Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2026 to Question 106604, whether growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers carry equal priority in the rollout of Great British Railways branding.

As set out in the answers to the questions 100962 and 106604, both growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers are priorities Ministers have set industry leaders delivering the rollout of the Great British Railways brand. These are not mutually exclusive. Industry leaders will balance revenue growth with value for money as we move towards a railway that delivers better for customers and taxpayers.

What assessment has she made of requiring (a) regulatory and (b) policy frameworks to be in place before the Heathrow third runway project can proceed to its next phase.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the independent economic regulator, is currently considering options for the future regulatory framework for Heathrow, including how costs are controlled and risks are allocated, with a decision on a preferred regulatory model for expansion expected in the summer. The government is aware of the need for a clear direction of travel to enable investment.In parallel, the Government launched a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) on 22 October which is the policy framework that any future development consent order for expansion at Heathrow will be examined against. The Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the ANPS by the summer, alongside Parliamentary scrutiny in line with statutory processes.

Whether the Government’s view, as set out in paragraph 4.5.10 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports dated 4 June 2025, that there is no national resilience case for requiring climate resilience standards beyond those needed for commercial viability, will be applied consistently by decision-makers when considering development consent for port infrastructure.

Section 104(3) Planning Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State to decide an application in accordance with any relevant national policy statement, except to the extent that one or more of subsections (4) to (8) applies.

With reference to pages 30 and 31 of the Government's report entitled Motor Insurance Taskforce: final report, published on 10 December 2025, whether the Department has concluded its consideration of penalties for the offence of driving a vehicle without motor insurance; and whether she has plans to increase the fixed penalty fine for this offence.

The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82998, whether the Department plans to extend the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme beyond March 2026; and what assessment has been made of the impact of project withdrawals, scope reductions and planning refusals on the delivery of additional HGV parking capacity.

There are no plans for further windows of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme (MFGS). To date 16 projects have been withdrawn by the operators. It is estimated that this is a reduction of up to 177 proposed additional HGV parking spaces. There are no significant impacts on the number of parking spaces where projects have undergone scope reduction.

How many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in January 2026.

The Department has not issued any Notices to Improve on any of the DfT Operator train operating companies in January 2026 because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms. The Department regularly engages with all operators on service performance and financial management, aligned with this Government's priorities on improving performance and reducing subsidy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 104858 on Roads: Biodiversity, what information her Department holds on the (a) estimated cost, (b) estimated cost range and (c) modelling of the biodiversity net gain for (i) existing and (ii) planned projects related to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project on the Strategic Road Network.

DEFRA’s forthcoming biodiversity net gain impact assessment, which is expected to be published shortly, will set out the impact of applying biodiversity net gain to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

If her Department will commission a specific inquiry into the motorcycle insurance market to examine underwriter withdrawals, geographic exclusions and pricing anomalies.

The Government does not intend to commission a specific review into the motorcycle insurance market, as motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. It is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver or rider poses including the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and their driving or riding experience. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not seek to control the motor insurance market.The Motor Insurance Taskforce focused on identifying actions that address the factors that contribute to the cost of claims and consequently, the cost of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Given the number of factors involved in pricing motor insurance, the government has not sought to estimate figures for individual consumer savings. However, the government is confident that the taskforce’s collective actions will help to reduce claims costs and, by extension, premiums. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy was published on 7 January. Alongside the strategy, five consultations have been launched, one of which proposes reforms to motoring offences, including introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences

What the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in January 2026.

The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post and delivering practical car driving tests, will not be available until later in February.As of 30 December 2025, there were 1,618 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,542 FTE were available to deliver practical car driving tests.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2026 to Question 100958, whether her Department (a) receives or (b) reviews data on the proportion of rail journeys using fully digital tickets for each train operating company owned or operated by DfT Operator Limited.

The Department does not receive or review data for journeys using digital ticketing for train operating companies owned or operated by DfT Operator Limited. The Department does have data for all industry digital ticketing but not broken down by journeys on specific train operating companies or owning groups.

What estimate she has made of the costs to port developers of the requirement in paragraph 4.7.23 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports to provide infrastructure to support alternative fuels and zero-emission HGVs.

The costs of providing appropriate infrastructure will be determined on a case-by-case basis as applications progress. The final text of the National Policy Statement for Ports will be published in due course.

Whether her Department has included the foregone Dartford Crossing toll revenues in the Lower Thames Crossing project’s cost–benefit analysis.

In line with departmental guidance, cost-benefit analysis for the Lower Thames Crossing is ongoing and incorporates potential impacts at the Dartford Crossing. These include the loss of toll revenue and the transfer of operations, maintenance and renewal costs to a new regulated private sector entity under the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104866, what is the expected month and year of publication of the new Plan for Freight.

The Government intends to publish the plan in spring this year.

How many new buses were registered in the UK broken down by country of manufacture in each of the last 10 years.

Information regarding Buses & Coaches (including minibuses) registered for the first time in the UK by country of manufacture, as recorded by DVLA, from 2015 to 2024 can be found in the attached Excel document. Data, supplied by DVLA, regarding new registration of vehicles in the UK is unable to distinguish between Buses, Coaches, or other vehicles, with nine seats or more (excluding the driver), constructed for passenger carrying purposes.

What assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of higher electric vehicle repair costs on insurance premiums, and by when it expects its proposed battery health measures to reduce those costs for consumers.

The Government works closely with the insurance sector to ensure the transition to zero emission vehicles is sustainable and affordable. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers and the Government does not seek to control the market. The Government is exploring options to adopt battery health regulations which would provide consumers with clearer information on an electric vehicle’s remaining battery capacity. These measures would aim to raise consumer confidence in second-hand electric vehicle purchases.

Which driving test centres the DVSA have proposed for closure.

DVSA has no current plans to close any driving test centres.

What assessment she has made of the potential costs to port developers of setting target modal shares for rail or coastal shipping, as referenced in the draft National Policy Statement for Ports; and what further assessment she has made of how such targets would be designed to ensure that developers are not required to fund measures beyond those that are cost-effective and directly attributable to the development.

The costs of requirements and obligations for rail and/or coastal shipping can only be determined in the specific circumstances of individual applications for development consent. The draft National Policy Statement for Ports makes clear that such requirements should be directly related to the prospective impacts of the developments, and that while target modal shares may sometimes be appropriate, they are not automatically mandatory. The final text of the National Policy Statement for Ports will be published in due course.

What schemes and programmes her Department has in place to help support zero-emission in (a) shipping and (b) aviation.

The Government recognises the potential decarbonisation and growth benefits that new forms of zero-emission maritime vessels and aircraft could provide. The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out our policies and commitments to decarbonise the sector. We are already meeting these commitments through the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime from July 2026, and we will consult on maritime fuel regulations later this year. We have announced a further £448 million of funding of the UK SHORE programme, the biggest government investment ever in the UK’s commercial maritime sector, which will unlock innovation and investment potential in UK technologies, ports and shipyards. We will continue to work closely with maritime industry partners to help the sector unlock the investment it needs to transition to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels and technologies. We have already made significant progress on aviation decarbonisation, with considerable support for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), airspace modernisation and development of new technologies. Alongside other measures, zero emission flight has a role to play in decarbonising the sector. In January, we announced up to £43m of R&D funding for aviation decarbonisation, including confirming our continued support of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge. This is informing the development of a regulatory framework for zero-emission hydrogen aircraft. Also, the Department for Transport (DfT) will publish shortly a report into the barriers and opportunities to commercialising hydrogen in aviation, completed by a Jet Zero Taskforce Task and Finish Group.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 101488, what information her Department holds on revenue lost due to fare evasion by individual train operating companies.

Deliberate fare evasion reduces revenue needed to support the railway and disadvantages passengers who pay the correct fare. The Department does not hold data on revenue lost to fare evasion at the level of individual train operating companies. Industry estimates from the Rail Delivery Group indicate that fraud and ticketless travel result in at least £350–£400 million in lost revenue annually. In June 2025, the Office for Rail and Road published its independent review of revenue protection practices. The Department has accepted the review’s recommendations in full and will publish its formal response shortly.

How many practical car driving tests were conducted in (a) July 2024 and (b) each subsequent month up to the most recent month for which data is available.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publishes data on the number of practical driving tests conducted on GOV.UK. The number of practical driving tests conducted by month, including from July 2024, is available on report DRT121G This data is updated monthly and currently shows data to January 2026.