theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support public awareness campaigns aimed at improving road safety in the West Midlands. \p Lilian Greenwood: THINK! is the Government’s flagship road safety campaign, which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. It targets those most at risk, particularly male drivers aged 17–24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over.

Recent campaigns have addressed drink driving and speeding, with paid media activity delivered nationally, including in the West Midlands.

The Department also provides toolkits, creative assets, and guidance to help local authorities deliver tailored road safety messaging. This has included working closely with West Mercia Police to extend the reach of the campaign in the region through campaign messaging on ad vans and distribution of posters and beermats to bars and pubs.

All departmental campaigns will continue to target the West Midlands as part of national behaviour change efforts.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of speeding in the West Midlands. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport has not conducted a specific assessment of prevalence of speeding in the West Midlands.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance on setting local speed limits. This is designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set, whilst allowing for flexibility to deal with local needs and circumstances.

The guidance can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the number of animals killed or injured on UK roads in each of the last five years. \p Lilian Greenwood: This data is not held by the Department.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a compensation scheme for passengers without seat reservations who did not get a seat on a train. \p Simon Lightwood: There are currently no plans to introduce compensation for passengers unable to find a seat.

The walk-up nature of the railway in Great Britain supports full access to rail services, but at busy times could mean seating is not guaranteed. Some train operators offer seat reservations up to two hours before the departure of a train.

If a passenger holds a First-Class ticket and no First-Class seats are available, they are entitled to a refund of the difference between the fare paid and that of the appropriate Standard Class fare.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates services agreements were (a) signed and (b) published covering rail services on (i) C2C and (ii) South Western Railway when those franchises were brought under public ownership. \p Simon Lightwood: Services Agreements with South Western Railway Limited and c2c Railway Limited were signed on 23 May 2025 and 16 July 2025 and came into force on 25 May 2025 and 20 July 2025 respectively. The Agreements will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will increase the number of motorcycle test centres. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) keeps the network of its driving test centres under regular review, including those that deliver practical motorcycle tests. There are currently no plans to increase the overall number of driving test centres. DVSA has plans in place to train more motorcycle examiners with the view to increase the volume of motorcycle tests available from the current locations.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help improve bus services in (a) South East Cornwall constituency and (b) other rural areas. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government knows how important, reliable and affordable bus services are enabling people to access education, work and vital services. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including South East Cornwall and other rural areas right across England.

The government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Cornwall Council has been allocated £10.5 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the government confirmed additional £900m funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to introduce legislation on the regulation of electric scooters, in the context of the ongoing rental trials currently extended until May 2026. \p Simon Lightwood: The government will pursue legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of income from East Anglia rail services in each of the next five financial years. \p Simon Lightwood: I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. I expect Greater Anglia will remain a net contributor, with the exact net contribution amounts and income levels to be agreed during the rolling business planning process.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to publish an official list of officially recognised training institutions for the consideration of prospective private hire vehicle drivers. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory framework within which licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades and issues guidance to assist licensing authorities in carrying out these licensing functions. Statutory guidance, published in 2020, recommends that licensing authorities should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Best practice guidance to licensing authorities, updated in 2023, recommends that drivers should be trained in disability awareness and/or have their knowledge and skills assessed. Licensing authorities are responsible for deciding the format and content of such training, including what, if any, training institutions are used.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rail fares on the cost of living. \p Simon Lightwood: As we reform fares and deliver Great British Railways, we must ensure passengers and taxpayers get a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the amount of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter in 2018/19 to almost half of total income in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to improve driving test availability in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it takes decisive action to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. Information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.

DVSA is continuing to recruit as many driving examiners as possible. Following successful completion of training, one new driving examiner will be joining Shrewsbury test centre, and this will help deliver more tests in the area. DVSA currently has a live recruitment campaign which is recruiting for additional driving examiners at Shrewsbury and Telford test centres. The campaign closed on 22 September.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 59359 on Motorcycles: Bus Lanes, how many respondents responded to the consultation on allowing motorcycles to access bus lanes by default; and what number of respondents were (a) for and (b) against. \p Simon Lightwood: This information is contained in the ‘Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome’ published on 21 November 2024 and available here: Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome - GOV.UK .
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department's Roads Investment Committee has considered funding alterations to the London South Circular in the last year. \p Simon Lightwood: No, it has not. Responsibility for progressing any work on the London South Circular is a matter for Transport for London.

