Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119491, if she will break down the £478 million whole-life cost of the NO2 Programme by (a) funding stream, including the Implementation Fund, Clean Air Fund and administrative costs, (b) local authority scheme and (c) individual project; and how much has been (i) allocated, (ii) committed and (iii) spent.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Transport provides all capital funding and a small amount of resource funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118273 on Railways: Government Assistance, if she will provide the annual estimated level of support per rail passenger journey for each financial year between 2024-25 and 2028-29.

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

The Department does not intend to publish further details on the estimates on level of support per rail passenger journey. Data on the previous levels of support per rail passenger kilometre are available here: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/ptafpcco/uk-rail-industry-finance-2425.pdf.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117438 on Great British Railways: Finance, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing details of the modelling, business case development or analytical assessments underpinning the forecast £199 million net savings from corporate initiatives in 2028–29.

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

The Department has considered this and has no plans to publish the details of internal modelling or initial business case development which informed the savings from corporate initiatives in the Department’s Efficiency Plan.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected savings from the removal of management and performance fees payable to private sector train operating companies are estimated to be; and over what time period those savings will be realised.

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

Public ownership is estimated to save taxpayers up to £110-150 million every year on fees currently paid to privately-owned train operating companies, once all services currently delivered under contract with the Department have transferred.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110890, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme.

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

The Department for Transport has commissioned an independent evaluation of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme, to consider the application and delivery process, the role of the scheme in improving lorry driver facilities in England and the impact of the site improvements for drivers. The report is due to be published in Summer 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has held discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on cooperation relating to counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities; whether he has considered the deployment of Ukrainian counter-UAV (a) expertise and (b) interceptor drone systems to support the protection of UK (i) military bases and (ii) critical national infrastructure; and whether he has assessed the potential merits of interceptor drones as an alternative to missile-based air defence systems for countering Iranian-designed UAV threats.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Russia’s illegal invasion has resulted in Ukraine becoming a world leader in drone and electronic warfare technology. The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on this issue and is delighted that on the 17 March 2026 the UK signed an enhanced security and defence industrial declaration, which will strengthen collaboration between Ukrainian and British defence companies in these crucial sectors.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy not to recognise overseas marriages that would be illegal under UK law.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There are no plans to change the law that an overseas marriage is normally recognised in England and Wales if it complied with the requirements for the form of the ceremony where it took place (meaning by whom, where, when and how it was conducted) and if both parties had capacity to marry according to the law of their domicile.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111447 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what the benefit-cost ratio is for each rail infrastructure project under construction on the Network Rail network; and what the most recent benefit-cost ratio assessments are for (i) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement scheme and (ii) the Horley Junction improvement scheme (iii) dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

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

Business case documents and the benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) for major schemes, including relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, will be published on gov.uk when the full business case is approved. BCRs are not always published until the final approval.

It should be noted that BCRs are only one element of decision-making on proposed rail infrastructure projects and should be considered within the context of the five-case business model (Strategic, Economic, Financial, Commercial and Management) used in Government.

The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) scheme’s Outline Business Case (OBC) had a BCR of 4.89 when the scheme was paused by the previous government in 2022.

The 2019 Outline Business Case for Haughley Junction upgrades indicated a BCR of 0.5.

No BCR assessment has been made of the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line at this point.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 120045 on British Business Bank, what the total monetary value is of support provided to funds, schemes and portfolio companies described as relating to (a) net zero, (b) decarbonisation, (c) sustainability, (d) climate transition and (e) the green economy in (i) 2024–25 and (ii) 2025–26 financial years; and if he will provide a breakdown by (A) programme and scheme, including but not limited to the Growth Guarantee Scheme, Start Up Loans, and the Green Growth Guarantee Scheme the (B) type of support, including direct investment, guarantees and co-investment and (C) the number of recipient businesses and funds supported under each category.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The British Business Bank does not centrally classify funds, schemes or portfolio companies under the categories of net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability, climate transition or the green economy in the form requested.

The Bank’s approach is to embed support for the transition to net zero and sustainable growth across its full range of programmes, rather than through standalone business lines. As such, these objectives are reflected across its activities, including through direct co-investment, investment in venture and growth capital funds, and lending delivered through programmes such as Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme.

As set out in the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 120045, the Bank has in both 2024-25 and 2025-26 invested in, capitalised, and supported through guarantees or co-investment a number of funds, schemes and portfolio companies with these characteristics.

As these activities are embedded across programmes, a comprehensive breakdown of total monetary value by category, programme or scheme, type of support, and number of recipient businesses and funds is not held in a single reportable format.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118861 on Approved Driving Instructors: Standards, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency plans to introduce arrangements to (i) recognise and (ii) quality assure driving instructors who train approved driving instructors.

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

Anyone wishing to become an ADI must pass the statutory ADI tests. More information on the steps to becoming an ADI can be found on GOV.UK.

