Written questions by Wrigley.

What steps she is taking to support (a) South Western Railway and (b) Network Rail in improving the West of England mainline to prevent soil moisture deficits impacting rail journeys on that route.

The Department is in regular discussion with South Western Railway and Network Rail on the monitoring of conditions on the West of England Line to ensure services are restored as soon as it is safe to do so. Once soil moisture levels improve and the ground begins to rehydrate and settle, engineers will carry out lasting repairs to stabilise the embankments and restore track levels, allowing the normal timetable to return. Network Rail have plans for regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation, with £2.8 billion set aside at a national level in Control Period 7. We will work closely with Network Rail Wessex to ensure appropriate action is taken on the West of England line to minimise the risk of soil moisture deficit in future.

How many road collisions took place between vehicles and horses in 2024; and what proportion of these were a result of a vehicle passing too closely or quickly.

There were 56 reported personal injury collisions, on public roads (including footways), involving at least one ridden horse and another vehicle in Great Britain 2024.In 15 cases, a police officer attended the scene of the collision and recorded at least one contributory factor or road safety factor. In 12 of these 15 collisions (80%), a factor related to speed or passing too closely to another road user was assigned to a vehicle other than the ridden horse that was involved in the collision.

Which equestrian organisations her Department has consulted in developing its approach to equestrian road safety.

When carrying out the review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, the Department for Transport worked closely with an expert stakeholder group from the outset representing different users of the road including the British Horse Society.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of including equestrian safety in driving theory tests on reducing accidents.

There has been no assessment made of the potential impact of including equestrian safety in driving theory tests on reducing accidents. This would be difficult due to many confounding factors regarding accidents.The Driver and Vehicle Standards (DVSA) driver theory test already contains questions relating to equestrian safety, and has done for many years.DVSA has recognised the need to promote the recognition of hazards by drivers when sharing the road with horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. These are well represented within the hazard perception part of the test, a CGI video test which requires candidates to identify developing hazards on the road in good time.Both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test are continually being updated and added to, with one of the focuses being on vulnerable road users such as horse riders.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a compensation scheme for passengers without seat reservations who did not get a seat on a train.

There are currently no plans to introduce compensation for passengers unable to find a seat.The walk-up nature of the railway in Great Britain supports full access to rail services, but at busy times could mean seating is not guaranteed. Some train operators offer seat reservations up to two hours before the departure of a train.If a passenger holds a First-Class ticket and no First-Class seats are available, they are entitled to a refund of the difference between the fare paid and that of the appropriate Standard Class fare.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned £8.5 million reduction in funding for the British Transport Police Funding on the policing of crime on the rail network.

The budget for the British Transport Police for the financial year 2025/26 is £415m - a 5.9% increase on the year before. The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.

What recent discussions she has had with the Transport Salaried Staff Association on the British Transport Police's funding.

The Secretary of State for Transport met with the General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), Maryam Eslamdoust on 2nd April 2025, following a meeting with the Rail Minister on 12 March. These were productive introductory meetings between the General Secretary of TSSA and the Secretary of State for Transport and Rail Minister. Whilst funding was discussed at these meetings, the British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding levels for the British Transport Police in Devon.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) which is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Like other police forces the BTP have operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, including demand for their presence in Devon. This capacity planning process ensures that BTP has the best information to ensure officers across the network, including in Devon, are in the right place at the right time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 66340 on the South West Rail Resilience Programme, whether her Department has received the assessments completed by Network Rail in 2024 on the outline design options for Phase 5 of the Programme; and what her Department’s criteria are for determining whether to proceed to the next stage of development.

Following receipt of the Outline Business Case for Phase 5 of the Resilience Programme from Network Rail in 2024, the Department is funding further cliff monitoring and drainage works on this section of route. The project will be kept under review at future funding events once these works are complete.

What consultations were undertaken with regional stakeholders prior to the decision not to fund Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

The Spending Review considered and prioritised investment across all government spending, taking account of business cases and affordability, including economic and social impacts. The Government does not undertake formal consultation with regional stakeholders as part of Spending Reviews.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of delaying Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme on (a) the local economy and (b) transport resilience.

The Spending Review considered and prioritised investment across all government spending, taking account of business cases and affordability, including economic and social impacts. The Government does not undertake formal consultation with regional stakeholders as part of Spending Reviews.

Whether her Department commissioned an independent assessment of the viability of proposed engineering solutions for Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme (a) during and (b) since the Spending Review 2025.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

Whether her Department has taken steps with Network Rail to develop a proposal for the Teignmouth to Parsons Tunnel section of the South West Rail Resilience Programme since the Spending Review 2025.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

What steps her Department plans to take to improve resilience along the stretch between Parsons Tunnel and Teignmouth pending the completion of Phase 5.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

Whether alternative (a) funding models and (b) timelines are under consideration for delivering the final stage of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

Whether her Department has set a deadline for Network Rail to produce a revised proposal for Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

Under what circumstances Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme would receive funding.

We are continuing to fund drainage and ground investigations that will provide Network Rail with detailed data on the stability of the cliffs above that section of route and will inform their consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course. The project will be kept under active review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes, for further consideration when funding discussions are being held and we have a clear proposal for a long-term solution.

If she will publish her Department's analysis of phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

The Department does not publish analysis of rail enhancement projects whilst they remain in development.

If she will allocate funding to Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme in the next spending review.

We have set out our plans for this Spending Review period and will consider the next Spending Review at the appropriate time.

If she will take steps to help tackle pavement parking in Devon.

Local authorities can already make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking. The Department for Transport has also been carefully considering the responses to the previous government’s pavement parking consultation, including working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.