Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration his department has given to reducing the 6-month grace period that utility companies have to undertake full repairs to paving in town centres.

Statutory guidance already makes clear that permanent reinstatements should be completed by utility companies as soon as reasonably practicable and that, where an interim reinstatement is used, it should normally be made permanent within six months.

The Department considers this period to be proportionate, balancing the need for timely, high‑quality permanent repairs with practical considerations such as the availability of appropriate materials and the safe coordination of works.