theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to (a) prevent and (b) tackle transnational oppression. \p Dan Jarvis: As I set out in my statement to the House on 14 May, the Defending Democracy Taskforce conducted a review into the UK’s response to transnational repression (TNR).

In line with the Review recommendations, this Government has introduced new training and guidance for all 45 territorial police forces. This includes upskilling 999 call handlers to improve frontline identification and escalation of state-directed crimes. Additionally, the Government published practical safety guidance on GOV.UK for individuals who believe they may be at risk.

The Government continues to work closely with international partners, victims of transnational repression, and civil society organisations to tackle this threat. For example, in November I met with UK-based pro-democracy activists targeted by Hong Kong arrest warrants and bounties to listen to their experiences of TNR and provide reassurance on the measures Government is taking to tackle the evolving threat.

Beyond that review, the National Security Act 2023 modernises the UK’s ability to detect, deter and disrupt hostile activity - including transnational repression - via a suite of new offences such as the Foreign Interference Offence. This ensures that the UK’s legal framework reflects the seriousness of TNR and raises the cost to foreign states of engaging in such activity.

The Government has also provided comprehensive written and oral evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) as part of its inquiry into TNR, and submitted a detailed response to its report in October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on the provision of official cars to Ministers outside the Government Car Service by (a) the Metropolitan Police and (b) private contractors. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office has not issued guidance regarding the provision of official cars to Ministers outside the Government Car Service, whether through (a) the Metropolitan Police or (b) private contractors.

The provision of any vehicle as part of a protective security package is determined by an assessment of threat and risk faced by a Minister.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential risk of hybrid threats, including migration pressures, at the EU–Belarus border and their potential impact on UK security. \p Dan Jarvis: National security is the first priority of any government and a foundation of our Plan for Change. We take any malicious activity that might pose a significant threat to our security and public safety extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening our defences against state threats. This includes continuing to implement measures contained in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts.

The Home Office and its partner agencies continue to work closely with their international counterparts, including those working at the EU external border, to understand the drivers behind migration patterns, assess risks, and develop our responses accordingly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure reports of domestic abuse are taken seriously and not missed by the system. \p Jess Phillips: We expect police to take all reports of domestic abuse seriously, taking necessary steps to protect victims. Missed opportunities are costing lives and far too many have already been lost.

At present, we know many domestic abuse victims do not receive an adequate response when they phone the police. The government will not stand by while women are failed by systems charged with keeping them safe. That's why earlier this year we launched 'Raneem's Law' in the first five police forces. Under 'Raneem's Law', domestic abuse specialists are embedded in 999 control rooms to improve the police response to reports of domestic abuse. The specialists use their expertise to advise on risk assessments, review 999 calls and support officers responding to domestic abuse incidents.

Through an expert-led and cohesive police response, ‘Raneem’s Law’ helps ensure that when a victim has the courage to come forward it will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

We are also committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to reports of domestic abuse, and are working closely with the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to deliver this.

The Home Office has already invested £13.1 million this year into the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP). This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to deliver a robust package of training improvements.

Grounded in academic research and behaviour change science, new training programmes will prioritise trauma-informed learning to ensure that all officers are well equipped to investigate these crimes and provide support to victims.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. These steps are just some of many that we are taking towards tangible and impactful change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing additional safeguards to protect victims of rape, including the bail conditions of those charged with rape. \p Jess Phillips: We recognise the devastating impact sexual violence can have and are absolutely committed to tackling rape and sexual offences and achieving the best possible outcome for victims.

We are providing £13.1m to the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP), which is driving forward Operation Soteria, ensuring police forces better support and safeguard victims of rape and use every tool at their disposal to disrupt perpetrators and bring them to justice. Tools including imposing appropriate bail conditions and applying for protective orders, such as Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Sexual Risk Orders at the earliest opportunity.

We know there is further to go to ensure people have the confidence to report these offences and trust they will be taken seriously when they do. We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the right powers are available to tackle sexual crimes.