To maintain and monitor standards of instruction, each ADI can be called by the ADI Registrar for a standards check. This covers all ADIs including those who might be training potential new instructors.

While ADIs do not need an extra qualification if they also want to train driving instructors, they previously had the opportunity to join the voluntary official register of driving instructor training (ORDIT). In 2023, the previous government made the decision to suspend the ORDIT scheme. The DVSA is now engaging with the training industry to discuss how and when the scheme should resume.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116791, on what date the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was first asked to provide input on the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design; when that input was received; and what recommendations DPTAC made to Ministers.

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

On 9 August 2024, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) issued an advice note on floating bus stops following the publication of research by Living Streets. Officials working on the floating bus stop guidance were aware of this advice.

DfT officials met with DPTAC before the guidance was drafted, and consulted them throughout the development of the guidance.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the use of Norwegian-style drill-and-blast tunnelling methods in the construction of UK transport tunnels; and whether she has considered the use of a Private Bill procedure for the authorisation and delivery of tunnel construction projects.

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

Norwegian style drill and blast tunnelling is generally suited to continuous hardrock geology that is not characteristic of most interurban routes in the UK. Instead, the latter frequently involves tunnelling through highly variable ground conditions including clay, weak, weathered or fractured rock and sands and gravels submerged in high-pressure ground water. Modern tunnelboring machines (TBMs) are able to cope with such variable geology and prevent the excavation face of the tunnel catastrophically collapsing before the tunnel is lined with concrete.

That said, the choice of tunnelling method will depend very much on local ground conditions for each major road or rail project. TBMs are frequently tailor-made to suit those ground conditions. The department would always look to tunnelling experts to recommend the most cost-effective method for a particular tunnel and we would not rule out drill-and-blast if it was through suitable rock.

For most tunnelling projects existing statutory consenting routes remain available, and the use of a Private Bill would only be considered where there is a specific and compelling justification.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of oversight arrangements governing access to vehicle keeper data held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by private parking operators through accredited trade associations.

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

Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details in certain limited circumstances, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Vehicle keeper data is only made available to private parking operators who are members of an appropriate Accredited Trade Association (ATA). The ATAs are responsible for setting and enforcing codes of practice for their members. The DVLA undertakes compliance checks and auditing to help ensure that requests for data are made for a proper purpose and that information released is used appropriately.

The safeguards in place to protect personal data are kept under review to ensure they continue to provide appropriate protection.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 117905 on Driving Tests: Vacancies, which DVSA driving test centres have had live Driving Examiner vacancies; what dates those vacancies were first listed; and how many Driving Examiner vacancies there were across all DVSA test centres in (a) July 2024 and (b) March 2026.

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

As stated in the answer to Question 117906 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold centrally a snapshot of the total number of driving examiner vacancies by calendar month but continually reviews its workforce requirements in response to customer demand and operational need. Recruitment is managed through ongoing and periodic national and regional campaigns rather than fixed monthly vacancy totals.

All driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs on the GOV.UK website and DVSA also publishes information about available career opportunities through its “Working for DVSA” pages on GOV.UK.

As part of this approach, DVSA has continued to run national recruitment campaigns for driving examiners, including a campaign launched in February 2026 advertising multiple driving examiner posts across the country. These campaigns are intended to address recruitment pressures and improve driving test capacity, particularly in areas with the greatest demand.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office letter to Business Unit Heads and Senior Finance Business Partner of 24 April 2025, how many approvals have since been given for branded items, according to information held on the Atamis system.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Approval has been given to seven requests for branded items since the letter was issued to Business Heads and Senior Finance Business Partners on 24 April 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether procurement contracts issued by the Ministry of Defence must include provisions relating to (a) diversity, equality and inclusion and (b) climate change or sustainability targets or reporting requirements.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) mandates the inclusion of the Equality Defence Condition (DEFCON 516) in all its procurement contracts. This condition obligates suppliers to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

The MOD request that industry provide a Carbon Reduction Plan at the Conditions of Participation stage in all procurements subject to the Procurement Act 2023 with an anticipated value of £5 million or above. This is consistent with the policy of the last government.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks affecting transport services and infrastructure.

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

The Department for Transport (DfT) views the cyber security of its sector as a priority and works with partners across UK government and law enforcement to employ policy and legislative levers to drive cyber security resilience levels up.

DfT is responsible for regulating cyber security in the transport sector, working with partners such as the Civil Aviation Authority to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policy to ensure the cyber resilience of our essential services. We are supporting the Cyber Security & Resilience (Network & Information Systems) Bill currently going through Parliament which will strengthen our defences and ensure that more essential digital services than ever before are protected.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of contracts have been awarded by his Department in this Parliament under the terms of the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 in each month since they came in to force; and with who the contracts were.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The total number of contracts which meet the requirements of the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 placed in this Parliament is 100. This equates to 4.74% of all contracts placed on or since 4 July 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111444, whether her Department applies an economic test when determining whether costs are disproportionate to benefits for the purposes of assessing economic reasonableness under paragraph 4.5.12 of the draft amended National Policy Statement for Ports.

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

The process of determining whether costs are disproportionate to benefits does itself amount to an economic test.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what additional resource requirements have been identified by the Government Property Agency or departments arising from greenhouse gas emissions reporting requirements over the current Spending Review period.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer for 116583. The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Civil Service Jobs platform records (a) the number of applications received and (b) the number of appointments made for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency driving examiner recruitment campaigns since July 2024.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service Jobs platform is the central portal for recruitment across the Civil Service and records data for all campaigns managed through the system. Since July 2024, the platform has recorded a total of 26,490 applications received and 1,082 posts offered for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) driving examiner recruitment campaigns. This number is subject to pre-employment checks and ongoing campaigns.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including logistics transport infrastructure in the National Wealth Fund’s five-year strategic plan.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Transport is one of the National Wealth Fund’s priority sectors.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what policy reason an Equality Impact Assessment was not undertaken in relation to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design.

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

As set out in the guidance for public authorities on the Public Sector Equality Duty, the general duty involves consciously thinking about the equality aims while making decisions. There is no prescribed process for doing or recording this.

Due regard for the Public Sector Equality Duty was exercised throughout the development of the guidance including during the policy design, consultation, and drafting stages. As I set out in my response to question no. 121404, ahead of publishing the guidance I had due regard to impacts on people with protected characteristics, particularly disabled people, in making decisions regarding the guidance. This was supported by engagement with organisations representing disabled people and input from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, the statutory advisory body on disability transport issues, and a statutory consultee for this guidance under the Bus Services Act 2025. This shows a proportionate, evidence based consideration for the Duty.

Delivery of floating bus stops, and use of the guidance in doing so, is a local authority responsibility. The guidance clearly states that accessibility requirements and the Public Sector Equality Duty apply to all measures within the document. Local authorities are therefore best placed to carry out such an assessment on the provision and design of floating bus stops in their area. The guidance is statutory, and local authorities must have regard to it.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her long-term strategy is for reducing sewage discharges from storm overflows; and what targets, timelines and investment requirements have been set for water companies to deliver those reductions.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

To deliver on the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we are expecting £60 billion of investment to be delivered across England by 2050.

Water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales over the next five years. This investment will be targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health.

We want to better address the root causes of pollution head on, by shifting the focus towards ‘pre-pipe’ solutions, such as rainwater management and tackling sewer misuse. These changes are more sustainable and will deliver wider benefits such as reducing flood risk and increasing biodiversity. To enable this shift, we will ensure legislation, funding streams and regulatory mechanisms support the delivery of pre-pipe solutions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of carriages has been on Northern Rail services operating on the Clitheroe–Manchester line during each of the last 18 months; and how many short-formed services have operated on that line in each of the last 18 months where fewer carriages were provided than originally scheduled.

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

Between 16 September 2024 and 16 March 2026, 35.5 per cent of Northern services on the Clitheroe-Manchester line had two carriages, while 64.5 per cent had four carriages.

In the same period, Northern ran 16,149 services, of which 3,430 (21.2 per cent) had fewer carriages than planned.

While most train services between Clitheroe and central Manchester are scheduled to be operated by four-carriage trains, unfortunately there may be occasions when this is not possible due to more trains than usual requiring repair, in large part due to the age of the rolling stock.

To address this, Northern has begun discussions with train manufacturers to procure around 250 new train sets to replace the oldest trains in its fleet. Approximately two-thirds of its existing fleet is targeted to be replaced in the next ten years. The initial order, which is due to enter service in 2030-31, will consist of 130 units: 92 diesel-hybrids to replace its Class 15Xs (of the kind that serve Clitheroe and Blackburn), 30 electric and diesel-hybrid trains to support the TransPennine Route Upgrade and 8 battery-powered trains to test their potential as an alternative to diesel-hybrids.

In the meantime, Northern is talking to other operators to identify any suitable rolling stock that could be cascaded to provide additional capacity or replace trains that have reached the end of their lives. Where any such additional stock is used is an operational matter for Northern, based on the demands on its services and the capacity of its depots and staff.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2026 to Question 116586, what estimate her Department has made of the level of fees not being paid to former private sector train operating companies as a result of the public ownership programme managed by DFT Operator Limited since July 2024; and what the cost has been of the increase in headcount at DFT Operator Limited since 1 January 2024, including (i) salaries, (ii) employer pension contributions and (iii) employer National Insurance contributions.

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

Public ownership will save taxpayers up to an estimated £110-150 million every year on fees currently paid to privately-owned train operating companies, once all services currently delivered under contract with the Department have transferred.

