Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of cycling usage data used by local authorities when preparing business cases for active travel schemes; and what guidance her Department issues on the verification of such data before public funding is approved.

The Department for Transport has not made a formal assessment of the accuracy of cycling usage data used by local authorities. This is the responsibility of the local authority. Active Travel England provides guidance and tools to assist local authorities in performing effective appraisal. This includes identifying and assessing the suitability of data for business case development. The guidance supports good assurance and validation of data.