Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress LNER has made on replacing passenger information screens at York and Newcastle stations since 17 December 2025; and what steps she is taking to enhance passenger information across LNER-managed stations.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has completed the roll out of the very latest colour customer information screens, that also feature British Sign Language, on the main departure boards at York and Newcastle stations. LNER will replace customer information screens on platforms throughout these stations over the next two years. In addition, new ticket vending machines will transform how information is delivered, featuring dual-screen technology for an improved customer experience. This remains on track to be delivered by Spring 2027.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress LNER has made on replacing passenger information screens at York and Newcastle stations since 17 December 2025; and what steps she is taking to enhance passenger information across LNER-managed stations.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
London Northeastern Railway (LNER) has completed the roll out of the very latest colour customer information screens, that also feature British Sign Language, on the main departure boards at York and Newcastle stations. LNER will replace customer information screens on platforms throughout these stations over the next two years. In addition, new ticket vending machines will transform how information is delivered, featuring dual-screen technology for an improved customer experience. This remains on track to be delivered by Spring 2027.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has made of the potential impact of the new online medical services portal on people with medical conditions who are digitally excluded; and what alternative support is available to those unable to use online services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services currently adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and work is underway to bring all services to WCAG 2.2 level AA status to attain full compliance with the most recent accessibility requirements. These are an internationally recognised set of recommendations to ensure services are accessible to everyone, including users with impairments to their, vision, hearing, mobility and/or thinking/understanding.
As part of service development, the DVLA tests services with users who have a wide range of accessibility needs and uses a digital inclusion scale to ensure testing covers of varying skill and confidence levels. Ahead of any new service being launched, a service assessment is also conducted by independent panel members.
While digital services are increasingly available, the DVLA recognises that not all customers can or want to access services online or via a mobile device. Customers can contact the DVLA by telephone, or in writing in these circumstances and paper application facilities continue to be available.
The DVLA also offers a variety of reasonable adjustments to support customers, ranging from simple adjustments such as providing correspondence on coloured paper or in large print, to providing a Video Relay Service for British Sign Language users who want to contact the DVLA via telephone.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment includes participation from people with (a) current experience of claiming disability benefits and (b) high support or communication needs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review is being co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. The steering group is committed to ensuring that the Review is informed by a broad range of voices and experiences and to making engagement as accessible as possible.
The steering group has agreed to use a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data, workshops, and deliberative events across the UK to gather evidence. The steering group will share more details on these as the review progresses.
The Review has so far launched a Call for Evidence to gather input from individuals and organisations, with a full suite of accessible versions, including British Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, and Welsh versions.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration his Department gave to the design of payment arrangements for participants in the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment to support participation by people in receipt of benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review is being co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. The steering group is committed to ensuring that the Review is informed by a broad range of voices and experiences and to making engagement as accessible as possible.
The steering group has agreed to use a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data, workshops, and deliberative events across the UK to gather evidence. The steering group will share more details on these as the review progresses.
The Review has so far launched a Call for Evidence to gather input from individuals and organisations, with a full suite of accessible versions, including British Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, and Welsh versions.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reasonable adjustments his Department has put in place to support participants in the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment to share their views and experiences.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Timms Review is being co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. The steering group is committed to ensuring that the Review is informed by a broad range of voices and experiences and to making engagement as accessible as possible.
The steering group has agreed to use a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data, workshops, and deliberative events across the UK to gather evidence. The steering group will share more details on these as the review progresses.
The Review has so far launched a Call for Evidence to gather input from individuals and organisations, with a full suite of accessible versions, including British Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, and Welsh versions.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of the SEND reform consultation process for families with caring responsibilities, disability, literacy barriers or limited time to engage with technical documentation; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that responses received are representative of the families most affected by the proposed reforms.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) National Conversation engaged over 8,000 people to shape SEND reform proposals ahead of formal consultation.
The SEND consultation document, published on 23 February 2026, was available in multiple formats, including print-ready, web-accessible and large print versions, as well as an Easy Read version, a children and young people’s version, and a British Sign Language version. Braille and 20-point large print versions were also available on request.
Formal consultation ran for 12 weeks until 18 May 2026. Respondents could submit views online via 39 open ended questions or a shorter set of 12 Easy Read questions. Respondents could also submit a response in any format by post or by email.
Alongside this, the department held over 200 engagement events to ensure families affected by the reforms were able to give their views on the proposed changes to the system. This included 9 regional events and 5 online events in partnership with the Council for the Disabled Children (CDC), as well as 26 youth engagement events led by CDC. Ministers held deep dives on key topics, roundtables, and workshops to broaden participation further.
The department is now analysing the consultation responses, which will inform the next phase of policy development.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to increase sign language fluency in English state schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department supports British Sign Language (BSL) as an important part of our inclusive education strategy. While BSL is not currently part of the national curriculum, schools are free to teach it if they wish, and many already do to meet the needs and interests of their pupils.
The government, working with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), has also developed the content and assessment arrangements for a new BSL GCSE and is actively encouraging exam boards to develop qualification specifications. We have written to the exam boards to encourage them to seize the opportunity to offer this high-quality qualification to ensure young people can study BSL at GCSE. The development of a BSL GCSE is an important step toward fostering greater recognition of BSL as a language. It will give young people the chance to develop fluency in BSL and to explore its rich history as a language, helping to break down barriers between deaf and hearing communities.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the online driving license renewal process and other GOV.UK websites provide accessible digital services for members of the public to complete administrative processes effectively and within an appropriate timeframe.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services currently adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and work is underway to bring all services to WCAG 2.2 level AA status to attain full compliance with the most recent accessibility requirements. These are an internationally recognised set of recommendations to ensure services are accessible to everyone, including users with impairments to their vision, hearing, mobility and/or thinking/understanding.
As part of service development, the DVLA tests services with users who have a wide range of accessibility needs and uses a digital inclusion scale to ensure testing covers varying skill and confidence levels. A service assessment is also conducted by independent panel members ahead of any new service being launched.
The DVLA has a range of digital contact channels available, including a webchat facility that includes an upfront automated chatbot to provide out of hours support for customers. A webform service is also available to customers 24/7, where a system generated auto-response email will be provided for simple enquiries, or an advisor will reply via email as soon as possible for more complex queries. The DVLA also recently launched a WhatsApp service which provides customers with a further choice of preferred contact channel.
The DVLA offers a variety of reasonable adjustments to customers which can range from simple adjustments like providing correspondence on coloured paper or in large print, to providing a video relay service for British Sign Language users who want to contact the DVLA via telephone.
While digital services are increasingly available, the DVLA recognises that not all customers can or want to access services online. Customers can contact the DVLA by telephone or in writing in these circumstances and paper application facilities are also available.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to fund sustained public awareness activity on meningitis, including awareness of signs and symptoms, available vaccinations and when to seek urgent medical help.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, as well as the benefits of the MenACWY vaccine, remains a Department funding priority.
The Department, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England have been working with national and local partners across the higher education, further education, school and early years sectors on meningitis. This includes sharing a range of resources to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia/sepsis, when to seek medical attention and the vaccine offers available.
Engagement and support with key sector stakeholders will continue throughout the year with further sharing communications resources and digital content on owned channels raising awareness of signs and symptoms and encouraging uptake of the MenACWY vaccine.
UKHSA provides a range of resources and assets, co-branded with the NHS, including information leaflets about the importance of vaccination and posters about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia. These are available in multiple languages and accessible formats, including easy read, British Sign Language, and braille, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-public-health-resources
A collaboratively produced university vaccine communications toolkit is also available and is shared via Universities UK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education, with further information available at the following link: