theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide funding to encourage the consumption of healthy food in schools. \p Olivia Bailey: The government is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever and it is important that schools follow the latest nutritional guidance. To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, we are acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.

The department spends over £1.5 billion annually delivering free meals to around 3.4 million pupils. We are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, lifting 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament. We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover additional meal costs of the new entitlement. This is new money as opposed to funding within existing school budgets.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) students and (b) parents impacted by reports of abuse at the Bramley Hill School in Surrey. \p Olivia Bailey: Independent Schools are regulated under requirements laid out in the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, and local authorities have no powers to appoint an interim executive board.

The department takes any indication of risk of harm incredibly seriously and does not hesitate to take swift enforcement action, from emergency inspections right through to school closure, where necessary and appropriate. Ofsted inspected Bramley Hill School in 2024. All the Independent School Standards were met.
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David Burton-Sampson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the Best Start centre funding allocations for local authorities. \p Olivia Bailey: Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission. We will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education.

The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. On 13 October, 65 local authorities that had not received Family Hubs programme funding to date were paid a share of the £12 million Development Grant, to fund essential preparatory work ahead of the national Best Start Family Hubs rollout in April 2026.

The department will be providing further guidance, and detail about funding allocations, to local authorities in time to support service delivery from April 2026.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her department holds on the number of pupils in England requiring gluten free meal provision in schools. \p Olivia Bailey: The department does not hold data on requirements for gluten-free meal provision in schools. The government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards. Headteachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies that take into account local circumstances and pupil needs, including the provision of gluten-free meals.

Additionally, Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions, which may be food-related. Schools must therefore take appropriate action in supporting such pupils to access food provision.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with provisions for wraparound care. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​This government is committed to providing a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. So far, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. Following the success of the early adopters, and as the first phase of national rollout, we are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Since September 2024, over 50,000 additional full childcare places have also been made available to families through the National Wraparound Programme. ​
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in his Department is made by a British manufacturer. \p Josh MacAlister: The department does not hold information on the tableware and crockery used in our offices. The Government Property Agency provides the department with property asset management, including catering and restaurant/café services.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussion with the Child Poverty Taskforce on the potential impact of (a) the removal and (b) reform of the two-child benefit cap on the educational outcomes for children. \p Olivia Bailey: As co-chair of the Child Poverty Taskforce, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is working across government on levers to tackle child poverty and improve the lives of families across the country.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in the autumn.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of smartphones by pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools. \p Olivia Bailey: Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

Research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools, 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools, already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level and (b) the potential impact of school meal debt on families in Yeovil constituency. \p Olivia Bailey: To help break down barriers to opportunity and tackle child poverty, the government will be extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy. Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 5,450 children in Yeovil will be eligible to receive FSM when provision is extended from September 2026.

This autumn, the Child Poverty Strategy will deliver measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Taskforce is considering all available levers to reduce child poverty and recognises the importance of financial resilience for low-income families. Increasing financial resilience is one of the four key themes for the strategy, and in February the Taskforce met with external experts to discuss this topic specifically.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to increase funding for support for parents in disadvantaged areas. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​The government has committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £500 million, to help families in every part of the country. The rollout will deliver up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs nationwide by 2028, reaching an estimated additional 500,000 children. Hubs will be open to all families but located in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed.

​The government understands the distinct challenges faced by parents and, ahead of the publication of our Child Poverty Strategy, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. This includes establishing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact) through the Spending Review period to replace the Household Support Fund. This longer-term funding approach will enable local authorities to provide preventative support to families and communities.
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Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department will use to determine the locations of new Defence Technical Colleges of Excellence. \p Josh MacAlister: A £182 million defence skills package was announced at the start of September in the Defence Industrial Strategy. This aims to make defence an engine for national renewal and economic growth, harnessing the skills needed for the future, from submarine engineers to specialist welders. The package centres on establishing five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs), training people in the skills needed to secure new defence jobs in this growing industry.

Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. The selection process for these DTECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
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Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of students who no longer have access to assistive software following the removal of non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Students’ Allowance funding. \p Josh MacAlister: The department engaged with disability experts who support disabled students to gather feedback on the removal of non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) funding. While there have been no recent direct discussions with students, the department conducted an Equality Impact Assessment to consider potential impacts and appropriate mitigations. This policy applies to new DSA recipients only and does not affect any spelling and grammar software already awarded to existing students.

The decision followed a detailed review which found that there are now free to access versions available with the required spelling and grammar support functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. DSA will continue to fund such software in exceptional cases where a robust disability-related justification is provided.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of staff working in nursery settings. \p Olivia Bailey: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26 alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements.

