Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.
Answered by Anna McMorrin - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on how our two governments are delivering, investing in Wales’s future and strengthening our union.
Through a record budget settlement for the Welsh Government, alongside our investment into Welsh rail, Growth Deals, Investment Zones, Freeports, Pride in Place Funds and our Defence Growth Deal for Wales – we are working together to improve public services, support communities, drive jobs, and deliver economic growth.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.
Answered by Anna McMorrin - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on how our two governments are delivering, investing in Wales’s future and strengthening our union.
Through a record budget settlement for the Welsh Government, alongside our investment into Welsh rail, Growth Deals, Investment Zones, Freeports, Pride in Place Funds and our Defence Growth Deal for Wales – we are working together to improve public services, support communities, drive jobs, and deliver economic growth.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using the Sutton Park freight line for passenger services on (a) the capacity of the West Coast main line and (b) passenger services into central Birmingham.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline investment portfolio was set out in the June 2025 Spending Review settlement.
The Department for Transport is not actively exploring this proposal for the Sutton Park freight line, but local authorities such as West Midlands Combined Authority, are free to develop local proposals for investment using their own devolved transport funding.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of the (a) adequacy of the application process, (b) financial cost of the application and (c) potential impact of time restrictions on the (i) uptake and (ii) utility to users of (A) Blue Badges, (B) Disabled Person’s Bus Passes and (C) other forms of disability-related transport support available to qualifying people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Blue Badge scheme helps people with significant mobility issues - both visible and hidden - park closer to their destination, whether they’re drivers or passengers. It offers national on-street parking concessions, including free and time-unlimited parking in restricted areas and up to three hours on yellow lines (unless loading restrictions apply). Local authorities manage the scheme, while the Department manages and supports improvements to the digital application process.
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel for eligible disabled people and those of state pension age. The scheme costs around £700 million annually, and any changes must consider financial sustainability. A recent review included travel times for disabled passholders, and next steps are being considered. Local authorities administer ENCTS and may offer additional concessions at their own expense.
The Disabled Persons Railcard offers a third off rail fares for the cardholder and a companion, with over 348,000 in circulation as of March 2025. It is valid during peak times and provides excellent value. A review of the scheme has been completed, and any updates will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Rail passengers in the North to benefit from simpler fares and cheaper tickets thanks to public ownership, published on 24 July 2025, which (a) fares and (b) routes will be cheaper under Great British Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
GBR will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare. We are already bringing some of the benefits to passengers as more train operators are brought into public ownership under DfTO. As announced on 24 July, LNER, TransPennine Express and Northern have expanded the availability of advance fares, making travel cheaper for passengers on journeys that cross between them.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support transport workers who have been assaulted while at work.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Violence or abuse against public transport workers is unacceptable. The Government is committed to ensuring that staff across the network not only feel safe but are safe while carrying out their duties. The Department for Transport works closely with the transport industry and, on the railways, with the British Transport Police to maintain a safe environment for both staff and passengers.
Through the Bus Services (No.2) Act, we proposed to mandate training for staff working in the bus industry, including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public, on how to recognise and respond to incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour on public transport. We will make clear that training will require a person to take steps to prevent crime or anti-social behaviour only where it is safe to do so.
Rail operators take the personal safety of their staff seriously, with help given by the Department where required. Many have internal support systems in place for workers who have been assaulted or suffered abuse at work. In addition, whenever a crime is reported the police will signpost independent victim support services that the worker can contact at anytime for help and support.
It is essential that staff continue to report any instances of abuse or violence to the police so it can be investigated and offenders brought to justice. The British Transport Police are the dedicated police service for the railway and one of their priorities is ensuring it remains a safe place for staff and they will actively pursue offenders who abuse or are violent towards staff.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of the (a) rebrand, (b) design, (c) production and (d) promotion of the rebranded See it. Say it. Sorted. campaign.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The total cost for the relaunch of the See It. Say It. Sorted. campaign was £333,751.00 (+ VAT). This was the first update of the campaign since its launch in 2016.
Rail operators are mandated by security regulations to print and disseminate the campaign materials at their own cost, so there are no additional costs of production or promotion.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people signed up to take part in the digital rail tickets trial scheme between Harrogate and Leeds (a) before and (b) after it began.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Digital Pay As You Go trials are an opportunity for passengers to test cutting-edge technology and benefit from simpler, more flexible tickets.
We have had good engagement from passengers across the trial routes so far, with 656 users on Trial 2. Before launch, 582 passengers expressed taking part in this trial. The Department and delivery partners are pushing for as close to 1000 participants per trial as possible to gather passenger views and effectively evaluate this innovative technology.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce antisocial behaviour on public transport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities, to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling.
This includes proposals in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, such as staff training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour (ASB). The Bill also enables all Local Transport Authorities to introduce byelaws to tackle ASB on vehicles, as well as within and at bus-related infrastructure (for example bus stations).
On the rail network, DfT and the BTP are committed to working closely with Train Operating Companies to ensure our railways are safe, reliable, and efficient for all passengers, staff, and communities. This includes tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) that might annoy, frighten, intimidate, or otherwise upset other people.
In addition, in November 2023, the Department provided £2.5 million for five pilot schemes in England, aimed at tackling ASB on public transport, primarily by introducing Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) on the network. The pilots came to an end in March 2025, and a full evaluation of the programme is being carried out. We are also developing a guide for local authorities who are considering using similar schemes to allow them to decide whether these approaches would work on their local networks.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the £123 million allocated to the development of the Midlands Rail Hub has been assigned to design the East Chord of the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the 2025 Spending Review the Chancellor committed to progress the next stage of Midlands Rail Hub, which includes the East Chord, building on £123m previously released. Network Rail are procuring a contractor to design and build the scheme.