The Catford town centre scheme, which includes proposed alterations to the London South Circular, was originally part of the Department’s Major Road Network (MRN) programme. Following the outcome of the Spending Review, however, responsibility for this and other London MRN schemes has been passed to Transport for London (TfL). It is for them to take forward this and other MRN schemes in London as part of their Spending Review settlement.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71238 on Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing, for what reason the consultation response has been delayed. \p Simon Lightwood: The previous government did not publish a response to its consultation before it left office.

This government is now working closely with operators to obtain further evidence and will then consider next steps.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to decommission the A12 widening scheme; and what estimate she has made of the (a) timescale and (b) cost of that process. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department is working with National Highways to bring the scheme to a close in an orderly way to end a long period of uncertainty for those affected. We are anticipating that the scheme will be substantially closed down by the end of 2026, with some activities closing down sooner.

National Highways will publish details on costs incurred in its Annual Report and Accounts in due course.
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Antonia Bance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of vehicle tax is paid in instalments using direct debit; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of charging a 5% surcharge when paying vehicle tax by direct debit on lower income motorists. \p Simon Lightwood: While the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency administers and collects vehicle excise duty (VED) on behalf of HM Treasury, decisions on VED, whether structure, rates or alternatives are a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Paying VED by direct debit allows motorists to spread the cost, helping families and businesses in managing their finances. Those who choose to use direct debit pay a low surcharge of five per cent against the annual rate of duty for the vehicle. Typically, a motorist is better off paying by direct debit instead of buying two six-month vehicle licences which if not purchased by direct debit, carry a surcharge of 10 per cent.

The monthly average of vehicle keepers that choose to pay their VED by direct debit is just over 39 per cent.
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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking with local authorities to increase the number of dedicated cycle lines. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards, including dedicated cycling routes. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over xx-xxxx-xxxx. Local authorities are responsible for deciding on how to invest the funding, in line with local priorities.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken with local authorities to help tackle pavement parking in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities, like Slough Borough Council and West Berkshire Council, can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings of the Motor Insurance Taskforce have taken place; and when the next meeting will take place. \p Lilian Greenwood: The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024. It met again on 28 April 2025 and most recently met on 21 July 2025. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 70427 on East Anglia Rail Franchise: Nationalisation, whether she plans to (a) sign and (b) publish the Services Agreement before 12 October 2025; what the differences are between that Services Agreement and the existing franchise agreement; and which stakeholders have been consulted. \p Simon Lightwood: The Services Agreement with the new public sector operator will come into force as Greater Anglia’s National Rail Contract expires and services transfer into public ownership on 12 October 2025. It will be made available on the Department for Transport website in due course.

Services Agreements have been designed to reflect the long-term public ownership of passenger services. A range of stakeholders were consulted and engaged in the design of the Services Agreement template, including train operating companies, DFT Operator Limited, Network Rail and passenger representatives. Services Agreements are customer-focused, performance-focused and will support the financial sustainability of the railways for taxpayers. The Agreements focus on the whole-industry outcomes we want operators to deliver and enable more decisions to be taken by those closest to passengers.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce regulated rail fare changes for 2026. \p Simon Lightwood: No decisions have been taken on the regulated fares change for 2026, but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers. There will be an update on changes to regulated rail fares in due course.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71253 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, if she will publish a copy of the extant facility time agreements in place for (a) her Department, (b) Great British Railways and (c) DfT Operator Limited. \p Keir Mather: In rail, facility time agreements are between individual train operating companies or Network Rail and the trade unions (TUs), not between the Department for Transport or DfT Operator Limited and the TUs. Great British Railways has not yet been established so has no facility time agreements.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has considered the potential merits of applying the Direct Vision Standard regulations for HGV drivers nationwide. \p Simon Lightwood: Vehicle construction regulations are generally set at an international level in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the UK played an active role in the development of regulation 167 on direct vision. This regulation is included in the European Union’s General Safety Regulation (GSR). Following external analysis of the specific benefits and costs of the GSR measures, the Government is exploring options for updates to our national type approval legislation to mandate fitment of these safety technologies and vehicle design features in Great Britain.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public electric vehicle chargepoints have been installed but are not operational due to grid connection delays or other technical issues. \p Keir Mather: The Government does not hold a centralised figure on the number of public electric vehicle chargepoints that have been installed but are not yet operational due to grid connection delays or other technical issues.

In December 2024, the Government published the outcome of a review aimed at improving the grid connection process for EV charging infrastructure.

Since then, the Energy Networks Association has launched a Transport Decarbonisation Portal with guidance on grid connections, and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has collated and shared best practice from distribution network operators and chargepoint operators regarding energisation timeframes.

The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these actions to determine whether further measures are needed.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September to Question 74024 on Electric Vehicles: Finance, what is the timeframe for the Government's spend of £4.5 billion. \p Keir Mather: The expected timeframe for Government to spend the total £4.5 billion is between the years 2025 - 2035. However, over £2 billion of this total will be spent before the end of financial year 2029/30.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in her Department are working on the open access applicaiton from FirstGroup for Lumo services between London Paddington and Paignton. \p Simon Lightwood: Access to the rail network including decisions on Open Access applications is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). When DfT provides views on individual applications as a key stakeholder, it does so with input from rail analytical and operational teams as required.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve accessibility at Torre railway station; and whether she plans to prioritise that station for accessibility funding. \p Simon Lightwood: This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Under the previous government, nominations were sought for funding through the Access for All programme in 2022. A total of 310 nominations were received from Network Rail, train operating companies (TOCs) and other strategic transport organisations. This did not include Torre railway station.

The Honourable Member may wish to engage with the local transport authority and Great Western Railway to ensure Torre station is a priority in any future rounds of funding.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) hire and (b) e-bike operators comply with safety standards. \p Lilian Greenwood: All e-cycles used on the road, including those in shared schemes, must comply with regulatory requirements. However, while they can bring real benefits, we know that shared schemes can present safety challenges in terms of poor parking and antisocial behaviour. That’s why we are empowering our local leaders to tackle these issues through licensing.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of commencing the Ely junction upgrade project. \p Keir Mather: The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 7 July regarding which rail and road infrastructure projects will progress following the completion of the Spending Review. The Ely junction scheme was not among those projects funded at this time.

The previous government had committed to a number of infrastructure projects that were unfunded, this included the Ely junction scheme.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the safety of women and girls in taxis. \p Lilian Greenwood: The primary purpose of the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime is public safety. Since coming into Government, we have been actively looking at ways to improve the existing licensing regime.

