Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
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 requiring learner drivers to complete accredited CPR and defibrillator awareness training as part of the process of obtaining a full driving licence; and whether she plans to introduce such a requirement.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information about first aid, including CPR, is already included in the official learning materials by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the Highway Code and Driving Essential Skills. Questions are then asked as part of the driver theory test to check learning has taken place.
The requirement for learner drivers to complete accredited CPR and defibrillator awareness training as part of the process of obtaining a full driving licence would require legislative change. There are no current plans to introduce mandatory CPR training as part of the learning to drive process.
DVSA believes testing this knowledge at theory test stage is the correct and proportionate approach. It is important the practical driving test examines as rigorously as possible a person’s ability to drive safely in different road and traffic conditions.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the restrictions applied to the Network Railcard; and if she will take steps to permit its use on weekday morning services before 10am.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to review the Network Railcard scheme. The Network Railcard was designed to stimulate leisure travel and is restricted to encourage travel outside of the busy morning peak. In future, Great British Railways(GBR) will have the flexibility to update and expand concessionary offers as passenger needs evolve.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the use of provisional licence holders riding mopeds displaying learner plates (L-plates) to undertake commercial delivery work; and whether she plans to introduce measures to prevent individuals who have not passed a full motorcycle test from carrying out such work.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government expects those driving or riding for work to keep both themselves and other road users safe. As such we have committed to piloting a new voluntary Work-Related Road Safety Charter that is being developed in partnership with industry. The Charter will be informed by existing schemes such as Driving for Better Business and encourage everyone involved in driving or riding for work to improve road safety. That includes delivery drivers riding mopeds.
The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) consultation on improving moped and motorcycle training, testing and licensing closed on 11 May. The consultation was launched with a range of measures designed to support a targeted review of the training, testing and licensing framework for motorcyclists, and the aim of improving safety and modernising and simplifying access to motorcycling. In part, reforms aim to encourage progression to full licences, particularly for those riding for work. We are now analysing the responses and will publish the outcome of the consultation on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with airport operators on recent increases in terminal drop-off charges at (a) Heathrow Airport and (b) other airports; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these charges on passengers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport regularly engages with airport operators on a range of matters, including surface access and car parking arrangements at airports. The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of car parking and drop-off charges on passengers. The provision and charging of airport parking are matters for each airport to manage and justify as a commercial business. Parking revenue including that from drop-off charges, is an important source of income for airports, supporting investment in future infrastructure and upgrades, enhancing public transport options, and helping to manage congestion around airport sites. We will continue to engage with operators to ensure that where airports do choose to charge, they do so in a way that is fair and transparent.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to ensure that fares set by Great British Railways are priced consistently regardless of direction of travel where there is no operational justification for differential pricing.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is overhauling the complex fares system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are getting the right fare. We are already delivering positive changes, including expanding pay as you go ticketing, and trialling easier to understand fares on some long-distance routes. Where operators have implemented directional pricing in the past this has reflected a range of commercial and operational decisions. While we have not assessed specific instances (such as the Portsmouth direct line), the move to Great British Railways will enable a consistent and holistic approach to fares setting.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of directional differences in rail fares on (a) part-time workers, (b) hybrid workers and (c) self-employed commuters on the Portsmouth Direct Line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is overhauling the complex fares system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are getting the right fare. We are already delivering positive changes, including expanding pay as you go ticketing, and trialling easier to understand fares on some long-distance routes. Where operators have implemented directional pricing in the past this has reflected a range of commercial and operational decisions. While we have not assessed specific instances (such as the Portsmouth direct line), the move to Great British Railways will enable a consistent and holistic approach to fares setting.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Great British Railways will be required to publish the justification for directional differences in rail fares on the same route.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is overhauling the complex fares system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are getting the right fare. We are already delivering positive changes, including expanding pay as you go ticketing, and trialling easier to understand fares on some long-distance routes. Where operators have implemented directional pricing in the past this has reflected a range of commercial and operational decisions. While we have not assessed specific instances (such as the Portsmouth direct line), the move to Great British Railways will enable a consistent and holistic approach to fares setting.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has held discussions with optical providers on participation in a scheme for eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over renewing their licence; and whether she is taking steps to ensure that any such scheme allows certification by any suitably qualified optician rather than a single provider.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers. We welcome responses from optometrists and optometrist organisations to the consultations.
On 24 February, I chaired a roundtable meeting on eyesight and older drivers which involved representatives from the optical sector and optometrist organisations to discuss mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.
Department officials have also met with various optometrist organisations (including the College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers.
We will continue to engage with optometrist organisations as our policies develop further.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on safety from overcrowding on Great Western Railway services, including where planned rolling stock capacity is reduced due to engineering works overrunning; and what steps her Department is taking to address those risks before Great Western Railway enters public ownership, including through its contractual and oversight arrangements.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great Western Railway (GWR) is responsible for the safe operation of its train services at all times, including during times of disruption or following engineering overrun. GWR is also responsible for ensuring deployment of its train fleet to best match demand, but despite this trains can still become very busy at certain peak times or during disruption. Whilst crowded trains can be uncomfortable, they are not necessarily unsafe.
The Department monitors train loadings carefully and continues to hold GWR to account against its contractual obligations as the Public Ownership Programme continues. This includes ensuring GWR is appropriately deploying its train fleet and working collaboratively with Network Rail to develop robust plans to support engineering work including mitigations plans for restoring service in the event of an overrun.
GWR has experienced an increase in short formations on services across its intercity train fleet in recent periods due to issues with diesel engines. These issues have now stabilised, with a noticeable reduction in recent weeks, and the department continues to monitor this closely.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to publish an assessment of the potential impact of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the Government’s environmental improvement goals.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The zero emission vehicle transition is crucial to the UK meeting its climate change obligations – and to delivering wider environmental benefits, including improvements to air quality. It will drive economic growth and help make Britain a clean energy superpower.
The ZEV transition is a major component of our Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, which was published in October 2025. There are therefore no plans at present to publish a specific assessment.