policy which the Government considers to be of paramount importance where the Department (a) does not hold the underlying analysis used to inform that policy and (b) has not assessed the effectiveness of that analysis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In developing transport safety policy, the Government draws on a broad range of evidence to support policy development and decisions. This includes using existing independent evidence where it is sourced from robust and reliable research, alongside commissioning specific Government-funded studies when necessary to fill evidence gaps or complement and corroborate existing findings.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many locations on the strategic road network have been identified by her Department as having significant flooding risks.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Current National Highways data (up to 28 February 2026) shows that there are 1,418 sub-catchments containing locations that have a high-flood risk (out of a total of 10,873 sub-catchments along the Strategic Road Network).
Catchments are defined as a group of all the drainage systems and the adjacent land they drain between two geographical high points of the Strategic Road Network. Catchments are typically further divided into sub-catchments, such as one for each carriageway direction or junction.
National Highways operates a comprehensive road inspection and maintenance programme. Drainage assets are inspected and maintained in line with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Where flooding hotspots are identified, inspections are carried out more frequently, and improvements are considered.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116553 on the Highway Code, what evidential basis was used when Rule H1 was drafted to include motorcycles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The previous Government updated the Highway Code in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users.
I understand that the Department for Transport worked with an expert stakeholder group representing different users of the road and conducted a 12-week formal consultation.