The increase in total payroll costs at DfT Operator Limited between 01/01/24 to 28/02/26 was:

Salary - £6,160,470.90

NI - £869,225.19

Pension - £621,414.96

Total - £7,651,111.05

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of a full-time employee of the Crown Prosecution Service serving in the role of Lead Adjudicator for the Independent Appeals Service; and whether the CPS has undertaken any assessment of potential conflicts of interest, reputational risk, or due diligence requirements associated with CPS staff holding external roles.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has established policies and procedures in place to identify, declare and manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, including where members of staff hold external roles or appointments.

The CPS Code of Conduct requires employees to seek written permission from their Head of Area Operations/HQ Business Manager before taking up any second employment or other engagement, whether paid or unpaid, and to ensure that any such work does not conflict with the performance of their duties, create a conflict of loyalty or interest, or damage (or potentially damage) public confidence in the CPS.

The CPS Conflicts of Interest Policy and Procedure requires staff to declare relevant outside interests as they arise and to keep declarations under review. Declarations are assessed by management, and decisions (including any mitigations required to address any real or perceived risks) are recorded to ensure an appropriate audit trail.

Where a declared interest raises particular reputational or propriety concerns, the policy provides for advice to be sought as appropriate, and for steps to be taken to remove or mitigate any conflict. Failures to declare relevant interests, or breaches of the Code of Conduct or Conflicts of Interest policy, may be considered under the CPS disciplinary procedures.

As a matter of longstanding practice, it is not appropriate to comment on the employment details of individual members of staff. Any external role or appointment is considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the CPS policies set out above.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64569, on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether OCS has submitted an application for payment for the costs of the 9 Downing Street media suite.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 25th March 2026, Official Report, PQ 116506.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Freedom of Information response reference FOI-251202287377 of 9 January 2026, if he will place a copy of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk for (a) midwives and (b) health visitors in the Library; and if he will place a copy of the associated guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset in the Library.

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

The NHS Learning Hub originally had five training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk. Three of these modules were retired in October 2025. The remaining two modules were subsequently updated and can be found online on the NHS Learning Hub, which is available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/Catalogue/close-relative-marriage

The guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset can be found on the NHS England Digital website, which is at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/maternity-services-data-set/guidance/msds-consanguinity-data-quality-guidance

There are currently no plans to place a copy of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk or a copy of the guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Commons Library as these are publicly available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what assessment her Department has made of the £2.50 fee charged by the DVLA for the release of vehicle keeper data to private parking companies, b) what analysis has been conducted on the volume of keeper data requests made annually by private parking companies, and c) whether her Department has had discussions with the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding oversight of the use of DVLA vehicle keeper data by private parking enforcement firms.

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

Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details from its vehicle record where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it. The fee payable by private sector organisations, including private parking companies, seeking the contact details of the registered keeper of a vehicle is £2.50. The fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the taxpayer. In line with Managing Public Money, the DVLA reviews its fees regularly to ensure that they are set to recover the costs of providing the service. Any changes would be subject to public consultation and Parliamentary approval.

The number of electronic requests for information for this purpose is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/who-dvla-shares-data-with. Vehicle keeper information is only made available to private parking operators who are members of an appropriate Accredited Trade Association (ATA). The ATAs are responsible for setting and enforcing codes of practice for their members. No analysis is undertaken in respect of the volume of requests made.

The Information Commissioner provided an opinion in 2022 confirming the release of DVLA data for private parking management is lawful and my Department maintains regular contact with the ICO on these matters.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, what systems the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency uses to track the source of applications for driving examiner roles.

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

For campaigns up to November 2025, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used the data available from the civil service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information 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. 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 direct communications from DVSA to subscribers to DVSA job alerts, 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 applications.

DVSA displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres (DTC) have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. Posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in January and February 2026.

* - Includes those who are in training to be a driving examiner

A DE is a paid DVSA employee from the point at which they start their training. The available number is only those who are qualified and who are working at DTCs doing tests. The in-post figure therefore includes those who are in training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in (i) January 2026 and (ii) February 2026.

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

For campaigns up to November 2025, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used the data available from the civil service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information 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. 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 direct communications from DVSA to subscribers to DVSA job alerts, 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 applications.

DVSA displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres (DTC) have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. Posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in January and February 2026.

* - Includes those who are in training to be a driving examiner

A DE is a paid DVSA employee from the point at which they start their training. The available number is only those who are qualified and who are working at DTCs doing tests. The in-post figure therefore includes those who are in training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, what the average click-through rate was for driving examiner recruitment campaigns in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those click-throughs resulted in completed applications.

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

For campaigns up to November 2025, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used the data available from the civil service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information 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. 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 direct communications from DVSA to subscribers to DVSA job alerts, 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 applications.

DVSA displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres (DTC) have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. Posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in January and February 2026.

* - Includes those who are in training to be a driving examiner

A DE is a paid DVSA employee from the point at which they start their training. The available number is only those who are qualified and who are working at DTCs doing tests. The in-post figure therefore includes those who are in training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how many driving test centres display recruitment posters for driving examiner roles.

