theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce additional independent oversight mechanisms beyond the Office of Rail and Road. \p Keir Mather: GBR will be required to deliver transparently. As the single shareholder of GBR, the Transport Secretary will have oversight of GBR, supported by independent monitoring and scrutiny by ORR. An independent Passenger Watchdog will also ensure passenger interests are clearly represented.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the former Secretary of State for Transport (the Hon Member for Sheffield Heeley) received and accepted a Ministerial severance payment. \p Simon Lightwood: Information relating to Ministerial severance payments are published in the annual DfT accounts.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of negotiating regulatory alignment with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. \p Keir Mather: The Government has been clear that it will work to reset the relationship with Europe, strengthen ties, and tackle barriers to trade. As part of this, the Government is continuing to seek expansions to the Aviation Safety Chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) where appropriate. We remain committed to establishing closer cooperation with the EU where possible.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will support the financial resilience of small and medium-sized haulage businesses facing increased fuel and operating costs. \p Keir Mather: We regularly engage with road haulage industry associations and wider industry to understand the financial challenges faced by the sector including its small and medium sized businesses.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. HGVs will see an average saving of £1,100 in 2025/26.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has produced an impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant criteria. \p Keir Mather: The Department has completed an internal impact assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials will continue to monitor the grant and its impact, to ensure the scheme meets its objectives and assess its ongoing value for money.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what economic analysis she has carried out on construction of a third runway at Heathrow. \p Keir Mather: My department has recently commenced the ANPS review. As there have been significant changes since the ANPS was designated in 2018 the review is being undertaken to reflect changes in legislation, policy and data and to ensure any proposed scheme meets the Government’s four tests. One of these tests is that it contributes to economic growth across the country, as such economic analysis will form part of the ANPS review.

The currently published economic analysis undertaken as part of the designation of the ANPS in 2018 can be found in the Updated Appraisal Report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airport-expansion-updated-cost-and-benefits-appraisal.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects her Department to issue a response to the call for evidence on a 2040 zero emissions airport target that was published in May 2023. \p Keir Mather: The Government is committed to delivering greener transport and supporting its missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are making great strides in transitioning to greener aviation, including work on sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation, and low-emission technologies.

We are considering what role an airport decarbonisation target could play as part of our broader approach to decarbonising aviation. We will set out the next steps in due course.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25857 on Written Questions: Government Responses, and to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82741 on Transport: Finance, if she will provide a relevant hyperlink to the information. \p Lilian Greenwood: Transport for City Regions settlements (TCR) allocations, published in June 2025, can be found at Transport for City Regions funding allocations - GOV.UK
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 82989 on Level 7 apprenticeships, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of this policy on workforce availability in the transport sector. \p Lilian Greenwood: No meeting occurred between the Secretary of State and the Department for Education Secretary of State regarding Level 7 apprenticeship funding, as the responsibility now lies with the Department for Work and Pensions’ Secretary of State.

The Government is prioritising funding to support young entrants, helping them take their first steps in rewarding careers, particularly in transport. The removal of Level 7 apprenticeships for those over 22 is expected to have a negligible impact on the transport sector, as confirmed by the Department for Work and Pensions during the Transport Select Committee on Skills on 5 November 2025. Level 7 apprenticeships remain funded for learners under 22-years-old as part of Government reforms, recognising their value for young people.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85831 on Public Houses, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the drink drive micrograms levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy, the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving. We intend to publish this by the end of the year.

The power to set the drink drive limit in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Motor Insurance Taskforce report will be published. \p Lilian Greenwood: The motor insurance taskforce report will be published shortly.
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Sir Oliver Dowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is her Department’s timetable for announcing future rounds of funding for the Access for All programme. \p Simon Lightwood: Access for All funding for the current Spending Review period has been allocated, with projects to be announced in due course.

