Every parliamentary written question tabled by Joe Robertson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 181–199 of 199 · Department for Transport
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57194 on Motorcycles: Convictions, on what date the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency plans to complete its scan of the driver database; and when the information will be shared.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency wrote to the Honourable Member on 20 June by email to joe.robertson.mp@parliament.uk with the information requested. Officials will re-send this letter by email and by post.
What steps the Government is taking to establish Great British Railways, following the disbandment of the Great British Railways Transition Team in March 2025.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act was the first step towards fixing our railways, enabling the majority of services to be owned by and run for the public, but we need further fundamental reform to fix the underlying structural problems and put passengers and customers back at the heart of the railway. Great British Railways (GBR) is set to 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. A design programme for GBR is underway, which is jointly run by the Department for Transport, DfT Operator and Network Rail. We anticipate that GBR is to be set up over the following 12 months after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent. The Bill is expected to be introduced later in this session.
What role Network Rail's System Operator has in the establishment of Great British Railways; and whether any staff have been moved to the System Operator since March 2025.
Teams from the System Operator contribute to elements of the Great British Railways (GBR) design programme, where their expertise is relevant. They do this alongside other teams from across the industry with the design programme deliberately set up to draw on relevant capabilities from all parts of the railway. In addition, the Department for Transport has asked Network Rail’s System Operator to engage the railway industry in preparatory work on the anticipated changes to access and use of the railway network. Some staff have been moved into the System Operator since March 2025 following the shut down of the previous government’s Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT].
What data her Department holds on holders of provisional licences to ride AM category mopeds by (a) age and (b) country of birth of holder.
There are currently 9,809,729 individuals with entitlement to drive mopeds (Categories AM and P). The table below shows the data broken down by age group.AgeTotal16-201,676,08321-302,727,29031-402,094,38541-501,554,66451-601,127,53161-70607,35871-8019,77281-902,52891-100115101+3Grand Total9,809,729 It is not compulsory to provide country of birth when applying for a driving licence so a full breakdown of provisional licence holders with moped entitlement by country of birth is not available.
What is the cost to the public purse of the higher-rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment for the (a) London Congestion Charge, (b) Ultra Low Emission Zone charge, (c) Dart Charge, (d) Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charge, (e) Tyne Tunnel toll, (f) M6 Toll, (g) Humber Bridge toll and (h) Mersey Gateway Bridge toll.
The Department does not hold this information. The only undertaking cited that is operated by National Highways on behalf of the Department is Dart Charge, and while National Highways records the number of crossings made by vehicles exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, it does not know the reason why a vehicle is exempt.The other undertakings cited are the responsibility of the relevant local authority or group of authorities, except the M6 Toll, which is a privately owned asset without any recourse to public funds.
Which regulations govern the use of (a) motorcycles and (b) mopeds with L-plates for commercial delivery work in urban areas; and whether she plans to amend those regulations.
There are no current rules limiting commercial riding to those with a full licence. New riders are allowed to ride learner legal motorcycles, mopeds and scooters once they have passed their compulsory basic training (CBT) course. If riders do not to progress to a full licence within the two-year validity period of the CBT certificate, then they are required to complete their CBT course again. All riders are required to have a valid insurance policy to cover the type of machine and the activity they are undertaking.
Whether DVLA-registered mopeds can be lent to drivers with provisional licenses.
There is no requirement for the rider of a moped to be the registered keeper of the vehicle, whether they hold a provisional or full driving licence. Anyone riding or driving any vehicle must have the appropriate driving entitlement and must be insured for the purpose for which the vehicle is being used.
What data her Department holds on the proportion of learners who pass a full category (a) AM and (b) A motorcycle test after completing compulsory basic training on a moped in the last five years.
All riders who want to take a practical motorcycle test must hold a valid compulsory basic training (CBT) certificate. The type of licence held by the rider and the machine used for the training course is noted on the CBT certificate issued to the rider. The information on the proportion of learners who pass a full category (a) AM and (b) A motorcycle test after completing compulsory basic training on a moped is not recorded or held by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).The attached Excel document shows the number of module two motorcycle tests that have been conducted in categories A, A1, A2 and Moped AM for the last five financial years. DVSA can currently only publish the data included in the attached Excel document up to the end of September 2024.
What information her Department holds on the number of people who held a provisional moped licence in (a) London and (b) Great Britain in each year since 2019.
The table below provides the requested information as of 4 June 2025. Historical information is not available.LocationNumber of drivers with provisional moped entitlement (categories AM, P and Q)a) London this includes postcodes E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC1,451,610b) Great Britain9,769,881
Which third party companies based on the Isle of Wight her Department has awarded funding to in the last three years; and which projects they have supported.
In the last three years the Department has provided maritime funding, via the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), five Isle of Wight based companies.Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd for the project “Marine to Electric Power – SeNZe-Tech™ the Smart Way to Clear The Hurdles”Aluminium Marine Consultants Limited for the projects “HyCap Drive” and “Safer, Smarter Ships – Strategies and innovations for vessels using low flash point fuels”Carisbrooke Shipping Limited for the projects “Double efficient pilot fuel free ceramic hydrogen combustion engine technology for marine applications”, “Carnot High Efficiency Hydrogen Combustion Engine Demonstrator”, “Shoreside Power from Optimised Hydrogen Lifecycle”, “Novel High-Efficiency Ammonia engine Technology for Heavy Duty marine applications”, “AirWing Maximised Thrust Wind Propulsion Demonstration” and “Self-Learning Wing Trim Optimisation for AirWing Wind Propulsion System”Cowes Harbour Commission for the project “Clean Hybrid Alternative Marine Powertrain 2” andWight Shipyard Company Limited for the projects “Zero Emission Cross River Ferry” and “Zero-emission Electric Freight Vessel & Charging Infrastructure” This is separate to any funding provided directly to the Isle of Wight, by the Department, for other transport related matters.