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

For campaigns up to November 2025, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) used the data available from the civil service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information 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. 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 direct communications from DVSA to subscribers to DVSA job alerts, 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 applications.

DVSA displays posters in driving test centres as part of a wider mix of recruitment activity. All driving test centres (DTC) have access to a centrally produced recruitment campaign poster to be displayed in their waiting rooms. Posters are displayed only if DVSA is actively recruiting in the area.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs were in post, and out of those, how many were available to deliver practical car driving tests in January and February 2026.

* - Includes those who are in training to be a driving examiner

A DE is a paid DVSA employee from the point at which they start their training. The available number is only those who are qualified and who are working at DTCs doing tests. The in-post figure therefore includes those who are in training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to Northern Trains Ltd on the allocation of rolling stock between routes; whether the Clitheroe–Manchester line receives comparable peak-time capacity to commuter routes in Greater Manchester; and whether she has had discussions with Northern Trains Ltd on increasing the minimum number of carriages operating on peak-time services on the Clitheroe–Manchester line.

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

Rail North Partnership reviews Northern’s Train Formation Capacity Plans twice a year, in line with preparations for the May and December timetable change dates, with Northern required to prepare a plan that best matches available capacity to forecast passenger demand. It is then Northern’s responsibility to manage capacity on a day-to-day basis across its entire network.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the development and implementation timetable of PAS 2161, the proposed national data standard for road condition monitoring, and what assessment her Department has made of its potential to support more proactive identification of potholes and other road defects by local highway authorities.

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

DfT worked with local authorities and the wider highways industry to develop the PAS 2161:2024 Road condition monitoring (RCM) data specification which was published in September 2024, and is available online, at: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/road-condition-monitoring-rcm-data-specification.

In 2025 DfT carried out the process to approve road condition monitoring technologies for use against PAS 2161 for reporting the condition of the local classified road network in England to DfT. The list of PAS 2161 approved technologies was announced in September 2025 and can be found online, at: https://ukrlg.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/guidance/road-condition-information/data-collection/pas-2161/. The report on the approval process can be found at: https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/pas-2161-road-condition-monitoring-trials-2025-report.

As of April 2026, local authorities will be required to use a PAS 2161 approved technology on their classified road. PAS 2161 compliant data will be collected by DfT for the first time in Spring 2027, upon completion of the surveys for the financial year ending March 2027. Further details of the timeline can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-condition-monitoring-standard-pas-2161/road-condition-monitoring-standard-pas-2161

PAS 2161 will enable local authorities to collect more comparable and consistent condition data on their classified road network. A range of technology types have been approved for use against PAS 2161. Local authorities will be able to choose any PAS 2161 approved technology allowing them to collect the evidence they need to effectively maintain their roads and meet national reporting requirements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115449, in which month in Q3 2026 her Department will set out next steps.

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

As noted in my previous answer, a number of parking sector stakeholders conducted research into the issue of penalty charging levels, the findings of which we previously deposited in the House of Commons Library at the following link: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2287543/files. Officials are reviewing the research and its findings, and that will then inform decisions about next steps. It is not possible at this stage to give a precise date for this work.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the UK Logistics Network report published by Logistics UK in 2024.

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

The Department for Transport is aware of Logistics UK's The UK Logistics Network report (2024) and its subsequent progress tracker report (2025). The department is grateful for Logistics UK’s work and the informative contribution it makes to our evidence base for policy making that supports freight and logistics and the wider transport system.

The report and its recommendations formed part of the evidence base considered for the new plan for freight, which is due to be published later in spring. This will set out the department’s policy priorities for the sector and the actions we will take to support the efficiency of the freight network.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of the 1.) Network Railcard, 2.) 16-17 Saver, 3.) 16-25 Railcard, 4.) 26-30 Railcard, 5.) Family & Friends Railcard, 6.) Two Together Railcard, 7.) Senior Railcard, 8.) Disabled Persons Railcard and 9.) Veterans Railcard in each financial year since 2019.

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

Railcard schemes are run by the Rail Delivery Group, and scheme costs are covered by the revenue generated.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average cost per kWh is for ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging; and how this has changed since 2021.

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

This information is available from external industry sources such as Zapmap, who estimate that the current average cost of rapid/ultra rapid public charging is around 76p/kWh, as of February 2026. This price level has remained broadly constant over the past year. Average public charging price data is produced and published by Zapmap here: https://www.zapmap.com/ev-stats/charging-price-index.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 117909, how many customers have been referred to DVSA Driving Examiner roles via Jobcentre Plus in each of the six priority locations.

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

A total of 85 customers were referred by DWP to DVSA Test Centres across the six priority locations. From this number, 37 passed the assessment and have been offered roles. DVSA provided feedback on a further 26 who were unsuccessful but showed clear potential and stated it would like to support these customers with a further test if DWP can provide refresher training. The remaining 22 customers were unsuccessful.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided guidance to local planning authorities on whether recreational routes associated with major residential developments should accommodate all non-motorised users, including horse riders and people with restricted mobility.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should protect and enhance public rights of way and access, including taking opportunities to provide better facilities for users, for example by adding links to existing rights of way networks including National Trails.

