Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the safety of bus drivers in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The government have introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill which focuses on delivering safe, more reliable bus networks. The Bill sets requirements for mandatory training on how to recognise and respond appropriately to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour, on buses for staff, including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public or with issues related to the travelling public. Provisions in the Bus Services (No.2) Bill would also give all local transport authorities (LTAs) the power to make bus byelaws, which can be enforced by local authority officers on vehicles and at bus stations and stops. This, combined with targeted enforcement should lead to safer networks. Transport Safety Officers or Transport Safety and Enforcement Officers are also already operating in some areas.All LTAs in England are required to publish Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) with information on how they intend to improve services in their area. LTAs have been informed that BSIPs should include plans on how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. This may include measures such as appropriate passenger safety training for bus drivers to deal with emergency situations on or off the bus and encouraging bus operators to liaise with local police and other stakeholders to address safety concerns.

Whether her Department is taking steps with the Mayor of London to help mitigate residential noise pollution from (a) the London Underground and (b) associated maintenance works.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London. They are responsible for the operation and maintenance of London Underground, including assessment of noise generated and any necessary mitigations.

What steps she has taken to work with the devolved Administrations to increase transport connectivity between the four Home Nations.

While transport is largely a devolved responsibility for the Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Department for Transport is working with its counterparts to improve transport connectivity across the UK.As recommended by the Union Connectivity Review, the UK government funded three rail feasibility studies in Northern Ireland looking at electrification, re-opening closed railway lines and improving access to airports. The UK Government also funded three studies focused on improving the North Wales Transport Corridor to completion and is funding Transport Scotland’s A75 feasibility study to explore options to bypass Springholm and Crocketford.Separately, the UK Government subsidises flights between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport through a Public Service Obligation.This Government is establishing Great British Railways (GBR) which will be the ‘directing mind’ for the rail industry, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services into a single public body. GBR will work closely with the Devolved Governments where responsibilities are devolved and will provide the integrated and long-term thinking the rail sector needs to grow and support the UK economy. GBR will be established in early 2027, subject to the Railways Bill achieving Royal Assent. We will continue to work, where appropriate, with the Devolved Governments to improve transport outcomes for all people of the UK.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce drug or alcohol linked fatalities on roads in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced. THINK!, the Government’s flagship road safety campaign, works closely with local authority partners and the police to align on road safety campaign activity. In November 2024, THINK! launched a new drink driving campaign that highlighted the risks of losing your licence after drinking even a little before driving. The Government is considering policy options in respect of motoring offences, including around drink and drug driving. Details will follow in due course.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce fatalities involving young drivers in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions, and the powers to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, taking account of the relevant legislation and official guidance. My Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this.

Whether her Department plans to mandate that learner drivers have practiced driving on motorways prior to taking a driving test.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no current plans to mandate that all learner drivers must undertake motorway driving prior to their driving test, for several key reasons.Not all learners have convenient access to motorways, with many candidates living in rural or remote areas where the nearest motorway may be some distance away. Requiring all candidates to drive on a motorway would risk creating an unfair barrier to test readiness and accessibility.While motorway driving is valuable, the practical driving test already includes a strong focus on high-speed driving environments. Dual carriageways, which can present even greater risk due to variable traffic flows, mixed vehicle types, and more frequent junctions, are included in test routes, wherever possible. They provide critical opportunities to assess a candidate’s ability to manage higher speeds and complex traffic situations.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the safety of domestic air travel.

The Department for Transport is committed to maintaining the highest standards for aviation safety. The DfT chaired State Safety Board (SSB) oversees UK Aviation Authorities and works to improve UK aviation safety. It identifies and mitigates safety risks to achieve our safety objectives that are: as a minimum, no accidents involving commercial air transport that result in serious injuries or fatalities, and no serious injuries or fatalities to third parties as a result of aviation activities. We will shortly be publishing the UK State Safety Programme (SSP) which sets out these functions and an overview of how we oversee the UK aviation system. The UK Aviation Authorities includes the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Isle of Man CAA, Channel Islands CAA, Gibraltar CAA, and Air Safety Support International (ASSI) which has oversight of the Overseas Territories. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is also the designated independent body for accident and serious incident investigation across the UK Aviation Authorities. The AAIB drives safety improvements through reports and recommendations. Furthermore, the Department engages across the aviation industry to develop informed policies that are both responsive to industry needs and capable of advancing safety. The International Civil Aviation Organisation set the global standards for aviation safety, and the UK participates in the development of standards and recommended practices to continually improve global aviation safety.