This includes ensuring there are specialist rape and sexual offence teams in every police force and introducing independent legal advice for victims of adult rape, to help them to uphold their legal rights.

We are going further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG), underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her department has recovered from asylum hotel providers in excess profits in each year since the creation of the contract, broken down by provider. \p Alex Norris: Since the creation of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts the Home Office has recovered £45.9m in excess profits.

It is not possible to give a yearly breakdown of the amounts. This breakdown covers the period to August 2024.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the move-on period for newly recognised refugees from 56 days to 28 days on (a) rates of refugee homelessness and (b) local authority budgets and services. \p Alex Norris: From 1 September 2025, the Home Office took the decision to pause the 56 day move on period pilot for single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision, with the exception of individuals who are pregnant, over the age of 65 or have a known/evidence disability, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act.

This decision was taken to ensure that the asylum system continues to run efficiently, enabling the Home Office to continue reducing the overall number of asylum hotels in use, and the number of people staying in them.

We continue to work with local authorities and use our Asylum Move On Liaison Officers alongside Migrant Help to support newly recognised refugees during the move on period and to mitigate the risk of homelessness.

The Home Office will continue to monitor the impact of all our policies on the number of hotels in use for accommodating asylum seekers, the overall cost of the asylum accommodation estate, the wider effect on local communities, and any pressures placed on local authorities and public amenities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department offers (a) bonuses and (b) financial incentives to asylum caseworkers for meeting targets and clearing backlogs. \p Alex Norris: Asylum decisions are subject to stringent quality checks to ensure that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.

Performance targets are agreed with managers and reviewed regularly, supported by robust performance management processes. Rewards are linked to the consistent delivery of outputs, high quality work and professional behaviour that reflect the values of the Civil Service. This framework ensures that any recognition of staff goes hand in hand with maintaining the high standards expected in asylum decision-making.

To address delays and reduce costs to the taxpayer, we introduced a short-term scheme to recognise colleagues who produced additional output while continuing to meet their existing targets, and in line with our quality assurance framework. It was tightly controlled, subject to regular review, and monitored closely to ensure correct and consistent implementation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many work visa compliance visits were carried out for illegal working in the fast food delivery economy in the most recent year for which data is available; and how many breaches were found for (a) Ubereats, (b) Justeat, (c) Deliveroo, (d) Foodhub, (e) McDonalds/McDelivery and (f) others. \p Alex Norris: The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

However, the latest published data that we do have on illegal working and recent enforcement activity focusing on delivery drivers can be found at the links below: Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK

Hundreds arrested in illegal delivery rider shut down   - GOV.UK

Illegal working activity between 20 July and 26 July 2025 - GOV.UK
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 18 November 2025 on Asylum Policy (Official Report, Vol.775, c.509-513), whether equalities impact assessments have been made for the new measures announced. \p Alex Norris: Specific Equality Impact Assessments will be produced for individual policies in due course. These will be kept under review to ensure that there are no unintended impacts on people with protected characteristics.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 85948 on Immigration: English Language, whether the English language requirements would apply to asylum seekers. \p Alex Norris: The English language requirements will not apply to asylum seekers. As a signatory to the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), we are legally obliged to consider all asylum claims admitted to the UK asylum system and to consider people’s human rights in all circumstances where a person would be removed from the UK. This is irrespective of a person’s ability to speak English, and it ensures that we do not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they would face persecution or serious harm.

Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system is carefully considered on its individual merits. Protection is normally granted where a claimant has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention, or a claimant faces a real risk of serious harm. Those found not to need protection are refused. Once appeal rights are exhausted, they are expected to leave the UK. Otherwise, they will be liable for enforcement action and removal.

English language proficiency is a requirement across a range of other immigration routes. Full details, including the list of routes and acceptable evidence, is available in the official guidance on Assessing the English Language requirement (accessible version) - GOV.UK.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) review and (b) update Ukraine-related immigration (i) policies and (ii) guidance (A) in general and (B) on the application of protection principles depending on immigration route; what evidential criteria are used to justify refusal based on internal relocation; and if she will suspend removals to Ukraine during that review. \p Alex Norris: Our assessment of the situation in Ukraine is set out in the relevant Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs), which are available on the Gov.UK website.

The CPINs for Ukraine are based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The material drawn from those sources, including links to the original documents, are available in the published notes. This provides the evidence base for our assessment, which itself considers the situation in general, and regionally, against the relevant legal and policy framework for considering protection claims. Decision makers will consider how this applies in individual cases, including considerations such as internal relocation. The CPINs are kept under constant review and are updated periodically to ensure they remain accurate and reflect current country conditions.

Decisions on whether to remove individuals are made on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation at the time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Lorraine Beavers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of digitising the provision of English language tests for student and working visas on applicants. \p Mike Tapp: The Home Office is committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and integrity in our immigration system whilst modernising services for legitimate applicants. Any changes to English language testing delivery through the upcoming Home Office English Language Testing (HOELT) procurement shall include robust safeguards including identity verification, secure test delivery, active monitoring, and fraud detection.

The fundamental service shall be the same as the current SELT provision that is being replaced – a test which is largely digital already, albeit sat in a physical test centre.

We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, experts, and the market to ensure proposals maintain rigorous standards, comply with regulatory requirements, and consider how language testing can be transformed to deliver the best service possible for our customers, by improving accessibility and efficiency for applicants.

Any additional impacts will be addressed through a comprehensive Equalities Impact Assessment and associated mobilisation activity upon the conclusion of procurement and before the HOELT service goes live for customers.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation on European business representatives attending trade events and conferences in the UK. \p Mike Tapp: ETAs have been introduced to strengthen the security of our border. They also make travel easier by further digitising our immigration and borders system, ensuring millions of visitors, including business travellers, enjoy a seamless experience. The department does not hold data on numbers of visitors attending trade events and conferences.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that no retrospective eligibility conditions will be applied to existing British National (Overseas) visa holders who have settled in the UK on the basis of the rules originally published for the five year pathway. \p Mike Tapp: The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.

BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.

The new mandatory requirements for settlement are basic requirements that we think are reasonable for people to meet if they want to settle here. However, we are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation. An impact assessment will be developed alongside the finalised policy.

In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 20 November 2025 on A Fairer Pathway to Settlement (Official Report, Vol.775, c.889-891), whether equalities impact assessments have been made for (a) the decision to extend the standard settlement qualification time from five to ten years and (b) the other measures she announced would go for consultation. \p Mike Tapp: The new earned settlement model outlined in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement has been subject to an equality impact assessment. Equality impact assessments are kept under regular review.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what sliding scale her Department will use to impose visa penalties. \p Mike Tapp: The Home Office keeps the returns cooperation of all its international partners under close and regular review and will not hesitate to take action where needed. Countries which do not cooperate on returns must demonstrate rapid and sustained improvements in their returns cooperation, to allow for the swift and frictionless return of their nationals who have no right to be in the UK, in order to avoid visa penalties.

If a country does not cooperate on returns, that country should no longer expect a normal relationship on visas, and this government will not hesitate to impose Visa Penalties as set out in Sections 70-74 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. This could include: requiring that entry clearance is not granted pursuant to an application before the end of a specified period; suspending the power to grant entry clearance pursuant to an application; requiring an application to be treated as invalid for the purposes of the immigration rules; or requiring an applicant to pay £190 for an application.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department have considered the sustainability of current per-pupil funding allocations. \p Georgia Gould: The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the CSB totals £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

The £3.7 billion increase includes the £2.3 billion announced at the October Budget 2024, and £1.4 billion in additional funding being provided to support schools with staff pay awards as well as the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025.

Funding for schools is increasing by £4.2 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on the core schools budget, taking per-pupil funding to its highest ever level and enabling us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities system.

