Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the validity period of theory test pass certificates for learner drivers who are unable to book a practical driving test within the current two-year period due to delays in test availability.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time.
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.
Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.
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 of the practical driving test backlog on the (a) availability and (b) scheduling of theory test appointments.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Theory test availability is monitored by both the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the external service providers. Candidates wait on average no more than 28 calendar days from booking to their theory test appointment date, as per the contractual performance measures.
Capacity in the theory test centre network is managed using demand forecasting, and ongoing monitoring of tests booked into the 210 test centres in the network across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the railcard scheme to all working-age people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to extend the railcard scheme to all working-age people, but following the establishment of Great British Railways, it will have the opportunity to review the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of some railcards. Any long-term changes or concessions made to railcard schemes require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
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 (a) local authorities and (b) private companies that own electrical infrastructure that delivers public services on using existing (i) electric infrastructure and (ii) lamp posts to create additional EV charging points.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to enable decarbonisation and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment. In the current distribution price control, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades to support low-carbon technologies, including infrastructure to support EV charging.
The Government regularly engages with the electricity network companies, which are responsible for maintaining and upgrading electrical infrastructure.
The Government also meets regularly with chargepoint operators and local authorities that plan and deliver on-street chargepoints. The £381m LEVI Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. This includes lamp post chargepoints.
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 extend free bus passes for over 60s across England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to improve (a) service quality and (b) fares for passengers once South Western Railway is under public control.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As operators transition to public ownership, improving rail service quality will remain a crucial priority for this government. The Department holds train operators to account for their performance by regularly measuring and monitoring core quality standards such as cleanliness, information and customer service, and setting challenging targets for delivery.
Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising active transport schemes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the merits of prioritising investment in active travel schemes to support its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Active travel can help to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer, healthier lives and reduce transport emissions. The Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26 on 12 February.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason hon. Members representing local constituencies were recently informed of delays to the completion of M25 junction 10 works; and what the cost to the public purse is of those delays.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The project has been delayed due to a number of factors. Severe weather, with unexpected heavy rainfall since October 2023 caused poor ground conditions. This postponed planned winter work and required a redesign of embankments and drainage. Additionally, the discovery of unexpected underground utilities along the A3 have further complicated progress, leading to extended relocation and design adjustments. Works on the M25 at junction 10 are expected to complete by late summer 2025, helping to alleviate traffic queues. The scheme is due to complete in Spring 2026. National Highways is working with its supplier to assess the full impact of delays and to minimise costs. Given the project's scale and complexity, the final cost will only be determined upon completion.
In terms of the support available for local businesses, National Highways provides compensation as established in legislation across all its projects, ensuring appropriate use of taxpayers’ money. National Highways can only consider compensation in line with legislation, for example where it takes land during scheme delivery, but not for loss of earnings during temporary road works.
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 provide support to local businesses potentially impacted by delays to the completion of M25 junction 10 works.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The project has been delayed due to a number of factors. Severe weather, with unexpected heavy rainfall since October 2023 caused poor ground conditions. This postponed planned winter work and required a redesign of embankments and drainage. Additionally, the discovery of unexpected underground utilities along the A3 have further complicated progress, leading to extended relocation and design adjustments. Works on the M25 at junction 10 are expected to complete by late summer 2025, helping to alleviate traffic queues. The scheme is due to complete in Spring 2026. National Highways is working with its supplier to assess the full impact of delays and to minimise costs. Given the project's scale and complexity, the final cost will only be determined upon completion.
In terms of the support available for local businesses, National Highways provides compensation as established in legislation across all its projects, ensuring appropriate use of taxpayers’ money. National Highways can only consider compensation in line with legislation, for example where it takes land during scheme delivery, but not for loss of earnings during temporary road works.