The NPPF is also clear that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to promoting sustainable transport.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving examiners ceased to practice in each month from July 2024 to the latest month for which figures are available.

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

The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) who left the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in each month from July 2024 to February 2026. This data includes all DEs who have left including, for example, new DEs that were unsuccessful in completing the training process.

The above figures of course do not account for the number of driving examiners who have joined in the same time period.

Examiner capacity is rising, with 1,556 FTE examiners now in post supported by ongoing recruitment and training changes. The 1,556 FTE DEs in February 2026 is an increase of 108 when compared to the number of DEs in February 2025 (1,448 FTEs). These figures do not include potential new DEs who are currently in training.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of potholes filled in (a) 2023–24, (b) 2024-25 (c) 2025-26.

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

As announced in March 2025, local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their highways maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year. This included publishing an estimate of the number of potholes they have filled in each of the last five years. Reports are now available on local highway authorities’ websites.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has considered implementing the measures suggested by the International Energy Agency following the global oil and gas supply issues resulting from Iranian efforts to impede oil and gas transfers via the straight of Hormuz.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department works closely with the International Energy Agency to monitor oil and gas markets, including risks arising from disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. The IEA has published a range of potential measures as advice to governments across the world. These are recommendations rather than requirements.

The Government has no current plans to implement the measures suggested and will continue to work with industry and international partners to safeguard energy security.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what oversight the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency exercises over the International Parking Community (IPC) as an accredited trade association whose members access DVLA vehicle keeper data; whether the DVLA requires accredited trade associations to maintain publicly available contact details, including an office address; whether the DVLA has made an assessment of the governance and ownership arrangements of the IPC, including any transfer of ownership or control; and what criteria the DVLA applies when determining whether an accredited trade association remains eligible to access DVLA vehicle keeper data on behalf of its members.

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

The law permits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to disclose the contact details of registered keepers of UK vehicles for a number of lawful purposes. Information needed to manage parking on private land is provided only to private parking operators that are members of an appropriate Accredited Trade Association (ATA). The two ATAs for the private parking sector set and enforce their own codes of practice and private parking companies must meet these requirements to retain their membership. This helps ensure motorists are treated fairly.

The DVLA meets regularly with both ATAs to discuss their effectiveness and relevant issues. Contact details for each ATA are available on their respective websites and there is no requirement for an office address. The Department for Transport does not regulate the private parking sector and is not responsible for determining the governance or ownership arrangements of the ATAs. The ATAs do not themselves request or receive vehicle keeper details from the DVLA.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117436 on Buses: Electric Vehicles, when she expects officials to complete their investigation into reports on Chinese-manufactured electric buses; which month she expects to (a) publish the findings and (b) update the Transport Committee; and whether she has made an interim risk assessment in relation to ongoing and planned publicly funded zero-emission bus procurements.

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

The Transport Secretary remains committed to updating the Transport Select Committee on the reports on ‘Yutong’ electric buses.

It would not be appropriate to disclose any information before first updating the Committee.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the DVSA's fees strategy.

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

As DVSA’s fees are set out in legislation, any changes require a statutory process, including public consultation and subsequent legislative amendments. DVSA will publish details of any fee changes when consulting as part of the statutory process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116788, if she will make an assessment of the annual cost to police forces of (a) administering roadside drug-impairment tests and (b) drug-driving testing.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has not made an assessment on the costs to police forces for administering roadside drug-impartment tests under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and drug driving testing under section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to introduce nationally consistent guidance on the interpretation of regulations governing abnormal load movements and police escort requirements.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

There are no current plans by government to introduce national guidance governing the movement of abnormal loads.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 112231, whether his Department holds data on (a) the number of fires involving road vehicles of all types attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England each year and (b) fires involving electric vehicles as a distinct category.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDaP), and previously through the Incident Recording System (IRS). This includes information on primary fires, fire-related fatalities, and non-fatal casualties in road vehicles.

Data on the number of fires involving road vehicles of all types attended by FRSs in England is published in the Department’s fire statistics data tables, available on gov.uk here. In particular, table FIRE 0302 ‘Primary fires, fatalities and non-fatal casualties in road vehicles by motive and vehicle type, England’ presents the number of primary fires for each recorded type of road vehicle per year.

However, the data currently collected by FRSs does not identify whether a vehicle involved in a fire was an electric vehicle. The Department is therefore not able to provide data on fires involving electric vehicles as a distinct category.

Work is ongoing to update the data FaRDAP will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, and more.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of UK ETS compliance costs on ferry fares for passengers and businesses, particularly those in the hospitality sector using the Isle of Wight route.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Impact Assessment does not identify significant consumer price impacts and finds that compliance costs for domestic maritime operators are modest relative to their overall operating costs, with fuel and carbon costs forming only one part of total running costs. These findings are consistent with international evidence showing changes to ferry ticket prices in the low single digit range under equivalent carbon pricing.

The Government will review the maritime element of the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme in 2028 to ensure that its impacts remain accurate, proportionate and fully assessed as the sector continues to decarbonise.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current processes for handling incidents involving harassment, alarm or distress motivated by homophobia where relevant evidence cannot be admitted or relied upon in court; and what steps she is taking to ensure that such cases are still appropriately investigated and that victims receive adequate protection and support.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

On the 14th February, the government tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to extend existing aggravated offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to ensure equal protection across the protected characteristics of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, transgender identity and sex.

The police are operationally independent and responsible for investigating alleged offences, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to build cases that meet the evidential and public interest tests. A range of offences may apply depending on the circumstances, including under the Public Order Act 1986 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and where hostility based on sexual orientation is proven, courts may apply statutory sentencing uplifts.

Where particular evidence cannot be admitted or relied upon in court, the police are expected to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry using admissible material, and to seek early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service where appropriate. Where the evidential threshold for a charge is not met, the police can still take steps to protect victims, including the use of bail conditions and other protective measures where the relevant legal tests are satisfied.

Victims of hate crime are entitled to support under the Victims’ Code, including being kept informed of progress and signposted to appropriate services. The Government continues to fund local and national victim support services and works closely with policing partners, the Crown Prosecution Service and the College of Policing to promote consistent, evidence-led responses to hate-motivated incidents so that victims are protected and offenders are brought to justice wherever possible.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of current electricity costs on the rate of electric vehicle uptake; and what assessment he has made of the effect of electricity pricing mechanisms on those costs.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On electric vehicle uptake, the Department for Transport has not assessed the potential impact of current electricity costs on the rate of uptake, and it is too early to determine how changes in fuel and electricity prices may influence electric vehicle adoption. The Department for Transport will monitor closely and remains fully committed to the ZEV transition.

On energy pricing, Ofgem are reviewing how we could recover energy system costs from consumers (including consumers who own electric vehicles) in ways that are fairer and more efficient through their Cost Allocation and Recovery Review. DESNZ are working closely with the regulator on this.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119492, if she will publish details of the (a) month and (b) year she expects the reset of the High Speed Two programme to be completed.

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

The HS2 programme reset is underway and we are committed to updating parliament on progress on the reset in due course.

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, whether any elements of the HS2 programme’s scope, specification or associated works are expected to change in order to align the programme with the Spending Review settlement for FY2025-26 to FY2029-30.

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

The Spending Review settlement profiles reflects the scope, specification and associated works that the HS2 programme plans to deliver over the period. The HS2 programme reset work that Mark Wild is currently undertaking is underpinned by the Spending Review settlement.

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, whether any elements of the HS2 programme’s scope, specification or associated works are expected to change in order to align the programme with the Spending Review settlement for FY2025-26 to FY2029-30.

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

The Spending Review settlement profiles reflects the scope, specification and associated works that the HS2 programme plans to deliver over the period. The HS2 programme reset work that Mark Wild is currently undertaking is underpinned by the Spending Review settlement.

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.

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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the analysis commissioned to inform the motorcycles in bus lanes consultation.

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

The Department will publish the report on the Department’s website as soon as is practical and will place a copy in the libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the implications for its policies of findings from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency indicating that hybrid vehicles experience approximately 3,475 fires per 100,000 vehicles compared to around 1,500 per 100,000 for petrol and diesel vehicles; and what discussions her Department has had with international counterparts on comparative vehicle fire risk data.

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

The safety of hybrid-electric vehicles is of paramount importance to the Government and is kept under regular review.

According to data from Thatcham Research, 2022, which compares claims data from the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register against the number of that powertrain on the roads, hybrids are on average less likely to be involved in a fire than their petrol or diesel counterparts. The proportion of hybrids involved in fires per year is reported by Thatcham as 3 per 100,000, compared with petrol at 7 per 100,000 and diesel at 11 per 100,000.

There are stringent requirements already in place for hybrid vehicles (as there are for all road vehicles). UNECE Regulation No. 100, as applied in GB Type Approval, ensures hybrid EV (fire) safety through requirements to minimise fire risks associated with high-voltage components. The United Kingdom, along with international partners, plays an active role in the development of these regulations, which are informed by research and data from across the world.

The same research indicates that the risk of fire is lower still in battery electric vehicles - 1 per 100,000 per year.

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 six-day minimum hire threshold on the proportion of zero emission vehicles counted towards the Government Fleet Commitment.

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

The scope of the Government Fleet Commitment relates to vehicles that are owned or leased by HMG, and to hire vehicles used for six days or more. Short term vehicle hires, which can happen at short notice, are subject to vehicle availability at the time and the policies of each hire company.

