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 the potential impact of the decision to end the PSO route to Cornwall on the economy.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The decision not to proceed with the Public Service Obligation (PSO) was a matter for Cornwall Council. The Department continues to work with Cornwall Council to explore commercial options for the route. It is important to note that connectivity continues to be preserved with flights operating between Newquay to London Stansted with additional services to London Gatwick being introduced in June.
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 February 2026 to Question 111456, what mechanisms are available to airports to meet surface access environmental targets.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In order to meet surface access environmental targets, airport operators and their local stakeholders are responsible for determining the specific interventions that are best-suited to their unique operational contexts taking into account local infrastructure, planning considerations and obligations, and regional transport policies.
The Government welcomes the significant investments airports are making in sustainable surface transport options for staff and passengers, from zero-emission bus fleets to improved cycling facilities, which are vital to balancing aviation sector growth with our environmental commitments.
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. whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the analysis conducted by Thatcham Research on behalf of the insurance industry.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The findings of Thatcham Research’s analysis align with the Department's wider understanding of the issues considered. The Department will continue to consider this analysis, and wider evidence sources, in its ongoing work to develop future policy and uphold the highest vehicle safety standards.
The research indicates that the risk of fire is comparatively the lowest in battery electric vehicles - 1 per 100,000 per year.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department held discussions with representatives from the motorbike industry on the Motor Insurance Taskforce Final Report prior to its publication.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The taskforce secretariat met regularly with interested parties, including consumer groups and industry representatives. However, the taskforce did not meet with motorcyclist stakeholders specifically.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential remits of (a) stopping the production of number plates with raised lettering (b) amending the BS AU 145f standards for number plates to make (i) clone plates and (ii) ghost plates more difficult to procure.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is part of the British Standards Institution (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates, BS AU 145e. The proposed amendments to the British Standard include measures intended to prevent raised or ‘ghost’ characteristics, requiring finished plates to be flat.
The BSI’s consultation closed on 13 December 2025 and responses are being considered. Any updates will be communicated by the BSI.
The Government published its Road Safety Strategy on 7 January, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department for Transport has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate. The consultation can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences and is open until 11 May 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers, published on 7 January 2026, what would be the minimum legal age at which an individual could practically (a) drive on a road with a learner’s ‘L’ plate, (b) drive on a road with a Restricted ‘R’ plate and (c) drive on a road with a full driving license.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The minimum legal age at which an individual can take a driving test is 17 (or 16 in specific circumstances where an exemption applies). The same minimum legal age applies for individuals starting to learn to drive on public roads with an approved driving instructor or an eligible supervising driver.
The time it takes to progress through learning, testing and licensing depends on the individual and how long it takes them to develop the necessary skills and competences. To improve safety, we are consulting on introducing a minimum learning period in Great Britain (GB), to make sure learner drivers get the necessary time and training to prepare themselves for a lifetime of driving. This would allow learners more time to gain essential experience, for example in different weather conditions, before driving independently and reduce the risk to themselves and other drivers.
Should we introduce a mandatory minimum learning period for learner drivers following the consultation, the current minimum legal age requirements for driving would not change.
Northern Ireland requires that Restricted ‘R’ plates are displayed for 12 months from the date of passing a driving test, but Restricted ‘R’ plates are not required in GB. Optional Probationary ‘P’ plates may be displayed in GB to signal to other drivers that the driver is a new driver, but they are not mandatory.
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 Answers of 19 November and 27 November 2025 to Questions 90730 and 93372 on Ministers: Official Cars, whether her Department issued guidance on the provision of official cars to Ministers outside the Government Car Service.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has not issued guidance regarding the provision of official cars to Ministers outside the Government Car Service.
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 18 March 2026 to Question 120007 on High Speed 2 Line: Finance, whether reductions in the specified top speed of High Speed Two trains are being considered as part of efforts to align the programme with the Spending Review settlement.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No. The Spending Review settlement for the current period is not dependent on the consideration of the top speed of HS2.
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 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, what steps the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is taking to improve the collection and use of recruitment data for driving examiner vacancies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
For driving examiner recruitment campaigns up to November 2025, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used 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, the agency 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. DVSA will cross-reference the data from these two surveys going forward, but for now DVSA has data for only one complete and one ongoing campaign.
For DVSA social media advertising, the current click through rate as of February 2026 was 1.4%. For DVSA direct communications that have been sent to subscribers of jobs at DVSA over the last 12 months, the average click through rate was 4%. It is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed or successful applications.
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 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of click-through rates on the number of successful appointments to driving examiner roles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
For driving examiner recruitment campaigns up to November 2025, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used 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, the agency 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. DVSA will cross-reference the data from these two surveys going forward, but for now DVSA has data for only one complete and one ongoing campaign.
For DVSA social media advertising, the current click through rate as of February 2026 was 1.4%. For DVSA direct communications that have been sent to subscribers of jobs at DVSA over the last 12 months, the average click through rate was 4%. It is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed or successful applications.