Whether her Department plans to mandate a defined minimum learning period before learner drivers can take their test.

We are considering measures and assessing their potential impacts to tackle the root causes of young and novice driver collisions. We will set out more details in due course.

Whether her Department plans to lower the drink drive limit in England.

The Government is considering policy options in respect of motoring offences, including around drink and drug driving. Details will follow in due course.

Whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department had discussions with LNER on the (i) commissioning and (ii) publication of the report entitled “Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services”, published on 10th April 2025.

Train operators are not required to seek the Department for Transport’s approval for business-as-usual research funded within their approved budgets.

How much LNER paid for the report commissioned from Jacobs consultancy entitled Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services, published on 10 April 2025.

The Department does not hold this information.

What guidance her Department has issued on the use of bilingual street signs in England.

The Department for Transport has not issued guidance on the use of bilingual traffic signs as these are not permitted on roads in England.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of sexual offences on public transport in (a) England and (b) Romford.

The Department is committed to ensuring everyone, including women and girls, is safe on the transport network. The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling. As part of the Government’s aims to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade, the Department has an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work to help tackle VAWG on transport. This includes proposals in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill such as training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour. The Department supports BTP’s zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual offences. This includes using a range of policing techniques to pursue offenders on the rail network to ensure it remains a safe environment and encourage reporting of incidents via BTP’s 61016 text number or 999 in an emergency. Romford is currently part of Operation Cerium which sees proactive patrols from BTP officers across the underground and rail network in London to reduce the number of sexual offences and identify offenders swiftly.

How much Network Rail spends on renting commercial space outside London; and how much Network Rail commercial space is empty.

Network Rail does not hold the information centrally regarding it’s spend on renting commercial space outside of London. Across the 20 stations managed by Network Rail, the commercial vacancy rate is 3.2%.

When she expects Train Operating Company retail websites will cease to operate; and what transitional process her Department plans alongside a new Great British Railways online rail ticket retailer.

The Department is working on plans for Great British Railways’ (GBR) future retail capability and assessing its impact. It will go live once GBR is established. We will provide further details in due course.

Which open access rail applications are awaiting a decision by the Office of Rail and Road.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have confirmed to the Department that there are currently 12 open access applications that are awaiting decisions by the ORR. Details of live applications can be found via the ORR’s website: https://www.orr.gov.uk/rail-guidance-compliance/network-access/regulated-networks/network-rail/current-applications

When she plans to issue a tender procurement notice to deliver a new Great British Railways online rail ticket retailer.

The Department is working on plans for Great British Railways’ (GBR) future retail capability and assessing its impact. It will go live once GBR is established. We will provide further details in due course.

What the cost to the public purse of the subsidy required to support the railways was in (a) 2018-9, (b) 2020-1 and (c) 2023-4.

The Government’s net support to the rail industry in Great Britain totalled £7.1 billion in 2018-19, £16.9 billion in 2020-21 and £22.3 billion in 2023-24. This support includes funding for both the operational railway and for enhancement projects such as HS2. These values as well as further information can be found on the Office for Rail and Road portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/finance/rail-industry-finance/.

When Network Rail last carried out (a) a survey and (b) audit of its land estate which could be suitable for renewable energy generation; and what assessment was made of its megawatt generation potential.

The most recent survey and analysis of the potential for renewable energy generation across Network Rail’s land estate was carried out in May 2020, with the potential capacity found to be 188 MWp across 34 sites. Network Rail is continuing the roll out of new renewable energy generation assets across its estate.

How much renewable energy generation is delivered from the Network Rail land estate; and which individual facilities generate the largest supplies of electricity.

Network Rail does not currently hold data on the total amount of renewable energy generation delivered from its land estate as solar installations have been delivered at a regional and route level to date. Network Rail is working to gather this data. The individual facility on Network Rail’s land estate that generates the largest supply of electricity is Blackfriars Bridge, the world’s largest solar bridge, which generates at 850kWp (around 900,000kWh per year) and covers 6,000m2.