Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim Shannon this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 90 · Department for Transport
What steps she is taking to improve maintenance of rural roads.
The Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This multi-year settlement enables local authorities to plan ahead and shift away from expensive, short-term repairs and to instead inv...
What steps she is taking to provide UK-wide subsidised rural transport that is reliable and can encourage people to leave the car at home.
Transport is a devolved matter, and the Department for Transport is predominantly responsible for transport in England only on most issues. The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in ensuring access to empl...
What steps she will take to improve the safety of coastal roads; and if she will make it her policy to have a designated coastal erosion fund for each region.
There are no plans for a designated erosion fund for the safety of coastal roads. Roads policy is a devolved matter, with funding decisions the responsibility of the respective devolved administration. In England, local highway authorities are responsible...
What steps she will take to ensure that every area of the UK has designated funding for road safety improvements.
On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy for Great Britain, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Great Brita...
If she will ensure that Northern Ireland receives an enhanced funding scheme for improvements to railway connectivity through the Barnet Consequentials.
The railway in Northern Ireland is a fully devolved matter. The funding, prioritisation and delivery of improvements is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. As a result of the decisions made by the Chancellor at the Spring Forecast, the N...
What steps he is taking to improve public transport accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Government is committed to improving public transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise th...
What support is available to local authorities to promote low-emission public transport initiatives.
The Department for Transport has given local transport authorities in England over £21bn in multi-year funding settlements to spend on local transport outcomes. This gives local transport authorities more flexibility to spend money according to their loca...
What steps she is taking to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles.
The Government is investing £7.5 billion to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. This includes supporting the rollout of charging infrastructure and grants to help people and businesses buy electric cars, vans and trucks. The £2 billion Elect...
What assessment she has made of the availability of public charging points for electric vehicles in rural areas.
The Government is committed to accelerating the rollout 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 May 2026, there are now over 120...
What recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of demand for additional pilots resulting from airport expansion; how many UK commercial airline pilots are set to reach mandatory retirement age in the next five years; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability and retention of qualified flight instructors; and what consideration her Department has given to reducing financial barriers to entry for aspiring pilots.
As of 26 March 2026, Civil Aviation Authority (the Regulator) records indicate that 1315 commercial pilots aged 60 to 64 are expected to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 within the next five years. The UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, and it is for individual airlines to recruit and train the pilots and flight instructors needed to meet both current and future demand. However, supporting the UK’s aviation workforce remains a priority for this Government. I welcome the steps taken by British Airways and Jet2.com to strengthen the future pilot pipeline, including through periodically offering partly or fully funded training programmes. Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with industry and with representative bodies, including the British Airline Pilots’ Association, on aviation skills issues. A major training organisation has now been approved to deliver the First Officer apprenticeship, which will enable young people to train as pilots at no personal cost. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Skills England to encourage airlines to take up and deliver this apprenticeship.
What steps she is taking to support sustainable transport initiatives.
Delivering greener transport is a departmental priority and we are focused on supporting a range of sustainable travel choices for people using public and private transport. More opportunities to walk, wheel and cycle will create happier and healthier communities and supporting the transition to electric vehicles will make our transport system cleaner and more resilient. Recent actions include: Announced on 25 March, the multi-year Depot Charging Scheme and Zero Emission Van and Truck Grants are providing a £1 billion boost for British businesses to roll out clean trucks and vans and install new electric vehicle chargers at depots – helping to build resilience against fuel price uncertainty.The Electric Car Grant has already helped over 80,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle since launching last year.A £4 million boost to the NHS chargepoint scheme has helped modernise the health service, will decarbonise 460 million journey miles a year and save millions in fuel costs.In March 2026 we announced up to £73 million in additional funding to support the delivery of approximately 484 zero emission buses across 10 projects in England, on top of £38 million announced last April.The Bus Services Act 2025 will place a requirement on bus operators not to use new diesel buses on local bus routes in England. It will not take effect prior to 2030 so that the sector has time to plan a smooth transition. We are currently engaging with the bus sector as to the date.A freeze on rail fares, saving passengers £600 million and easing cost‑of‑living pressures as we rebuild a better and more reliable railway with passengers at its heart through Great British Railways.
What steps she is taking to help improve road safety for children near schools.
The Department recognises the importance of safety for children near schools and the Road Safety Strategy (published January 2026) sets a goal of reducing the number of children under 16 killed or seriously injured on roads by 70% by 2035 in Great Britain. Active travel is a devolved matter for national governments. In England, the Department for Transport uses Active Travel England (ATE) to support authorities to develop a wide range walking and cycling schemes. ATE have developed and published specific guidance on how to improve safety around schools through implementation of School Streets. The Government is providing £626 million to local authorities in England for walking and cycling schemes for 2026/27 onwards across the spending review period, which may also be used for safety measures around schools amongst a range of other measures. More information on School Streets, the road safety strategy, and available funding can be found at the following links: Consolidated Active Travel Fund: final allocations - GOV.UKSchool Streets: how to set up and manage a scheme - GOV.UKRoad safety strategy - GOV.UK The Road Safety Strategy, published earlier this year, has also committed to publishing a new edition of the best practice guidance Setting local speed limits - GOV.UK which gives local authorities clearer, more up‑to‑date best‑practice standards.
If her Department will consider using World Wildlife Day to promote driver awareness of wildlife on the roads.
The Department do not have any plans to use World Wildlife Day to promote driver awareness of wildlife on the roads. A main focus for this Government is to make our roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals. There is a range of traffic signs prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 to warn drivers of road safety risks due to wildlife on or near roads. It is for local traffic authorities to determine if such signs are required to address a road safety issue on their roads.Advice on the use of these signs is given in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Signs Manual, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
What data her Department holds on the (i) volume and (ii) cost of missed MOT appointments in each of the last three financial years.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) supervises the delivery of light vehicle MOTs in Great Britain through its approved MOT garages. However, as these are private garages, DVSA does not collate overall data on the volume and cost of missed MOT appointments.
On what date her Department first raised with the BBC that the announcement on Graduated Driver Licensing scheme could be made on the BBC’s day of road safety coverage.
The Department for Transport has not made an announcement on a Graduated Driving Licensing scheme. Whilst we are not considering further restrictions on newly qualified drivers such as carrying passengers or driving at night, as announced on the 7 January, we are consulting on a Minimum Learning Period in England, Scotland, and Wales before learner drivers can take their test, and on a lower drink drive limit for novice drivers..
What legislative steps will be required to introduce the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme by October 2026.
Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly can advise on the legislative steps required to introduce Graduated Driving Licensing in Northern Ireland. For England, Scotland and Wales on 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing a Minimum Learning Period for learner drivers in England, Scotland and Wales. Whilst we are not considering further restrictions on newly qualified drivers such as carrying passengers or driving at night, we are consulting on a Minimum Learning Period in England, Scotland, and Wales before learner drivers can take their test. Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.
How many people have been disqualified or suspended from driving due to not holding a valid insurance policy over the last 12 months.
The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notify the DVLA of any driving endorsement ordered following a conviction and sentence.The offence of using a motor vehicle while uninsured is represented by DVLA offence code IN10. Should an individual be convicted of offence IN10 they could face a fine, 6 to 8 penalty points or a period of disqualification. There were 2,564 drivers between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 where a disqualification was recorded against offence code IN10 on the driver record.There is a possibility that there could be some records where someone has been disqualified for multiple offences where an IN10 was one of those offences, but the disqualification may not be recorded against IN10 in the statistics.
How many pothole damage claims there were in 2025.
The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of pothole damage claims in 2025.
What discussions she has had with major airports on tackling noise pollution.
Ministers and officials engage regularly with airports on a range of issues including noise pollution.Major airports are required to produce noise action plans every five years. Current plans cover the period 2024-2028 and have been published on airports’ websites.The government also sets noise controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. At other airports, appropriate noise controls should be set locally through the planning system.
Whether she has considered offering incentives to employers to introduce more walking or cycling to work schemes.
The Cycle to Work Scheme has helped millions of people choose a healthier, greener way to travel while boosting local economies and supporting jobs. The scheme provides a range of savings and other benefits to employers from their employees using the scheme within the rules set by HM Revenue and Customs, HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority.