Written questions by Holden.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) British Board of Agrément and (b) HAPAS-approved (i) self-adhesive surfacing membranes and (ii) other patch repair products on the long-term cost and failure rate of pothole repairs carried out by local highway authorities; and whether she plans to issue any guidance to local authorities and their contractors on (A) trialling and (B) adopting such measures.

The Government welcomes innovations that can help local highway authorities maintain their roads more effectively and efficiently. The Department encourages and supports innovation in road surface repairs in various ways.For example, it has started the task of updating the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will include new advice on matters such as surface treatments. The Department is also providing £30 million to the ADEPT ‘Live Labs’ research programme, enabling local authority-led consortia to trial innovative low-carbon ways of looking after their networks. One of the projects within the Live Labs programme is enabling novel resurfacing materials to be tested and evaluated through the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 96490, how much revenue the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received in 2024-25 from a) local authorities, and b) agents acting on behalf of local authorities, for the provision of vehicle keeper details.

The information requested is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of rolling stock availability for Great Western Railway services in the South West; how many Class 175 units are in operation on Great Western Railway services; how many drivers and conductors Great Western Railway plans to train to operate those units; and what plans she has to mitigate (a) cancellations and (b) overcrowding on those services.

The Department closely monitors rolling stock availability across the South West as well as the wider network, and is working on a rolling stock strategy to more effectively plan and utilise assets in future. There is currently one Class 175 unit in operation on Great Western Railway services. The first Class 175 entered service in December 2025, with the remainder of the fleet due to follow throughout this year. There is sufficient rolling stock to operate the current timetable, and the introduction of the Class 175s will provide additional resilience and capacity. Driver and conductor training is progressing well to support this deployment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 97165 and the Answer of 4 December 2025 to Question 93786 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether the DVLA provides registered keeper data to (a) Oxfordshire County council and (b) a third-party service provider to support the enforcement of the Oxford congestion charge.

Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to make information about UK vehicles and their registered keepers available for use by local authorities for a range of appropriate purposes. The DVLA has provided registered keeper data to Oxford County Council via its third-party service provider for the purpose of enforcing a congestion charge scheme.

Whether she plans to introduce legislation to permit the use of side road zebra crossings in England; and what assessment her Department has made of the safety and cost-effectiveness of those crossings.

The Department is considering options for future legislative change to permit the use of side road zebra crossings in England, but no decisions have yet been made. An amendment to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) would be required to permit zebra crossings to be placed without zig-zag lines or yellow globes. The Department has been working with Active Travel England who have been carrying out further research, including on safety, to inform good practice advice to support possible future legislative change.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level and frequency of local bus services since 4 July 2024; and what the minimum service levels are in each local authority area.

The Department for Transport publishes statistics on vehicle distance travelled on local bus services, which can be used as a proxy for bus service levels. These figures are not specifically available from 4 July 2024 onwards, but are available for the year ending March 2025 in the Department's published Annual Bus Statistics. This data can be found in Table BUS02: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#local-bus-vehicle-distance-travelled-bus02. The Department does not currently hold a dataset that provides local bus service frequency in a readily available format. The Government believes that local authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine the design of local bus networks in their areas, and there are no centrally-prescribed minimum service levels. The Government has taken steps to help raise service levels across the country, including by introducing the Bus Service Act 2025 which puts passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of local bus services by putting the power back in the hands of local leaders right across England. The Act includes a measure on socially necessary services that requires local authorities and bus operators to have to consider the alternatives to changing or cancelling these services. The Government also reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term, confirming over £3 billion from 2026/27 over the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. This includes funding allocated to local authorities, which could be used to improve local bus service levels.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 92691 on Great British Railways: Finance, if she will publish the hyperlink to the Spending Review settlement and additional commentary referenced in that Answer.

The links are below.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6849171796e63bce58e4e705/E03349913_HMT_Spending_Review_June_2025_Elay.pdfhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68492799d0ca5d7801e4e709/Efficiency_delivery_plans_-_supplementary_document_-_FINAL.pdf

How many instances of failed Assisted Travel were recorded on Northern services in the last 12 months.

No train operators currently record individual instances of failed passenger assists. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) carries out surveys, and its 2024-25 survey showed that 20 per cent of all respondents reported their requests for passenger assistance on Northern were not fulfilled. ORR subsequently requested, and in December 2025 approved, a plan from Northern to improve its passenger assistance service.This includes: reviewing the staffing model for assistance at large stations (including Leeds); providing additional staff training on communication between boarding and alighting stations; introducing a dedicated team to remotely support passengers who require assistance, using tools such as WhatsApp; and trialling a new process to allow passengers travelling from unstaffed stations who have not pre-booked, to alert conductors to their assistance needs.