The government has committed to working with the sector to better support parents in poorer and rural areas. We have awarded £37 million of capital funding in the first phase to 300 primary phase schools which we expect will deliver up to 6,000 nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 available from September 2025 to support the childcare expansion.

There are approximately 121 Ofsted registered nurseries listed in Shropshire.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

We also continue to help people discover rewarding early years careers through the ‘Do Something Big’ national recruitment campaign, building on our pilot of delivering financial incentives in 38 local authorities this year.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Early Years Pupil Premium funding is aligned with the Government’s quality improvement objectives in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Olivia Bailey: The government is taking coordinated steps to ensure that early years pupil premium (EYPP) aligns with broader quality improvement objectives in early years education.

Through the department’s Best Start in Life strategy, we are ensuring families across the country can access affordable, high-quality early education and family support services that support them to thrive.

In April 2025, we increased funding for EYPP by an unprecedented 45%, to a maximum of £570 per year per child in all local authorities across England.

The government’s new early years strategy, ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’, explicitly links EYPP with its wider goals of reducing inequalities early in life, improving early years provision, strengthening transitions into primary school and enhancing workforce development through training and professional recognition. This includes additional EYPP funding targeted at high-need areas and the creation of published guidance to drive quality of spend.

From 2026, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education wants to provide additional funding to extend EYPP in areas most in need, and test different approaches to using this funding to understand how best to maximise its impact, ensuring that the children most at risk of falling behind receive high-quality evidence-informed support.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average waiting time was to receive an EHCP assessment in (a) England and (b) Surrey during the latest 12 months for which data is available. \p Georgia Gould: Information on the number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory 20 week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, is published as part of the statistical release, Education, Health and Care Plans – Reporting year 2024, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025. The latest published figures relate to the 2024 calendar year and were published on 26 June 2025. Information for the 2025 calendar year will be published in summer 2026.

The number and proportion of plans issued within, and over, the statutory 20 week deadline, for England and Surrey during the 2024 calendar year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3512e185-e65b-4cd7-f98d-08de0724494a.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has been made of the potential impact of the recent increase in National Insurance on the provision of home to school transport for children with SEND. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the hon. Member for Poole to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce a national (a) training and (b) accreditation programme to allow the recognition of school staff with automated external defibrillator responsibilities as competent persons for equipment governance. \p Georgia Gould: Defibrillators are designed so they can be used safely with no prior training. Users are prompted to follow step-by-step instructions on the device at the time of use. Suggesting only trained individuals can use defibrillators can unintentionally deter use in an emergency, where every minute is critical.

As defibrillators are designed to be used with no prior training, the department does not believe an accreditation programme is necessary.

Schools must ensure they comply with their first aid equipment responsibilities. The department provides defibrillator guidance to supports schools. The guidance is not intended to be read in isolation but provides schools with clear, practical, and accessible advice that supports the widespread adoption of defibrillators, including maintenance, as part of school first aid provision.

Schools can access additional support in managing their defibrillator by registering it on the British Heart Foundation’s national defibrillator network, The Circuit. The Circuit provides schools with regular reminders to check their device. More information can be found here: www.thecircuit.uk.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of home to school transport for children with SEND. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the hon. Member for Poole to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80605.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children of primary school age in September 2025 are waiting for an EHCP assessment. \p Georgia Gould: The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.

The department does collect and publish information from local authorities on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment received, and the number of EHC needs assessments carried out during the calendar year. The latest published figures relate to the 2024 calendar year and were published 26 June 2025. Information for the 2025 calendar year will be published in summer 2026.

The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year by age, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/667cfd50-479e-4427-f991-08de0724494a.

The number of EHC needs assessments carried out where the outcome was outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year by age, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0713cf5f-cbc9-4957-f992-08de0724494a.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number contracts of home to school transport for children with SEND that have been handed back to local authorities since April 2025. \p Georgia Gould: Local authorities are responsible for arranging home to school travel for eligible children. They deliver their duty through a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private transport operators. Such contracts are a matter for the council and the operator, but we encourage councils to have robust arrangements in place.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to work with schools to (a) identify and (b) support pupils impacted by homelessness or temporary accommodation. \p Josh MacAlister: On 10 October, the government announced £10.9 million in funding for ‘Supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness’ via the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2025/26. The funding has been allocated to 61 local authorities with the highest numbers of children in temporary accommodation to increase access to support and services for families and to make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. The funding is intended to deliver positive benefits to children’s education outcomes and can include interventions such as travel to school, school uniforms and equipment, and the improvement of communal spaces to enable children to complete homework.

‘Keeping children safe in education 2025’ (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance to which schools and colleges in England must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

KCSIE outlines that school and college staff are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, promote children’s welfare and prevent concerns from escalating, and that all staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 October 2025 to Question 73402 on Schools: Huntingdon, when applications will reopen for the expansion of the school rebuilding programme. \p Josh MacAlister: The department plans to set out further details about the selection process for the additional 250 schools to be selected for the school rebuilding programme later this year.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring that adult (a) mental health services and (b) social care are involved in improving information-sharing through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. \p Josh MacAlister: No discussions have been had regarding either aspect. The focus in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is to improve information sharing by introducing a consistent identifier for children up to the age of 18. We will consider the role both the adult and child identifiers can play in the transition to adulthood as this work moves forward.
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Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she next plans to review the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014. \p Josh MacAlister: The government recognises the need to review the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014, and we are committed to doing so. This will require careful consideration of how such a review might best be conducted to ensure that children are able to continue to access positive performance opportunities in the future, while also making sure that their safety, wellbeing and best interests are protected.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Government delivers thousands more school-based nursery places, published on 4 September 2025, how many and what proportion of the extra school-based nursery places will be in Huntingdon constituency. \p Olivia Bailey: High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers and childminders operating from school sites.

Phase 1 is already delivering results, with £37 million successfully awarded to 300 primary phase schools creating up to 6,000 new childcare places. Applications were assessed based on a range of factors.

No applications for Huntingdon were awarded. However, building on phase 1, phase 2 of the school-based nursery programme launched on September 4, with a stronger focus on supporting families from disadvantaged areas. Primary schools and maintained nursery schools, including those in Huntingdon, have until 5pm on 11 December to apply for up to £150,000 from a £45 million fund, with capacity to deliver at least another 300 new or expanded school-based nurseries, offering up to 7,000 more places from September 2026.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support transport workers who have been assaulted while at work. \p Simon Lightwood: 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.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to income thresholds in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, HC 997, published on 1 July 2025, on the number of people employed on Skilled Worker Visas who no longer have leave to remain. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department currently sponsors 26 staff on skilled worker visas.  As and when each sponsorship ends, we consider individuals on a case-by-case basis under the UK’s sponsorship rules.
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Mr Richard Holden: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. \p Simon Lightwood: 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.
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Mr Richard Holden: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. \p Simon Lightwood: 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.
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John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the planned £5 million towards the feasibility study for the extension of the Borders Railway to Hawick and Carlisle has been released to Scottish Borders Council. \p Simon Lightwood: Earlier this year, the Department reaffirmed its commitment of up to £5m towards feasibility work on the extension of the Borders Railway. As part of this, the Department has allocated c. £130k of funding to support the development of a Strategic Outline Business Case to explore ways to improve public transport across the region.
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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Cheshire West and Chester Council on (a) road maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in Runcorn and Helsby constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department regularly engages with local highway authorities and their representative bodies, such as the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) and the Local Government Association (LGA) on matters relating to highway maintenance.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had direct discussions with Halton Borough Council on road maintenance or pothole repairs in Runcorn, or with Cheshire West and Chester Council on road maintenance or pothole repairs in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

In March, the Prime Minister announced that in order to receive their full share of this year's £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local highway authorities have to publish a report on their maintenance plans and demonstrate how they are complying with best practice in highways maintenance. Both councils have published these reports, which can be found on their websites.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK airports provide autism-friendly (a) facilities and (b) support; and whether she plans to introduce national standards for accessibility provision for neurodiverse passengers. \p Keir Mather: Aviation must be accessible to all. To support this, the Department for Transport established the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, which published 19 recommendations on 16 July to improve aviation accessibility.

Two of these focus on non-visible impairments, including neurodivergence. One calls for pan-impairment requirements in airport accessibility reviews to ensure facilities, services, and support meet the needs of all passengers. The other recommends awareness campaigns to build confidence among passengers with non-visible impairments and improve understanding among staff and the public.

The Group will now support the sector in championing and implementing these recommendations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_252

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the total cost of the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme to date; whether any underspends or project delays have been identified; and what measurable increase in zero-emission HGV adoption has resulted. \p Keir Mather: The Government has committed up to £200 million to the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) to deploy zero emission HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites, most of which will be delivered by March 2026. ZEHID is making good progress with 295 of a possible 319 zero emission HGVs ordered to date (86 already delivered and in use by haulage companies) and 73 planned infrastructure locations (14 already operational). A few HGVs and infrastructure sites may be operational slightly after March 2026 and this is being carefully managed by Innovate UK, our delivery partner.

All project spend is forecast to be complete by the end of the current financial year (March 2026), and while there has been some underspend against the project’s original budget, this was due to changes initiated by projects themselves as they refined approaches following original bids submitted in 2022.

While ZEHID has been operational, there has been a measurable increase in zero emission HGVs, going from 478 when ZEHID launched in late 2022 to 1,158 in June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_253

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of total transport-sector emissions since July 2024; and if she will make an assessment of how that figures compares with projections made when the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate was introduced. \p Keir Mather: Transport was estimated to emit 111.8MtCO2e (megatonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2023, with 78.1MtCO2e from cars and vans. The ZEV Mandate came into force in 2024; it requires that, by 2030, 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans should be fully zero emission. In 2024, the Government estimated that this policy would deliver 420MtCO2e of savings by 2050, averaging a reduction of 5.8MtCO2e between 2028 and 2032 and 15.8MtCO2e between 2033 and 2037. The emission savings estimates have been slightly reduced by the flexibilities announced in April but by less than 3% overall.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_254

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review Net Zero transport spending priorities. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport’s budget for day-to-day spending until 2028-2029, and until 2029-2030 for capital investment was set in June’s Spending Review. Delivering greener, safer and healthier transport to support the Government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050 while driving economic growth is a Departmental priority that we will deliver through a range of spend and non-spend measures. We are accelerating the transformation of existing industries, such as our automotive and maritime sectors, and supporting the growth of nascent industries here in the UK, such as sustainable aviation fuel.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_255

Andrew Gwynne: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. \p Simon Lightwood: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_256

Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of British Transport Police’s recent changes to its policies on responding to bicycle thefts at railway stations; and what steps she is taking to ensure that cycle security is prioritised for (a) promoting active travel and (b) supporting the her cycling and walking strategy. \p Simon Lightwood: Everyone should be confident in choosing active travel, including cycling, as part of their everyday journeys.

Ensuring the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, and creating a hostile environment for criminals on the network is a priority for both the Department for Transport and the British Transport Police (BTP). Decisions on the use of resource and deployment of officers across the railway are for the BTP, as an operationally independent police service.

I would like to reassure you that the BTP have not taken the decision to stop investigating bike theft that cannot be narrowed to a two-hour window, which was reported in the media. The BTP’s screening policy, introduced in August 2024, takes into account factors including the possible time window an incident could have taken place in, but also the availability of witnesses and CCTV, the realistic prospect of a successful outcome, and a range of other factors. In some instances this may mean that an investigation is not progressed, but there is no blanket ruling and each case is judged on its own merits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_257

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) road deaths, (b) serious injuries and (c) roadside drug-driving tests were recorded in each year since 2020. \p Lilian Greenwood: The number of deaths and serious injuries in reported road collisions are published as part of the Department's annual road casualty statistics on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-accidents-and-safety-statistics).

Statistics on roadside drug-driving tests are not held by the Department for Transport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_258

Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with British Transport Police on its decision to not investigate bike thefts outside stations in cases where the bicycle has been left for more than two hours. \p Simon Lightwood: Ensuring the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, and creating a hostile environment for criminals on the network is a priority for both the Department for Transport and the British Transport Police (BTP). Decisions on the use of resource and deployment of officers across the railway are for the BTP, as an operationally independent police service.

I would like to reassure you that the BTP have not taken the decision to stop investigating bike theft that cannot be narrowed to a two-hour window, which was reported in the media. The BTP’s screening policy, introduced in August 2024, takes into account factors including the possible time window an incident could have taken place in, but also the availability of witnesses and CCTV, the realistic prospect of a successful outcome, and a range of other factors. In some instances this may mean that an investigation is not progressed, but there is no blanket ruling and each case is judged on its own merits.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_259
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_259

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77640 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, how much income the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has received from Oxfordshire County Council for sharing vehicle registration data relating to (a) congestion charging and (b) traffic filter schemes in (i) 2024-25 and (ii) 2025-26. \p Simon Lightwood: The information requested is not available because the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record data at this level of detail.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_260

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) rural and (b) smaller local authorities can access funding to (i) trial and (b) adopt (A) faster, (B) cheaper and (C) lower-carbon road repair technologies. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department has made available £1.6bn in funding for local highway authorities to maintain their networks in 2025/26, a £500 million uplift compared to the previous year. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances, but the Department encourages the adoption of innovative technologies.

The Department has funded Live Labs 2, a three-year (2023/24 to 2025/26), £30 million programme managed by ADEPT to support the decarbonisation of the whole local highways sector in the UK.

It comprises seven projects, each in partnership between local highways authorities, the private sector and academia, focussing on different aspects of local highways maintenance, with lessons learned then available to the whole sector. It is founded on the idea that the sector acting together to innovate is more efficient than every authority acting on its own. A key aspect of the programme is testing, verifying and scaling low-carbon materials and technologies for improving road surfaces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_261

Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the EV Infrastructure Grant has been (a) spent on and (b) allocated to external parking bays. \p Keir Mather: In 2025, £2.1 million has been spent on grants for parking bays to date. This represents 37 per cent of total spend on the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG) in 2025. These are estimated figures based on the proportion of parking bays and sockets funded.