Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the final Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement will require applications for the necessary rail infrastructure to be submitted before, or alongside, an application for development consent for Heathrow expansion.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) does not require that applications for any new rail infrastructure must be submitted before, or alongside, an application for development consent for Heathrow expansion. Instead, any promoter seeking development consent would be required to demonstrate clearly the rail enhancements it proposes to deliver and a credible plan for their delivery as part of a wider, credible and deliverable surface access strategy for an expanded Heathrow. The consultation on the draft HENPS has now closed and the Government will review responses before setting out next steps.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the failure-to-attend rate for practical car driving tests was in each month since May 2026.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The answer to question 16746, 13 July 2026, provides data on the failure to attend (FTA) rate for car practical driving tests in June 2026. In July 2026, the FTA rate was 2.8% and in August 2026 it was 2.9%.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency monitors failure-to-attend rates and consider potential causes of those rates changing, together with potential interventions to reduce such rates, on an ongoing basis.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a list of legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of ports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The principal legislation applicable, as amended, to the planning and construction of ports includes:
the Planning Act 2008;
development consent orders under the 2008 Act;
the Harbours Act 1964;
harbour revision and empowerment orders under the 1964 Act;
various private Acts that apply to individual ports;
the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;
the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009;
the Transport and Works Act 1992, the Highways Act 1980 and/or various railways legislation, where relevant to connecting infrastructure;
the General Permitted Development Order; and
a range of safety, security, building and environmental regulations.
The National Policy Statement for Ports, a revised version of which is currently before the House, explains the relevance of various enactments and regulations in context.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to mandate that social media platforms remove content depicting dangerous and illegal driving, including headlights being flicked on and off at night.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the 1988 Road Traffic Act, it is illegal to drive without due care and attention. It is also illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle.
The Department works with the Home Office and policing partners through the Roads Policing Innovation Programme to effectively enforce instances of dangerous and other illegal driving.
Operational enforcement activity, including any targeted operations against suspected offending, is a matter for individual police forces.
Policy on online platforms is not the responsibility of the Department for Transport. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom independently oversees regulated services' compliance with their online safety duties. The Department has not held discussions with Ofcom on the removal of content depicting dangerous or illegal driving.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social media accounts promoting illegal driving and joyriding on road safety in Leicester East.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the 1988 Road Traffic Act, it is illegal to drive without due care and attention. It is also illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle.
The Department works with the Home Office and policing partners through the Roads Policing Innovation Programme to effectively enforce instances of dangerous and other illegal driving.
Operational enforcement activity, including any targeted operations against suspected offending, is a matter for individual police forces.
Policy on online platforms is not the responsibility of the Department for Transport. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom independently oversees regulated services' compliance with their online safety duties. The Department has not held discussions with Ofcom on the removal of content depicting dangerous or illegal driving.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the police regarding targeted enforcement operations against viral online road crime groups.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the 1988 Road Traffic Act, it is illegal to drive without due care and attention. It is also illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle.
The Department works with the Home Office and policing partners through the Roads Policing Innovation Programme to effectively enforce instances of dangerous and other illegal driving.
Operational enforcement activity, including any targeted operations against suspected offending, is a matter for individual police forces.
Policy on online platforms is not the responsibility of the Department for Transport. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom independently oversees regulated services' compliance with their online safety duties. The Department has not held discussions with Ofcom on the removal of content depicting dangerous or illegal driving.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passenger services operated by each train operating company were reported as having defective air conditioning in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department monitors the quality of service provided to passengers on board and at stations, to ensure operators are providing a safe and comfortable environment. We are therefore clear that train operators should take this seriously. It is the responsibility of individual train operating companies to gather reports on faults such as air conditioning systems for internal purposes in order to identify and fix issues with their fleet.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2026 to Question 17042 on Railways: Fares, whether DfT Operator Ltd incurred any expenditure on (a) advertising, (b) marketing, (c) public relations and (d) other communications activity in relation to the announcement of regulated rail fares for 2025-26.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DFT Operator Ltd did not incur any expenditure for 2025/26 in relation to the announcement of regulated fares.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passenger services were cancelled due to rolling stock failures by each train operating company in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold this information which is a detailed planning matter for train operators.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints on East Midlands Railway services serving Leicester were received by (a) her Department and (b) the Office of Rail and Road in each of the last three years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises the importance of passengers being able to raise concerns about their journeys. The Department does not hold complaint data for East Midlands Railway (EMR) services serving Leicester. The Office of Rail and Road regularly publishes performance information for all train operators on its website.