How many Class 357 units operated by c2c have been upgraded in the last 12 months.

The following upgrades and modifications of Class 357 units operated by c2c have been completed for the 25/26 calendar year:Train Painting & Corrosion Repairs: 27 unitsLED Lighting Upgrades: 10 unitsDoor Overhaul: 74 unitsTight Lock Auto Coupler Overhaul: 74 units

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Integrated National Transport Strategy on national and local transport planning; and how the Strategy will improve whole-journey integration between rail, bus, road and active travel.

The Department will publish the integrated national transport strategy shortly, which will set the long‑term vision for domestic transport across England.While developing the strategy, we have worked across government to ensure it aligns with forthcoming guidance and tools for local authorities and transport partners, including Outcome Frameworks and cross-government Integrated Settlements for Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities. We have undertaken regular engagement with stakeholders such as the Local Government Association and the Urban Transport Group, helping ensure the strategy addresses the main barriers people face in accessing good transport and supports effective planning at both the national and local levels.On whole-journey integration, the strategy will set out this government’s priorities for creating a transport network that works well for people across England, enabling more seamless journeys however they choose to travel.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the publication of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy 3 on local authorities’ ability to plan and deliver active travel schemes; and whether the final Strategy will include measurable objectives to support effective delivery and accountability.

Decisions on future active travel objectives will be confirmed in the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy when it is published in the spring. The Strategy, coupled with over £900m of investment, will provide long term certainty for local authorities to plan and deliver local networks with their communities.

Whether South Western Railway plans to consult on a new timetable in 2026.

South Western Railway (SWR) is planning to consult on its future timetable proposals with stakeholders and passengers during 2026.

How many vehicles on the West of England line have been modernised by South Western Railway since December 2025.

The 15X Fleet refurbishment programme started in December 2025 with refurbishment works on the first unit commencing on 29 December.

How many Southeastern stations had pay as you go ticketing on 1 January in each year since 2010.

From 1 January 2010, Pay As You Go (PAYG) was available at 65 Southeastern stations, increasing to 68 from 1 January 2015. On 2 February 2025, Project Oval expanded PAYG ticketing to National Rail Stations in the Southeast of England, bringing the total of Southeastern stations with PAYG services on 1 January 2026 to 74.

Whether the GPS based pay as you go trial between Sheffield and Barnsley has commenced.

Three Digital Pay As You Go (DPAYG) trials have successfully launched across the North and Midlands. The final trial, originally due to go live in November 2025, has been delayed. During rigorous pre-launch testing, issues were identified that would have prevented the DPAYG application from functioning as intended for participants. To ensure the trial delivers the best possible passenger experience and provides robust data for evaluation, the decision was taken to postpone the launch until these issues were resolved. We continue to work closely with Northern and the supplier to address the problems and launch as soon as possible. Northern will provide an update to participants in the respective trial in due course.

How many and what proportion of journeys on Greater Anglia services are within scope of pay as you go ticketing.

Greater Anglia has advised that as of the beginning of December 2025, Pay As You Go (PAYG) journeys on Greater Anglia services were 18 million per annum, accounting for 21 per cent of total Greater Anglia journeys. There are plans to further expand PAYG for journeys on Greater Anglia in the coming year.

What funding has been allocated to onboard WiFi and catering on TransPennine Express services in the last 12 months.

In the 2025-26 operating year, TransPennine Express has enhanced its catering, recruiting additional staff and supporting local small suppliers. These changes have led to improved customer satisfaction and additional ticket and catering revenue. Net catering costs for 2025-26 are £5.4 million. All TransPennine Express services offer customers free Wi-Fi. The cost of providing this in 2025-26 is £0.6 million.

Whether AI powered disruption updates are in use on LNER services.

This project is currently in development. LNER is working to introduce instant updates during disruption, powered by AI, to keep passengers informed and in control when travelling. This will enable faster, smarter decision-making, reduce delays, and help services recover more quickly, with delivery planned for later in 2026.

How many passenger information screens have been replaced at LNER managed stations in the last 12 months.

Fifty screens have been replaced in the last 12 months at York and Newcastle stations. This forms part of LNER’s wider programme to enhance passenger information across all managed stations.

Whether the Railways Bill will include a statutory target for passenger growth.

The Railways Bill was published on 5 November and will be debated at Committee stage later this month. GBR, as a passenger operator, will be incentivised to grow passenger numbers and will have a number of legal duties to support this. This includes duties to promote the interests of users, and potential users, and to maintain high standards of rail performance.