This investment is also a critical step forward in our mission to support all children and young people to achieve and thrive and will support teachers and leaders to deliver high and rising standards across every school and for every pupil.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of what funding mechanisms will be utilised to support the implementation of the newly announced enrichment entitlement for schools. \p Georgia Gould: Many schools excel at offering a diverse range of activities that are woven into their ethos, all delivered using resources within and outside the school. These school activities are often enhanced by working with local clubs, voluntary sector organisations or national partners. We want to enable and build such partnerships to spread opportunities across our schools.

School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning that core school budgets will total £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. The department is putting in place a range of support that will help schools further, including physical education and school sport partnerships, the national network of music hubs, and £22.5 million of funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. The government is also targeting £132.5 million of Dormant Assets funding to support the provision of services, facilities, and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds.

In June we announced that the government is providing £24 million of funding for 'TechYouth', which will give one million students over three years across every secondary school in the UK the chance to learn about technology and gain access to new skills training and career opportunities.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new teachers have been recruited since July 2024; and how many of those are citizenship teachers. \p Georgia Gould: Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

41,736 qualified teachers joined state-funded schools in England for the 2024/25 academic year, the latest date for which data is available. This has been available since 5 June 2025 and, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d4415a2-a099-427d-d209-08de2129b4fd..

A breakdown of the above figure by subject taught is not available.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will promote multimodal literacy as part of the new curriculum rollout. \p Georgia Gould: This government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative education.

The department agrees with the Curriculum and Assessment Review that building the skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources, including multi-modal texts, is increasingly important

The reformed English programme of study and English language GCSE will expose students to the study of a wider range of text types and genres, including transient texts, supporting them to analyse and challenge arguments, building media literacy.

Media literacy is an increasingly important skill to enable young people to identify “fake news” and to spot different types of mis- and disinformation, especially online.

Secure, well-founded knowledge is essential for students to understand how arguments are constructed across different types of media and to recognise the various ways in which language can be used to persuade.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools have adequate time for play during the school day. \p Georgia Gould: Play is an essential part of children’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities.

Government guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of citizenship from the teacher training bursary list on the (a) recruitment of specialist teachers and (b) ability of schools to deliver high-quality citizenship education. \p Georgia Gould: The department is working with the sector to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession across all subjects, including citizenship. As a first step, this government has increased teacher pay by almost 10% over two years.

Our Plan for Change is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament to ensure sufficient teachers across all subjects. We are making good progress with the workforce has grown by 2,346 on a full-time equivalent basis between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, where it is needed most.

Trainee bursaries are reviewed annually to ensure we are focusing on the subjects most in need. Our commitment of over £200 million for bursaries in 2026/27 follows improved recruitment, with 10% more acceptances to start initial teacher training courses this year compared to last year and the teacher leaver rate falling to 9%, one of the lowest on record. In 2024/25 3,685 teachers taught citizenship.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delaying publishing provisional funding allocations will have any impact on schools’ and local authorities’ budget planning for 2026-27. \p Georgia Gould: The department published the financial year 2026/27 schools and central school services national funding formula (NFF) on 19 November. High needs allocations will follow shortly.
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Vicky Foxcroft:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Ofsted (a) inspections and (b) public reporting properly reflect schools’ statutory obligations to deliver Citizenship education. \p Georgia Gould: These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Lewisham North and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many further education courses for 16-18 year olds were not completed in the last five years; and what the estimated cost was of providing those placements in England. \p Josh MacAlister: Education and training achievement rates are available in the ‘Further education and skills’ statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2024-25#content-9.

The department does not hold data on the estimated cost of providing those placements in England.

Funding for students who withdraw from their studies during the academic year is reduced through the retention factor in the 16 to 19 funding formula. This has the effect of funding withdrawn students at 50% of their funding band’s rate. This recognises that there is a cost to institutions in delivering programmes to students who do not complete.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many OIA settlements have been reported as breached to Office for Students in each of the last 5 years, and what enforcement action was taken in each case. \p Josh MacAlister: The Office for Students (OfS) and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) are independent from government, and we do not hold details on information shared between the two bodies.