How many and what proportion of (a) moped and (b) motorcycle riders with provisional licences who have been convicted of (i) road traffic offences, (ii) robbery and (iii) drug trafficking in each of the past 5 years.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will be able to provide the information in relation to road traffic offences, but this requires a scan of the driver database. Officials will write to the Honourable Member as soon as the information is available. Information about robbery and drug trafficking offences is not recorded by the DVLA.
What funding applications her Department has received from Artemis Technologies in each of the last three years; and which of those projects (a) have not been supported and (b) are being considered by her Department.
In financial year 2024/25 the Department for Transport received no funding applications from Artemis Technologies. In financial year 2023/24 the Department for Transport received six Artemis Technologies applications to the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) R&D Programme. Of these, three have been accepted whilst three were rejected. One of the accepted projects was subsequently withdrawn during project setup. In financial year 2022/23 the Department for Transport received six funding applications, via the UK SHORE from Artemis Technologies. Of these, five were accepted and one was rejected.
What funding her Department has awarded to Artemis Technologies in each of the past three years, broken down by project supported.
In financial year 2024/2025, no funding was awarded to Artemis Technologies.In financial year 2023/24 the Department for Transport provided funding, via the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) R&D Programme, to Artemis Technologies totalling £4,091,119. This was made up of:£69,782 to project 10077453 (Retrofit 20m Mercurio CTV - 100% Electric), and£4,021,337 to project 10077769 (Electric Orkney).In financial year 2022/23 the Department for Transport provided funding, via the UK SHORE, to Artemis Technologies totalling £9,901,637. This was made up of:£204,021 to project 10041953 (eFoiler-Pilot Feasibility Study),£840,612 to project 10040815 (eFoiler-CTV Detailed Design),£1,675,591 to project 10041047 (Hydrogen Fuel Cell Range Extender),£2,323,895 to project 10059256 (Demonstration of 12pax fully-electric hydrofoiling Crew Transfer Vessel), and£4,857,518 to project 10060022 (Multipurpose eFoiler Platform).Artemis Technologies partner with others to deliver their projects. This includes subcontracting work out to others, which the funding ultimately covers. Funds are paid to Artemis once evidence of the costs being incurred and defrayed have been provided.Artemis have are also involved in a range of projects, and this is taken into account when projects bid for funding. As part of the bidding process, application assessments include scrutiny of the project's ability to deliver, including 'team and resources' requirements. Assessments are conducted by independent assessors. For ZEVI and CMDC3 (which Artemis successfully applied for), there was an additional interview stage ahead of projects being awarded funding where the interview panel questioned all projects on their ability to deliver during the project timeframe, especially those organisations that potentially would be involved in multiple projects at the same time.More information on these, and other projects funded through the UK SHORE programme, can be found at https://iuk-business- connect.org.uk/programme/uk-shipping-office-for-reducing-emissions/
What proportion of public transport procurement projects contracted by her Department since 5 July 2024 have included net zero requirements; and if she will make an estimate of the total extra cost as a result of including those requirements.
The Department for Transport does not record the net-zero requirements included in procurement projects contracted.
How many infrastructure contracts awarded by her Department have included mandatory collective bargaining clauses since 5 July 2024.
There are no infrastructure contracts awarded by the Department since 5 July 2024 that have included mandatory collective bargaining clauses.
What steps she is taking to support skills (a) development and (b) training in the maritime sector.
DfT remains committed to delivering a maritime workforce, with the skills and people it needs, both now and for the future.The Maritime Skills Commission, which DfT is part of, assesses the sector’s current and future skills needs. DfT and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are working with industry to future-proof seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme and the Ratings Review. This will ensure UK seafarers remain highly skilled, and equipped with the training to handle new vessels, fuels and future technologies.The £18 million DfT Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund supports 50% of the cost of cadet training. DfT is also updating the 2017 SMarT Review and Seafarer Projections report which provides the evidence base and analysis for SMarT and the UK’s need for seafarers over the next decade.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure the resilience of maritime supply chains.
While the sector is fully privatised, my Department engages closely with industry to understand maritime operational issues that may affect wider supply chains. Assessment of those wider supply chain impacts sits with other government departments, depending on the supply chain affected.
What steps she is taking with her international counterparts to help improve (a) pay and (b) conditions for seafarers operating in UK waters.
Improving the pay and working conditions of seafarers is a priority for this government. We are committed to working with our international partners to improve standards. We have worked closely with the French government to create a minimum wage corridor across the Channel, by bringing the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 into force alongside equivalent French legislation. Through the Employment Rights Bill, we are amending the Seafarers’ Wages Act to allow us to impose further requirements relating to safety and pay, including tours of duty, and we will be working with our international partners to agree such standards. We are also taking steps, through the Employment Rights Bill, to ensure that post EU Exit, we have the powers to implement future amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended and the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007.The UK has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Spain, Greece and Cyprus agreeing to coordinate on matters relating to the conditions of seafarers. We continue to engage with our international partners on matters relating to seafarer employment on international routes.
How many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.
The Department keeps all of its policies under review, to ensure they are aligned to the Government’s priorities and delivering the best possible outcomes for the public. It is standard practice for any new administration to review the policies of its predecessors. Where appropriate, we publish details of our reviews on gov.uk. This includes information on the independent reviews, public consultations and taskforces that have been launched, completed and published between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025.