We would expect any future rounds to align to future Spending Review periods. Until then, accessibility upgrades can be funded via a variety of sources, such as Section 106 developer contributions.
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Peter Lamb:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to improve taxi licensing policy, in the context of the findings of the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. \p Lilian Greenwood: We have committed to legislate to address the issues raised in Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We want to achieve two outcomes; the first is ensuring we have consistently high safeguarding standards. The second is that there is no unintended reduction in the availability of licensed taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could disproportionately impact women and girls and disabled people, who rely on these services the most. We are considering all options – including out-of-area working, national standards, enforcement and transferring licensing to local transport authorities - seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters, including safety. All licensing authorities have reported that they require the highest level of criminal background checks for taxi and private hire vehicle driver licence applicants – an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s and adults’ barred lists. Where key safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on 10mph speed limits. \p Lilian Greenwood: Decisions on making local speed limits on roads in England rest with traffic authorities who have responsibility for roads in local areas. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance to assist authorities setting local speed limits, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86749 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has provided vehicle keeper data to, or received income from, any third-party organisations or agents acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council since July 4 2024. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has provided vehicle keeper data to and received income from third-party organisations or agents acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council since 4 July 2024.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by her Department since 4 July 2024. \p Simon Lightwood: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Simon Lightwood: The table below shows the amount the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in the last five financial years:

Financial year

Spend on translation and interpretation service

2020-2021

£30,081.48

2021-2022

£51,485.04

2022-2023

£77,577.38

2023-2024

£110,494.64

2024-2025

£124,951.66
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of when the average waiting time for driving tests will be below seven weeks. \p Simon Lightwood: There are several factors driving higher demand for tests, and it is not currently possible to say when waiting times will reduce to 7-weeks or fewer. The Secretary of State will be working closely with DVSA in addressing this important issue.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests

• introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.

• make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the regulatory changes required to enable the commercial deployment of autonomous ride-hailing services at scale in the UK, similar to those operating in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles. \p Simon Lightwood: The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the Act) sets the foundation for enabling the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles on roads in Great Britain with full implementation of the Act planned for the second half of 2027.

Earlier this year, government announced the decision to accelerate implementation of the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme to Spring 2026. This permitting scheme can help to facilitate pilots of commercial self-driving passenger services with no safety driver, from spring 2026. Any companies looking to deploy their vehicles will need to meet safety requirements and gain local authority consent.

The deployment of these services as self-driving vehicles is enabled through the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018. To be seen as self-driving, the vehicle must, in the opinion of the Secretary of State for Transport, be capable of safely driving themselves without human oversight or intervention for some or all of journey.

The Vehicle Certification Agency will undertake the assessment, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to assess whether a vehicle is capable of driving itself without human intervention.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with National Highways on Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) reports; and what her planned timetable is for publication of existing unpublished POPE reports. \p Simon Lightwood: Post opening project evaluation (POPE) reports are detailed and complex evaluations and it is right that we take the time to fully assure findings. We are committed to transparency and will provide an update on publication in due course.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what circumstances she would extend track access rights for existing operators on the network. \p Simon Lightwood: Track Access Rights are managed independently by the Office of Rail and Road.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the criteria that will be used by Great British Railways to allocate funding for (a) infrastructure and (b) rolling stock. \p Simon Lightwood: Spending Review 25 and CP7 set railway budgets up to and including financial year 2028/29. The next Periodic Review and future Spending Reviews determine funding levels beyond 2028/29. While it’s government’s responsibility to allocate funding for GBR to use, including for infrastructure and rolling stock activity, it will be GBR’s responsibility, as the railways’ directing mind, to decide how it intends to carry out that activity within the funding allocated.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75870 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, what the terms of reference are for the new research on pavement parking; what the budget is; and how the research contract will be awarded. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Terms of Reference are yet to be drafted, however, we have commissioned the design stage of a study to update and strengthen our evidence base on the extent and impact of pavement parking. The purpose of the research will be to understand not only where and how pavement parking occurs but how it affects people’s lives, and particularly the lives of vulnerable road users. This research will enable the Department to evaluate the impact of any future changes to pavement parking policies. The design stage has been awarded to Frontier Economics and SYSTRA under an existing call-off contract, with agreed framework rates (under Public Contracts Regulations 2015). The budget is still being agreed. Budget and commissioning routes for further stages of the study cannot be specified at this stage.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of licensed private hire drivers with criminal convictions for (a) sexual and (b) violence against the person in offences in England. \p Lilian Greenwood: All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a taxi or private hire vehicle driver’s licence is a fit and proper person to be a licensee and that they remain so throughout the duration of the licence. As part of this assessment all licensing authorities have reported that they undertake an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check and check both the children’s and adults’ barred lists.

Licensing authorities make decisions based on “the balance of probability”, so when determining whether a driver remains fit and proper to hold a licence, a driver should not be given the benefit of the doubt. If a licensing authority is only fifty percent certain as to whether a licensee is fit and proper, they should not hold a licence. The threshold used here is lower than for a criminal conviction (that being beyond reasonable doubt). This means that driver licences may be revoked even if any safety concerns do not result in a criminal conviction.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles (a) are taxed, (b) have Statutory Off Road Notifications, (c) are untaxed and (d) are undeclared as having Statutory Off Road Notifications by nation and region. \p Simon Lightwood: The information requested is shown in the table below. Please note the table includes vehicles for which there is a current registered keeper on record and where a postcode match was found:

England regions

Taxed vehicles

Vehicles for which a SORN has been made

East Midlands

3,230,522

520,712

East of England

4,352,181

668,578

London

3,008,654

429,872

North East

1,509,315

207,761

North West

4,503,390

549,655

South East

6,883,503

826,967

South West

4,353,614

641,457

West Midlands

3,667,490

609,163

Yorkshire & The Humber

3,335,460

479,448

Total for England

34,844,129

4,933,613

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Taxed vehicles

2,086,861

3,218,548

1,306,521

Vehicles for which a SORN has been made

410,187

505,357

357,610

The most recent information available shows that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were properly licensed. More detail can be found at the following link: gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023

Information is not available about vehicles which are being kept off the road but for which no SORN is in place.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to tackle the sale of illegally modified e-bikes. \p Lilian Greenwood: E-bikes can only be legally used on the roads where they comply in full with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Act received Royal Assent in July. One of the main aims of the Act is to prevent unsafe products, including illegally modified e-bikes, being made available to consumers by online marketplaces.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has a market surveillance unit and has the powers to act against retailers selling non-compliant e-bikes, including those that have been modified.

The police also have the powers to seize non-complaint e-bikes being used on the public roads.
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Jen Craft:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language. \p Simon Lightwood: Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AAA criterion. As outlined in the Government Service Standard, all digital government services must as a minimum meet Level AA. AAA is best practice.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

The Department for Transport is committed to creating accessible communications for British Sign Language (BSL) users, as set out in our British Sign Language 5-year plan.

The Department and its public bodies have not yet directly taken steps to develop or use artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to British Sign Language. However, as described in both our Transport AI Action Plan and our Science Innovation and Technology Plan, the Department has used its First of a Kind funding programme to supported innovative AI projects like Signapse Ltd’s mobile app that uses AI to turn timetable and station information into British Sign Language for deaf customers. There are now several examples in the public domain of this kind of application of AI for providing passenger information in BSL being used by train operators and other transport providers.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Question 8287answered on 16 October 2024, what is the (a) status of the best practice guide to community consultation and engagement and (b) when this guide will be completed. \p Lilian Greenwood: Following consultation with stakeholders, Active Travel England’s Rural Design Guidance is currently in its final development stages and is expected to be published by the end of the year.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to tackle the illegal usage of e-scooters. \p Simon Lightwood: Enforcement of illegal e-scooter use is a matter for the police and there are a range of motoring offences and penalties that can be used, such as criminal prosecution, points on the user’s driving licence, and having the e-scooter seized.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will likely include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. This will help the police to crack down on those who use them in an unlawful or irresponsible way.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of “historic vehicle” status on preserving Britain's motoring heritage. \p Simon Lightwood: Classic and historic vehicles are a testament to British innovation and the Government is committed to supporting this sector. Following a call for evidence, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) worked closely with historic vehicle stakeholders and in August 2025 new policies were introduced to support vehicles that have been repaired, restored and modified. The new guidance supports historic vehicle keepers and the wider industry with clearer registration processes that reflect modern restoration and modification practices.

The feedback from the historic and classic vehicle sector is that the new policies reflect a pragmatic approach and address the major issues raised. The new policy has alleviated many of the difficulties associated with the previous policies.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to ensure that the route of East-West Rail is covered by 5G mobile signal prior to the first services running on the Marston Vale Line. \p Keir Mather: East West Rail Company (EWR Co) will install high-capacity fibre along the line of route including the Marston Vale Line, which has spare capacity designated for third-party telecommunications such as to provide 5G mobile signal for passenger use. EWR Co are currently exploring options for how 5G data connectivity could be provided including through third party funding.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a criminal offence of assaulting a public transport worker. \p Keir Mather: There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts quickly and that the British Transport Police have a specific remit to protect all rail staff and passengers.

Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We therefore do not believe that creating a specific offence will have the intended purpose of reducing assaults.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rail companies maintain (a) station ramps and (b) boarding equipment to safe standards for passengers using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. \p Simon Lightwood: All train and station operators must develop an Accessible Travel Policy, approved by the Office of Rail and Road. This requires operators to ensure that they make ramps that are fit for purpose, (either at the station or on board the train) to facilitate the boarding or alighting of the train by disabled people.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve (a) road resurfacing and (b) other infrastructure completion times. \p Simon Lightwood: This year, the Government made an additional £500 million available for local highway authorities to maintain their highway network, bringing the total to a record investment of nearly £1.6 billion. A quarter of the additional funding is contingent upon local highway authorities complying with certain criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance.

The Government also supports the rollout of lane rental schemes. This allows highway authorities to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times. This encourages quicker completion, off-peak working, or relocating works to reduce disruption on our roads. From January 2026, authorities will be able to use 50% of lane rental revenue for highway maintenance.

Highway authorities can issue overrun charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that exceed agreed timeframes. Currently these charges can only be applied on weekdays, however we are making changes to allow these charges to apply on weekends and bank holidays.

Finally, the Government has set out a new approach to infrastructure in the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, which was published in June 2025. This will restore confidence and drive economic growth by providing stability and certainty, and improve how infrastructure projects, like transport, are planned and delivered. We are working closely with HMT to ensure lessons learned from transport projects, such as set out in the James Stewart Review (published in June 2025) are incorporated into future priorities. The Department has accepted all recommendations from this Review and is already taking steps to implement them.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to manage industrial disputes within the rail sector following the proposed transfer of all rail franchises into full public ownership. \p Keir Mather: The Government is committed to resetting industrial relations. A first of its kind joint industry and trade union Rail Engagement Group recently held its inaugural meeting to discuss shared ambitions for GBR. The Government plans to use this group to foster productive relationships with rail workers and their trade unions, where they are valued and respected partners in delivering the positive change we need to see on the network.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of assaults on public transport staff. \p Keir Mather: The British Transport Police are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales and they record the number of incidents of violence and abuse against rail workers. Analysis by the Department of Violence Against the Person offences shows in 2022/23 there were 5.1 violence against person offences per 1 million passenger journeys of which 1.3 were against staff, in 2024/25 this proportion of staff was 1.4.

We are committed to ensuring that public transport is safe for passengers and staff. There is no place for abuse or violence against any worker, and we are supporting industry to develop practical interventions to keep workers safe.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2025 to Question 74693, if she will consider the potential merits of the UK becoming a global leader in SAF production. \p Keir Mather: The Government is working at pace to deliver greener aviation as a key enabler of Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.

The UK plays a key role on coordinated international action through ICAO and forging strong bilateral partnerships to scale SAF technologies and markets. We were one of the first countries in the world to introduce a SAF mandate and a wide range of SAF projects are underway across the UK, using different technologies and progressing through various stages of development.

We are working to speed up and scale up the production of SAF in the UK through the Advanced Fuels Fund and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism. The Advanced Fuels Fund provides funding to first-of-a-kind commercial and demonstration-scale SAF projects in the UK, helping speed up the development and scale up of new technologies and projects. We are also currently legislating for a Revenue Certainty Mechanism. This will help UK-based SAF projects attract investment and start producing SAF at commercial scale more quickly.