The Greening Government Commitments, which include the GFC, are currently under review to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment, including working with lease operators and hire companies to minimise the carbon intensity of their fleets and rental vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116584 on Aviation: Colour Vision Deficiency, what independent analysis reported that only the CAD test and anomaloscopes when used correctly have 100% sensitivity and specificity when assessing colour vision.

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

The analysis in question is a paper from a French research group that was published in a peer reviewed journal in 2018. The reference is:

Marechal M, Delbarre M, Tesson J et al. Color vision tests in pilots’ medical assessments. Aerosp Med Hum Perform August 2018; 89(8): 737-743.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s processes for handling anonymous third-party medical reports relating to driving licence holders.

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

The law requires driving licence holders or applicants to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any medical condition that may affect their fitness to drive. The DVLA also considers relevant notifications received from third parties including the police, healthcare professionals and concerned relatives and friends.

Where appropriate, the DVLA will assess the information provided and if required, carry out a medical investigation. If an investigation is to be carried out, this will include asking the driver to complete a medical questionnaire and to provide authorisation for their medical professional(s) to provide information to the DVLA if necessary. A licensing decision will only be made after sufficient clinical evidence has been obtained.

When information is provided anonymously, the DVLA reviews it carefully before taking any action and no steps are taken without informing the driver.

The DVLA treats all third-party notifications in confidence and does not disclose the identity of the individual who provided the information. Acting on these notifications helps address situations where individuals may fail to notify the DVLA of a relevant medical condition themselves, either deliberately or due to a lack of awareness about their ability to continue to drive safely.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119493, what roles and functions the 210 staff transferring to DfT Operator Ltd on 1 April 2026 will undertake; from which directorates and business units within her Department those staff are being transferred; how many of those staff are employed in rail policy, rail operations and rail contracting functions; what proportion of those roles are newly created as part of the transition to public ownership; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of those transfers on staffing capacity within the core Department.

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

The functions in scope to transfer from DfT to DFTO include the majority of the Rail Services Group, as well as a small number of teams in the Rail Reform and Strategy Group and the Corporate Delivery Group.

The majority of roles transferring relate to rail policy, rail operations and rail contracting functions, with the exception of a few supporting and administrative roles. The final number of people transferring may change before 1 April due to new joiners and leavers in the 210 roles currently in scope to transfer.

None of the roles in scope to transfer are newly created, as the transition to public ownership is delivered through existing teams, including the Public Ownership Programme Directorate.

In preparation for the transfer the Department has mobilised a new sponsorship model and team, ensuring capacity in the Department and a simplified interface with DFTO.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 111871, whether any net financial efficiency savings are expected to be attributable to Network Rail from the technology and systems investments, after accounting for their up-front and ongoing costs; and what estimate her Department has made of the net cost or benefit of those investments.

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

Network Rail will write to you on this issue and incorporate a response to your question into its response to a similar question asked previously by Jerome Mayhew MP.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to reopen or replace the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme for new applicants in 2026.

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

The Government is not planning to re-open the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator to new applications.

On 25 March, Government announced £1 billion in funding to support the rollout of zero emission HGVs up to 2030, including the Zero Emission Truck and Van grants and the Depot Charging Scheme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119471 on the Vehicle Certification Agency, what the estimated financial deficit of the Vehicle Certification Agency is in monetary terms and as a percentage of full cost recovery; what assessment her Department has made of the causes of that deficit; whether the Vehicle Certification Agency should operate on a full cost recovery basis.

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

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) reported a net deficit of £8.778m in its accounts for the 2024/25 financial year. Income was reported at £22.252m against costs of £31.031m

The hourly rate charged by the VCA for technical work has not increased since 2006.

Chapter 6 of Managing Public Money, instructs government agencies that the standard approach is to “…set charges to recover full costs”, the intention of which is to “…make sure that the government neither profits at the expense of consumers nor makes a loss for taxpayers to subsidise it.”

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 118908, what assessment underpins increases in rateable values of up to 295% for UK civil airports between 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024; and what specific economic indicators were used to determine those increases.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

All assessments are underpinned by statutory assumptions defined in Schedule 6 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

For the 2026 revaluation, we consider general economic circumstances and the receipts and expenditure relevant to individual airports at the valuation date 1 April 2024. As this is the first revaluation since Covid, a large number of ratepayers may see a significant increase in rateable value compared to the previous valuation date 1 April 2021, when the country was in a pandemic lockdown.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war on the use of unmanned systems in warfare; and what steps his Department is taking to (a) incorporate lessons from Ukrainian battlefield use of drones into UK doctrine and (b) improve the UK’s defensive capabilities against hostile drone activity.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK’s Armed Forces are learning much from the war in Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics. More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Strategic Defence Review also highlighted the importance of autonomous systems both within the UK’s Integrated Force and the threats they pose to that force. Decisions on our equipment requirements, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

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.