The OfS’ registration condition C2 states that registered providers ‘must cooperate with the requirements of the student complaints scheme run by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, including the subscription requirements’, but it does not have the power to enforce compliance with the OIA’s recommendations.

Where a provider does not comply with the OIA’s recommendations, and the OIA believes this may indicate systemic issues with the provider, the OIA may share this information with the OfS or other relevant bodies.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints has OIA received from disabled students in each of the last 5 years, what proportion were upheld, and how many reasonable adjustments were made during complaint processes. \p Josh MacAlister: The Office of the Independent Adjudicator is independent from government, and the department does not hold the requested information.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025, to Question 78720, on South West Railway: Nationalisation, whether the pubic purse is liable for potential (a) losses, (b) cost over-runs and (c) increases in costs. \p Keir Mather: Under public ownership, the Government takes on all revenue and cost risk. This has largely been the case since the pandemic too, when Government implemented emergency contractual arrangements which involved taking on all revenue and the vast majority of cost risk from the train operating companies – except now, the Government will not additionally be paying management or performance fees to private operators and, indirectly, their shareholders.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been the average percentage annual change in rail fares in (a) absolute terms and (b) real terms in each of the last 30 years. \p Keir Mather: The Office of Rail and Road publish annual statistics measuring the change in prices charged by train operating companies to rail passengers, normally introduced in March of each year.

Between 1995 and 2025 rail fares have risen a) in absolute terms by 196.6 per cent and b) in real terms by 10.3 per cent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_75

Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with South Western Railway on the delivery of new stock. \p Keir Mather: Department officials meet regularly with South Western Railway (SWR) to hold it accountable for performance, safety, and fleet. The rollout of the new Arterio trains is continuing with great progress being made. Since transferring to public ownership, the number of trains in service has quadrupled with 28 now in service.

In addition to the new Arterio fleet, SWR is currently in the process of refurbishing its Class 158 and 159 diesel fleet, which will benefit customers using the West of England line. Collectively, the enhancements will improve comfort, connectivity and productivity for customers travelling on these trains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_76

Sir Jeremy Wright:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using the third cycling and walking investment strategy to set targets for a) the National Cycle Network, b) Bikeability and c) the national walking, wheeling and cycling network. \p Lilian Greenwood: The consultation on the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, is seeking the views of stakeholders on a national vision, statutory objectives and underlying performance indicators. The shape of the final strategy, intended to be published next year including any targets, will be informed by the responses to the consultation.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_77
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_77

Sir Jeremy Wright:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to meet with disabled people's organisations on the third cycling and walking investment strategy. \p Lilian Greenwood: The consultation on the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy outlines that by 2035, the Government wants walking, wheeling and cycling to be a safe, easy and accessible option for everyone. Disabled People’s organisations have been engaged as part of a wider series of thematic workshops to inform the development of the final Strategy.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_78

Patricia Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when MOD driving instructors will be deployed to driving test centres across the UK. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has accepted the resource of Defence Driving Examiners (DDEs), to be based at the driving test centres with the highest demand near their MOD base or home location.

Before DDEs can start testing they will require familiarisation training. DVSA will provide further information when they will start testing, as soon as it is able.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_79

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many commercial food delivery cyclists does the government estimate currently operate in the UK; and how many are assessed to have valid public liability insurance in place. \p Lilian Greenwood: The department does not collect any information relating to either the number of food delivery cyclists or how many of them might have liability insurance.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_80

John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who are currently trying to book a driving theory test in Dumfries and Galloway. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a key performance indicator (KPI) to provide theory test candidates with a test appointment within 28 days of their preferred date which is measured as a regional average. Despite unprecedented levels of demand for theory tests this KPI is consistently met.

The average waiting time for a practical driving test at Dumfries driving test centre is currently 15.5 weeks.

It is not possible to confirm how many people are trying to book a driving theory test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.

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.