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 and 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 safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered introducing a national requirement for the PAS1899 accessibility standard for EV charging stations. \p Keir Mather: Earlier this year, the Government and Motability Foundation co-sponsored a review of the PAS 1899:2022 standards, and are looking to address challenges identified. The Government will continue to monitor the adoption of the standards and their impact on accessibility to assess the need for further measures.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will increase the (a) penalties and (b) sanctions for air passengers who cause (i) disruption, (ii) delay and (iii) danger to (A) passengers and (B) crew on commercial passenger aircraft (1) during flight and (2) while on the ground. \p Keir Mather: All passengers and crew should have the right to feel safe when travelling by air. The Air Navigation Order 2016 sets out offences such as endangering an aircraft, interfering with crew duties, or being drunk onboard, all of which carry criminal penalties. Airlines may also ban individuals from future travel, and the police may also investigate and charge for a public order offence. We believe the current statutory powers and industry-led measures are effective in deterring such behaviour, but we continue to keep the framework under review.
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Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of airspace modernisation in the north of England. \p Keir Mather: The Government remains firmly committed to delivering the benefits of airspace modernisation. The Department for Transport is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), NATS, and the airports across the north of England to develop a robust and credible plan to implement airspace change in the region. Progress is encouraging, and the airports involved are shortly expected to move forward to public consultation on their plans as the next stage of the CAA’s airspace change process.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of commercial airline pilots the UK will need to train each year to provide the workforce required (a) at current levels and (b) to meet anticipated levels of future demand. \p Keir Mather: As the UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, it is for individual airlines to recruit and train pilots to meet today’s demand and the demand of the future. I therefore welcome the funded pilot training programmes that British Airways, TUI and Jet2.com have introduced, that will ensure a sustainable pipeline of future pilots.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a recent assessment of trends in levels of fatigue among pilots flying in UK airspace. \p Keir Mather: There are stringent regulations in place to prevent pilot fatigue. The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under the flight time limitation regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty.  The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the UK’s independent aviation safety regulator, monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of flight time limitation requirements and how these impact pilot fatigue.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel. \p Keir Mather: The Department is not currently planning to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel. As the aviation industry in the UK operates almost entirely in the private sector, permitted luggage sizes are a commercial decision for each airline.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of compliance of proposals for the expansion of Heathrow airport with her Department's four tests. \p Keir Mather: The government supports expansion at Heathrow Airport. In June 2025 the Secretary of State published a letter to potential promoters, inviting proposals by 31 July 2025 and outlining the essential information required in initial plans. The government has received proposals for a third runway which it is now assessing, to support the forthcoming ANPS review against the criteria set out in the Secretary of State’s letter (link). This includes a demonstration that proposals could maximise economic growth opportunities, whilst complying with the UK’s legal, environmental and climate obligations, including in relation to air and noise pollution.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase access to EV charging points. \p Keir Mather: The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 October 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,021 publicly available charging devices (including 17,354 rapid charging devices), an increase of 23% year on year.

The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of over 100,000 further local chargers, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers across the country.

The Department is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions and on the 13 July, announced the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on increasing EV charging infrastructure initiatives in under-served (a) urban and (b) rural areas. \p Keir Mather: Government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund allocated capital and resource funding across all higher tier local authorities (LAs) in England, to ensure chargepoint rollout across the country including in under-served urban and rural areas. LAs with a higher proportion of residents in rural areas received a higher proportional allocation. This builds on rollout to date, with the number of publicly available charging devices in rural areas of England increasing by 45% in 2024.

To further address gaps in infrastructure and make it easier for those without a driveway to charge at home, Government also announced a new £25 million grant for local authorities in England to install electric vehicle pavement channels in July. Funding can be used in both urban and rural areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_79

Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) effectiveness of grants for people who (i) have purchased used electric vehicles and (ii) cannot afford new electric vehicles. \p Keir Mather: The Government is fully committed to supporting the uptake of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including used vehicles. We’re investing over £4.5 billion to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to electric vehicles (EVs). This includes several grants for ZEVs and charging infrastructure.

In July the Government announced a £63 million package to support the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. This included a £25 million scheme to help local authorities install cross-pavement charging technology. This will provide access to cheaper household energy rates, allowing EV drivers to save up to £1,500 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_80

Ben Goldsborough:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking through the Road Safety Strategy to reduce fatalities on rural roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_81

Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued guidance to (a) hospitals and (b) local health authorities on collecting consistent data on injuries linked to (i) hire and (ii) electric bikes. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department collects data from police forces on road casualties, including in relation to cyclists, and publishes statistics twice a year. There are no plans to extend this to include hospitals or local health authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_82

Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking to steps with (a) transport and (b) safety regulators to ensure (i) public awareness campaigns, (ii) regulation and (iii) other preventative measures are in place to help reduce the incidence of injuries associated with (A) hire and (B) e-bikes. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government fully supports the safe and legal use of Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (“E-bikes”), whether privately owned or rented. E-bikes must comply with the UK's product safety framework and be safe before they are placed on the market.

In October 2024 the Department for Business and Trade launched the “Buy Safe, Be Safe” campaign which informs the public about e-bike safety.

In July this year the Product Regulation and Metrology Act received Royal Assent. It contains new powers to address product safety challenges including e-bikes.

In addition, the English Devolution and Community Powers Bill includes provisions to regulate on-street micromobility services such as shared e-bike schemes. This measure will empower local leaders to have greater influence over the management of these services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_83

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a public awareness campaign on the law regarding the use of e-scooters. \p Simon Lightwood: We have committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows. It will create safe, legal routes for people to use new transport technology and allow us to crack down on those determined to use e-scooters illegally or irresponsibly.

As part of this, the Government will carefully consider how we communicate with the public on their current legal status, how that will be changing, and any future requirements they may need to comply with to use e-scooters lawfully.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_84

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71255 on Restoring your railway fund, if she will publish a copy of the (a) environmental principles assessment and (b) public sector equality duty assessment relating to the cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway fund. \p Keir Mather: The decision to close the Restoring Your Railway fund was taken in the context of a wider review of Public Spending by the Chancellor, where she confirmed the steps the Government was taking to address the pressures on the public finances by cancelling unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government. No environmental principles assessment or public sector equality duty assessment was made by my Department on the specific element of the decision to close the Restoring Your Railway fund.

My Department has due regard for Public Sector Equality Duty and Environmental Principles as decisions are taken about progressing projects and these will also have been considered by HM Treasury in the review of Public Spending, as my Right Honourable Friend’s previous response indicated.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_85

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Quesiton 76239 on East Midlands Railway: Rolling Stock, when she expects the new rolling stock to come into service. \p Keir Mather: We expect the first train to enter passenger service in 2025 and a phased roll-out continuing through 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_86

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 75718 on Mobile Scooters, what steps she is taking to ensure public awareness of that consultation. \p Simon Lightwood: Ensuring everyone has the opportunity to shape the powered mobility device review is a priority for us, to make sure regulations are designed with and for disabled people.

The consultation will be published on gov.uk in the usual way and it will comply with our accessibility standards to ensure everyone can access it. We will work with a wide range of stakeholders, including those representing disabled people, once that consultation is published to ensure it reaches everyone who would like to contribute.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_87

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on securing long term access to cerliponase alfa. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Officials in the Department have had a number of discussions with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about the ongoing appraisal of cerliponase alfa (Brineura) for the treatment of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2). The Government understands the devastating impact of this condition on those affected, and how important the availability of effective new treatments is to patients and their families.

An agreement has now been reached between NHS England and the manufacturer of Brineura, BioMarin, that secures continued access for patients who have already started treatment with Brineura or who begin treatment before the end of this year.

NICE is, at present, unable to recommend Brineura for routine National Health Service funding for new patients in its draft guidance published in August. This decision comes after commercial negotiations between NHS England and BioMarin failed to secure a price for the treatment that properly reflects the limited evidence of its long-term effectiveness.

I recognise how disappointing this will be to all those affected, but I would like to underline that NICE has not yet concluded its appraisal. Stakeholders, including patient groups and the company, have had an opportunity to appeal the final draft guidance. If no appeal goes ahead, NICE expects to publish its final recommendations on cerliponase alfa in October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_88

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the country has access to the national lung cancer screening programme. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Health Service will build on its recent successes, including roll-out of the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost survival rates. Funding for national lung screening is set by NHS England and the timescale for full implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme will be specified in due course.

The NHS is currently rolling out the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme to people with a history of smoking. The public health functions agreement between NHS England and the Department sets out that the Lung Cancer Screening Programme has a target to invite 50% of the eligible population by the end of March 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_89

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of virtual GP appointments. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are expanding capacity in general practice (GP) which will help deliver more virtual and face-to-face appointments to patients.

In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England in order to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.

As a result of these efforts, eight million more appointments have been delivered this year compared to last.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-14 conversation_90

Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguards he plans to introduce to prevent potential financial and operational failures associated with previous Private Finance Initiative schemes in relation to Neighbourhood Health Centres. \p Karin Smyth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 October 2025 to Question 75637.