Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps she is taking to help prevent suicide on railway infrastructure.

The Department is committed to working with the rail industry to reduce the number of deaths by suicide. Each rail operator is responsible for delivering a suicide prevention plan and maintaining accreditation to the independently assessed Safeguarding on Rail Scheme. Their plan must include training of public-facing staff in suicide prevention, putting in place mitigation measures at stations and promoting avenues of help for vulnerable people at risk of suicide or self-harm. The British Transport Police works in collaboration with its partners to ensure incidents are managed swiftly and people are treated with dignity. Network Rail has a long-standing relationship with The Samaritans, and funds the ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for practical driving tests in (a) Greater London and (b) Essex.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at all driving test centres, include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer. For recent recruitment campaigns, DVSA has used additional measures when advertising in and around the Greater London area, such as radio advertising, local managers attending and running recruitment events, and improved social media coverage. From recent recruitment DVSA has had 11 new DEs successful on their training course. This includes 10 for London and one for Essex. DVSA is planning training courses to the end of the business year and currently has nine individuals, who will serve the London and Essex areas, confirmed on courses to the end of February. Further applicants are in checks awaiting course dates.

What steps her Department is taking to help repair potholes in Romford constituency.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Havering Council is the local highway authority for the Romford constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network. This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring cyclists to (a) display number plates and (b) hold valid insurance.

The Government has no intention of requiring all cyclists to display number plates or to have insurance. A national registration scheme for all cycles would be complex and expensive to design and administer. As for insurance, the Government believes that this should remain a matter of personal choice. Some cyclists already have third party insurance via their membership of cycling organisations. Cyclists who are not insured are liable for the consequences of their actions should these result in injury or damages to others.

Whether she plans to lift the restriction on carrying liquids over 100ml in hand luggage on flights departing from UK airports; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require all airports to introduce CT security scanners within the next six months.

The UK already has some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world, and the implementation of new cutting-edge technology enhances security and will boost the passenger experience. Restrictions on the carriage of liquids to up to 100ml need to remain in place for security reasons but the Department is moving at pace to enable larger volume of liquids to be carried when it is appropriate to do so. The department keeps aviation security regulatory requirements under constant review. All airports have been required by regulation to upgrade cabin baggage screening technology and processes to meet enhanced standards.

What steps she is taking to help improve (a) access and (b) transport links to the Falkland Islands.

The DfT is working closely with the Falkland Islands Government, aviation stakeholders and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to improve access and transport links. Flights to and from the Falkland Islands are a devolved decision for the Falkland Islands Government. The announcement on 24 September 2024 between the Foreign Secretary and the Argentine Foreign Minister Mondino on South Atlantic cooperation included an intention to resume the weekly commercial flight between Sao Paulo (Brazil) and the Falkland Islands which stopped once a month in Cordoba, Argentina. We are working with the Falkland Islands Government and the Argentine Government to put into effect the resumption of the flight. The UK has a large number of bilateral air services agreements (ASAs) that grant traffic rights for the operation of flights from countries around the world to the UK. The majority of these ASAs include the ability to fly to the UK Overseas Territories. The DfT works closely with the Falkland Islands Civil Aviation Department to ensure they are aware of the traffic rights available to airlines operating to the Falklands.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of raising of the bus fare cap in England on working families.

The government knows how important it is to provide affordable bus travel, particularly in rural communities and towns where there is heavy reliance on buses. Under the inherited plans of the previous administration, funding for the current cap on bus fares had been due to expire at the end of 2024 – with no plan in place to ensure passengers had access to affordable, reliable bus services. That is why the Prime Minister confirmed on 28 October that the government will invest £151 million to introduce a £3 cap on single bus fares from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. This cap on fares will ensure millions of people can continue to access affordable bus tickets, including potential savings of up to 80% on some routes, while ensuring good value for the taxpayer.

What steps she is taking to improve access to artificial intelligence training.

This Government is committed to delivering an efficient and effective future transport sector. To do that we need to ensure that the sector and the public servants which support it are equipped to use, regulate, guide and assure AI systems effectively. My department is working with experts in this sector to develop internal training which will be broadly available to staff members, senior leaders and even ministers to help the whole department, its arms-length bodies and agencies improve their understanding of what AI can offer and how to go about supporting its development.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of outbound flights from the six largest airports serving London that were delayed over the last three months; and whether she has had discussions with (a) London Heathrow airport, (b) London Gatwick airport, (c) City airport, (d) Luton airport, (e) London stansted airport and (f) Southend airport on steps they are taking to decrease the number of (i) delays and (ii) cancellations.

The aviation industry predominantly operates in the private sector, therefore it is the responsibility of the industry to have robust resilience plans in place to meet demand, recruit, and roster staff, and have appropriate mitigations in place. The Civil Aviation Authority publishes quarterly aviation trends, which include delay statistics for the airports in question. The most recent published data is for April – June 2024 and can be found here. The Department for Transport engages regularly with industry to understand the issues facing industry, and to ensure that plans are in place to minimise delays and disruption. For example, the Aviation Minister wrote to the industry in October 2024 regarding preparedness for the upcoming winter period.

What progress she has made on increasing the number of potholes that are repaired in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. Havering Council is the local highway authority for the Romford constituency, and it is therefore responsible for the maintenance of its local road network. Havering Council has received £333,000 from this Department during 2024/25 to help it carry out its local highway maintenance responsibilities: it is up to the Council to decide how that funding is used. For England as a whole, the Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities to fix up to a million more potholes a year.

What steps she is taking to modernise public transport in Essex.

The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in Essex. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules.The government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions. The Secretary of State has also set out plans for the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation by delivering publicly owned passenger rail within the first term in government. The government will do this as contracts with existing operators expire or if the relevant contractual conditions for early termination are met. The Passenger Railway Services Bill, also announced on 17 July, will allow the government to deliver on this commitment to bring rail services back into public ownership. The government will also establish a new arm's length body, Great British Railways, which will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility.