Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will undertake a review of the timeline to bring the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 into force to allow an earlier rollout of proven supervised systems (a) to support older drivers seeking safe mobility and (b) in general.

The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act 2024 implementation timeline is designed to prioritise the development and implementation of a regulatory framework that maximises innovation, public safety, and public confidence by the second half of 2027. By incorporating opportunity for extensive consultation, the timeline will help facilitate the realisation of AV benefits to specific demographics and more broadly.

In June 2025, the Government announced an acceleration of the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme to spring 2026, subject to consultation. In deciding whether to grant a permit, the Secretary of State must have regard to whether, and to what extent, the granting of the permit is likely to lead to an improvement in the understanding of how automated passenger services should best be designed for, and provided to, older or disabled passengers. A consultation on the scheme is open until 28th September.

Alongside developing our domestic regulations, we are playing a leading role in work to harmonise international rules on self-driving; this work is anticipated to complete in early 2027.