The UK’s expertise in petrochemicals, jet fuel, and engineering positions it as a prime location for SAF production and we are confident that our policies can make the UK a world leader in SAF production and use. This will create high-skilled green jobs, attract investment, drive growth, boost fuel security, and open export opportunities. Low-carbon fuel production could support up to 15,000 UK jobs by 2050.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-21)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional driving examiners have been recruited to test centres in the South East since May 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times. In the coming months, DVSA will:

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

For test centres serving learner drivers in the Southeast, DVSA has recruited and trained 52 DEs who are now in post and delivering driving tests. There are currently 24 new entrant DEs undertaking training, 32 booked on a training course and DVSA has made offers to 26 new entrants.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to include passenger voice in the governance of Great British Railways. \p Keir Mather: Great British Railways will be held to account for railway performance and customer experience. The Railways Bill will establish a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, to independently monitor passenger experience, advocate for passengers and to hold GBR and other operators to account together with ORR.

When developing its Integrated Business Plan, GBR will be required to consult with the Passenger Watchdog and will have an ongoing general duty to consider the interests of passengers and the needs of passengers with disabilities.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2025 to WPQ 87695, what plans the Commission has to improve the efficiency and workability of the IT system in the immediate future. \p Nick Smith: The House administration recognises that having effective and reliable digital services is vital for Members. It is also vital that these services, and changes to them, are delivered in a way which reflects the many demands and pressures of a Member’s role. The services must meet the needs of Members, and their staff, and help them respond to the needs of their constituents.

In coming months, such work includes improving network connectivity and roaming over Wi-Fi to support the Parliamentary community to access online services on the go, improving search.parliament.uk, and improving how the public can find, sign, and create petitions on petitions.parliament.uk.

With every rollout of new technology there will be things that don’t go perfectly and from which we can learn. Feedback on our digital services, and how we introduce change, is sought from Members. We make sure that feedback is understood and applied to drive improvements every quarter. A new way of proactively understanding the needs of Members has been introduced by the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) to inform and shape changes to digital services. PDS has regular engagement with the Administration Committee to validate and prioritise the changes we are planning.

Based on Member feedback we are currently piloting a constituency telephony offering, eliminating location-based limitations so Members and their staff can make and receive calls seamlessly from a single system, regardless of where they work, and assessing alternative printing solutions for Westminster and constituency offices to identify options that deliver greater cost-effectiveness.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 81310 on Universal Studios: Bedfordshire, whether her Department has submitted a representation to the planning application. \p Stephanie Peacock: In line with appropriate procedure, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not submit a representation to the planning application.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 82325 on Holiday Accommodation: Registration, where the pilot will take place; and on what statutory basis the pilot is operating. \p Stephanie Peacock: The new national short-term lets registration service entered its user testing pilot at the end of October to ensure it is robust, easy to use and meets the needs of the scheme ahead of launch in 2026. Feedback will be gathered from users who provide short-term lets across England as part of this development phase, in line with the Government Service Standard.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support the development of (a) affordable and (b) accessible padel courts in (i) North West Leicestershire and (ii) in Britain. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this. I also visited Barnsley Padel Club a few weeks ago to discuss local padel provision.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on how breaches of Temporary Stop Notices can be addressed. \p Matthew Pennycook: Guidance on temporary stop notices can be found in the Enforcement and post-permission matters section of my Department's Planning Practice Guidance on gov.uk here.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question HL10584 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, whether there has been a reference back in relation to the (a) security statement and (b) blast assessment. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 70585 on 15 September 2025.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 83788 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, for what reason the reference back is ongoing; and what documents he is awaiting for from interested parties. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 70585 on 15 September 2025.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 83815 on Permitted Development Rights: Multiple Occupation, what information his Department holds on whether any local authorities have submitted an Article 4 direction to remove permitted development rights for houses in multiple occupation that are occupied by asylum seekers. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not hold the data in question.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of New Zealand's housing-with-care sector and the supply of new homes in that country. \p Matthew Pennycook: As part of our commitment to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market, my Department continues to consider a range of overseas systems.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he is making in supporting local authorities to build social housing in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 58440 on 17 June, the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771), and the Social and Affordable Homes Programme policy statement published on 7 November which can be found on gov.uk here.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had recent discussions with Lancashire County Council on inactive landlords in that area. Lancashire. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has had no recent discussions with Lancashire County Council regarding ‘inactive’ landlords in Lancashire.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he considered including a target for council housing in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme. \p Matthew Pennycook: As set out in detail in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme policy statement published on 7 November 2025 (which can be found on gov.uk here), the new programme is designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed and does not adopt the previous approach of setting numerical targets for particular types of homes.