Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost of the additional testing allowance introduced in June 2025 has been to date; and what assessment she has made of its effect on the number of tests delivered per full-time equivalent examiner.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) current Additional Testing Allowance (ATA) scheme started in June 2025 to increase practical driving test capacity through voluntary additional testing outside contracted hours.

As of June 2026, payments made under the ATA scheme total approximately £11.8 million.

The ATA scheme has contributed to increased testing capacity. In June 2026, DVSA conducted 193,757 car practical driving tests, which was 35,328 more tests than in June 2025. Between June 2025 and June 2026, DVSA conducted 278,124 more car practical driving tests than during the same period from June 2024 to June 2025. DVSA has achieved this additional testing capacity through increased driving examiner (DE) capacity (165 more full-time equivalent DEs than in June 2025), examiner overtime and other operational measures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Mass Transit Taskforce working with the devolved governments to help ensure the benefits to the UK supply chain are maximised.

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

The independently-led Mass Transit Taskforce welcomes views from members of the public, experts, operators and academics from across Britain. The call for evidence is now open and as part of its research, the Taskforce will also draw on knowledge and experience from existing mass transit systems in each of the four nations and from examples abroad.

The Taskforce will identify practical reforms to planning, financing and delivery models and make targeted recommendations to government. Decisions on where and how to deliver mass transit systems will remain entirely local. However, the Taskforce will support devolution by sharing evidence, guidance and lessons learned, including the role of UK supply chains.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Mass Transit Taskforce's remit includes tram-train projects.

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

The independently-led Mass Transit Taskforce will consider all modes of mass transit and emerging technologies. This includes Tram-train projects and other mass transit modes, including bus‑based, light rail‑based and hybrid systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many woman and girls she estimates have been victims of grooming gangs; and what methodology she uses to calculate that number.

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

The true scale of group-based child sexual exploitation remains unknown because of under-reporting, under-identification, and variations in data collection and analysis. However, data from the Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse shows that 15% of girls and 5% of boys are estimated to have been sexually abused before the age of 16.

The Home Office continues to work with policing colleagues to improve data collection and analysis to improve understanding of these crimes and to develop a more accurate understanding of victims and perpetrators.

We continue to support the Office for National Statistics work on the Safety During Childhood Survey, which will improve our understanding of the scale of a range of harms that children and young people experience, including child sexual abuse.

10 years since the start of Edinburgh’s 20mph scheme

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Submit Evidence (by 16 Oct 2026)

The Transport Committee is examining how transport issues can act as a barrier to young people finding, taking up and remaining in employment or training.

Submit Evidence (by 25 Mar 2033)

The Transport Committee is looking at how effectively the Government is keeping women and girls safe as they travel, and what more could be done to ensure that they can make their journeys without fear of violence, intimidation or harassment.