Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence her Department has on the relationship between licence level (full motorcycle licence versus Compulsory Basic Training) and road safety outcomes for riders engaged in commercial delivery work.

The Department for Transport does not hold evidence on the relationship between licence level and road safety outcomes for riders engaged in commercial delivery work. Licence type is not part of the current STATS19 specification agreed by the Standing Committee on Road Injury Collision Statistics (SCRICS), which seeks to balance the value of the road collision data with the burdens of collecting the data. Driving licence information is likely to be held within police systems, including the CRASH system managed by the Department, but is not routinely extracted for statistical purposes beyond identifying whether a licence is full or provisional.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the strategy the government has published a consultation on an ambitious package of reforms to modernise and improve the current training, testing and licensing regime for Category A moped and motorcycle licences in Great Britain. This consultation will help inform a targeted review of the training, testing and licensing regime. We will take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector.

As set out in the consultation, it is understood that a proportion of riders undertake Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) but don’t go on to take their theory and practical tests to gain a full motorcycle licence. Between March 2023 and March 2025 77,000 learner riders repeated their CBT course. One aim of the consultation is to determine if riders, including those engaged in commercial delivery work, should be prevented from continually riding on a provisional licence.

The safety of anyone driving on our roads is a priority, and that includes those who ride for work. That is why we also announced in our new Road Safety Strategy that we will pilot a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter for businesses that require people to drive or ride for them. This includes the use of HGVs, Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), cars, motorcycles, e-cycles and cycles. The pilot will run for two years and will be monitored and fully evaluated. The aim of the Charter is to help employers to reduce work-related road risk and improve safety for all road users by promoting good practice, and to improve compliance with current legislation and guidance.