Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 321–340 of 1,046 · Department for Transport
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 65366 on Fixed Penalties, whether contractors will be permitted to (a) issue fixed penalty notices by the bus byelaws for profit and (b) pay staff per fine issued.
Guidance for local transport authorities on the byelaws provisions in the Bus Services Act 2025 is being developed and will be published in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2025 to Question 100964 on DVLA: Disclosure of Information, whether he plans to remove access to DVLA data for traffic filters and 15 minute cities.
Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to make information about UK vehicles and their registered keepers available for use by local authorities for a range of appropriate purposes. There are no plans to make changes to these arrangements.
With reference to her Department's transparency data entitled Local highway authority highways maintenance ratings and underlying metric scores 2025 to 2026, published on 11 January 2026, over what specific period of time was the road condition data for metrics (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 collected.
Metrics 1, 2 and 3 were based on road condition statistics for the financial year ending 2024. Data for the financial year ending 2024 was the most recent data available at the time of producing the ratings. Where local highway authorities were unable to provide data for the financial year ending 2024, data for the financial year ending 2023 was used. Data on local classified roads can be collected over 2 years, with the majority of data from the most recent financial year. For the unclassified road network, data is collected over a 4-year period. Further detail on the data collection process and timelines can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-network-size-and-condition-statistics-guidance/road-condition-statistics-a-basic-guide-and-quality-assessment#timeliness-and-punctuality.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in business rates on planned private sector investment in Channel Tunnel rail services.
Business rates and the ongoing 2026 valuation process is a matter for the operationally independent Valuation Office Agency. The Government is committed to supporting a thriving and competitive international rail market, signing landmark deals with partner countries to establish new direct routes and working with industry partners to address the barriers to growth, paving the way for new entrants to the market and unlocking private investment.
With reference to her Department's document, the Methodology used to calculate ratings for local road maintenance, published on 11 January 2025, why was metric 9 on decarbonisation of road maintenance deemed relevant to fixing potholes and road conditions; and what assessment has been made of the reliability of electric battery powered highway maintenance vehicles in very cold weather.
Metric 9 considers both whether a local highway authority has plans to decarbonise its maintenance operations and whether it has plans to increase climate resilience. In relation to decarbonisation, lower carbon approaches to road maintenance, such as a greater focus on preventative treatments, are associated with better whole-life asset management. By treating roads preventatively before they require end-of-life replacement, local highway authorities can keep roads in good conditions for longer and prevent potholes, while also reducing costs and carbon emissions. In relation to climate resilience, extreme weather events such as the heavy rainfalls of the beginning of this year or the heatwaves experienced over recent summers can accelerate road deterioration. Adapting roads so they better withstand these stresses, for example by improving drainage systems and using heat-durable materials, helps to maintain good road conditions. It is for each local highway authority to determine which vehicles to use as part of its maintenance operation. As part of the Department's highways innovation programme, Live Labs 2, local authority-led consortia are trialling innovative road maintenance techniques and this includes the use of battery electric powered machinery. The delivery of Live Labs 2 is coordinated by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) and they will publish the programme's findings once trials have concluded.
Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 90402 on Restoring Your Railway Fund, if she will place a copy of the equality impact assessment on the closure in the Library.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question 94298, answered on 8 December 2025.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77644 on THINK! Campaign, what the outturn budget on the THINK! Road Safety communications campaign was in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25; and what is the forecast budget for (i) 2025-26 and (ii) 2026-27.
Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. The total spend on the THINK! road safety campaign for the years requested is as follows: 2023–24 outturn: £5,180,103.982024–25 outturn: £4,336,0572025–26 forecast: £3,880,0002026–27 forecast: £5,529,000
Pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84274 on Motorcycles: Manufacturing Industries, if she will provide a relevant hyperlink to the list of motorcycles eligible for grant support: and if she will provide a list of which of those motorcycles are Chinese made.
https://www.gov.uk/plug-in-vehicle-grants/motorcycles.The Department does not hold information on manufacture location as part of the motorcycle grant.
Pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 101487 on Motor Vehicles: Hire Services, if she will provide a hyperlink.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-fleet-commitment/government-fleet-commitment.
Pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 89630 on London North East Railway: Fares, whether she plans to roll out the LNER demand-based pricing model to the wider nationalised railway network.
The Department will set out further plans for fares reform, including any future approach to demand based pricing, in due course.
What progress her Department has made towards commencing section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006; what timetable she has set for introducing mandated driving instruction standards for emergency service drivers; and what recent engagement her Department has had with police, fire and ambulance services on the implementation of these measures.
The Department is currently developing the package of measures required to implement S19 of the Road Safety Act 2006. This will include mandated driving instruction standards. Police, Fire and Rescue, and NHS Ambulance services are fully engaged at both chief officer level, and with their respective Driver Training Advisory Groups, which have provided expert input into the drafting of the minimum training standards. Further announcements will be made in due course.
What information their Department holds on (a) the proportion of tyres procured that were re-tread tyres for (i) Department-operated and (ii) commercially contracted heavy vehicle fleets, including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles and (b) the volume of tyres procured for those fleets that were single-use imported tyres in the last 12 months; and whether such information is held centrally or by individual contractors.
The Department for Transport does not hold or collate the information requested.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 102872, what definition the Government uses for a pothole, including any criteria relating to minimum (a) size, (b) depth and (c) safety classification thresholds used for funding or repair estimates.
Local highway authorities are responsible for maintaining their roads under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. Individual authorities set their own criteria, including the minimum size and depth at which a defect, or pothole, is recorded or repaired, and apply risk‑based assessments that account for local conditions, traffic volumes and safety considerations when making decisions on maintenance programmes. These thresholds therefore vary between areas and are not prescribed by the Department for Transport.
Whether the Government has considered advertising driving examiner vacancies on the GOV.UK page “Apply to become a driving instructor”.
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised. MonthDriving examiner vacancies advertisedSeptember 2024244March 2025189July 2025147Two adverts in September 2025322Two adverts in December 2025260 All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
Whether the Government has considered writing to individuals who have previously failed the Approved Driving Instructor Part 3 test to highlight opportunities to train as DVSA driving examiners.
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised. MonthDriving examiner vacancies advertisedSeptember 2024244March 2025189July 2025147Two adverts in September 2025322Two adverts in December 2025260 All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
How many job advertisements for driving test examiners were listed on the Civil Service Jobs Search gov.uk website in each month since 4 July 2024; and how many of those roles were (a) full-time and (b) part-time and (i) civilian or (ii) defence Driving Examiner posts.
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised. MonthDriving examiner vacancies advertisedSeptember 2024244March 2025189July 2025147Two adverts in September 2025322Two adverts in December 2025260 All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
What criteria her Department uses to assess the adequacy of private sector delivery of public electric vehicle charge points for meeting the Government's 2030 target.
The majority of public charge points will be delivered by the private sector, which has committed to investing over £6 billion in public charging infrastructure by 2030. Many chargepoints are delivered through a combination of public and private sector funding. This includes the estimated 100,000 chargepoints expected to be delivered under the Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Scheme, which is leveraging significant private sector investment alongside public funding.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107776, if she will make an estimate the number of uninsured motorcycles on roads.
The Department for Transport has not made an estimate on the number of uninsured motorcycles on our roads. However, we take uninsured driving very seriously and work with motor insurance stakeholders and law enforcement to crack down on those who choose not to insure their vehicles. As part of the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026, the Department has launched a consultation on motoring offences, including a review of existing penalties for unlicensed driving or for driving not in accordance with a licence.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2026 to Question 108803, when her Department expects to publish its formal response to the Office of Rail and Road’s June 2025 review into revenue protection practices.
In June 2025, the Office of Rail and Road published its independent review of revenue protection practices. The Department has accepted its five recommendations in full. We have been working with industry to address the recommendations and expect to publish a full response shortly.
Whether the DVSA has proposed any future changes to the driving test centre estate.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no current plans for any future changes to the driving test centre estate.