During 2025, DVSA has recruited three new driving examiners for Carlisle test centre, which will help to provide additional resource and cover for Dumfries driving test centre. DVSA is continuing to review recruitment on a regular basis and although Dumfries driving test centre is currently at capacity, DVSA will review options to increase test availability, including offering overtime to examiners.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_81
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_81

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is planning to take to support disabled people in accessing driving (a) lessons and (b) tests in the South East in the context of the closure of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to ensuring customers requiring support are always treated without discrimination.

Whilst there is no requirement for people to disclose a disability to DVSA, to ensure that every customer is treated fairly, DVSA encourages disclosure so that reasonable adjustments can be made, as needed, at both the theory test and practical driving test.

DVSA will consider and accommodate, where possible, a customer’s reasonable request for support. Depending on their requirements, evidence might be required for DVSA to assess the request thoroughly and ensure all appropriate measures are taken to provide the assistance necessary.

Approved driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA, so the agency has no control or input on what ADIs choose to teach or what they charge for their services.

DVSA has previously worked with the Disabled Driving Instructors Association to assist learner drivers who are looking for ADIs who can accommodate disabilities and additional needs. Further information is available at: www.disabilitydrivinginstructors.com/find-an-instructor.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_82

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether changes are being made to the eligibility for central government funding for Kent County Council, in the context of plans not to switch its fleet of vehicles to electric vehicles. \p Keir Mather: Local authorities have access to a range of central Government funding to support residents to transition to zero emission vehicles. Kent County Council remains eligible for their allocated £13.2 million capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to increase the number of local public chargepoints across Kent. Their LEVI funding application has been approved to go to delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_83

Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that accredited rail retailers offer standardised and automated Delay Repay compensation directly to passengers; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of doing so. \p Keir Mather: Passengers can currently claim delay repay by applying directly to the train operator they travelled with.

Through delivering Great British Railways (GBR), the Government is committed to improving the passenger experience. As set out in the recently introduced Railways Bill, GBR will retail both on line and in person once established, creating a more streamlined, unified offer for passengers by bringing together 14 existing train operator websites and apps. GBR will retail alongside independent retailers, in a fair and open market, and the Government recognises the important role they play in terms of innovating and driving up standards for passengers.

The Government will continue to keep Delay Repay policy under review, including in the context of the move to GBR.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_84

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help develop (a) engineering and (b) maintenance adaptations to protect (i) roads, (ii) railways and (iii) embankments from an increase in the number of high soil moisture deficit events. \p Keir Mather: The maintenance of earthworks is the responsibility of the asset owner, specifically Network Rail for the mainline railway network, National Highways for the strategic road network and Local Authorities for local roads. The technical expertise needed to analyse how specific types of earthworks will be affected by the changing climate sits within those organisations and interventions to adapt the engineering and maintenance of these assets are being initiated and driven by them. The Department for Transport closely monitors the performance of the rail and road networks to assure itself that Network Rail and National Highways are taking effective measures to ensure climate resilience. The Office of Rail and Road are also responsible for ensuring that Network Rail is satisfactorily managing all risks that affect the safety of the railway.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_85
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_85

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment has been made of the reliability of regional rail services serving the North East. \p Keir Mather: Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern Trains’ and TransPennine Express’ contracts, works closely with these operators, as the Department does with intercity operators, and Mayor McGuiness to deliver the reliable services passengers in the North East want and deserve, taking account of operational and financial constraints on operators and the network.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_86

Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Department's Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 89133 on Railways: East of England, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the (a) freight sector and (b) economy of the pause in work on that programme since 2022. \p Keir Mather: We are focused on prioritising the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and support economic growth as quickly as possible. The previous government had committed to a number of projects that were unfunded, including the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement scheme.
wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_87
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_87

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community safety events at level crossings in reducing incidents of misuse a) in East Tilbury and b) nationally. \p Keir Mather: Network Rail are responsible for determining the measures required at level crossings to create a safe environment. They regularly engage with local communities to provide information and briefing on the safety risks associated with misuse and undertake research to understand public and passenger safety attitudes and behaviour towards the railway, which helps to refine their messaging. Network Rail will continue to engage with the community in East Tilbury to ensure safety levels at the crossing are maintained.