Written questions by Holden.

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.

By what a) number and b) proportion station staffing levels have changed on TransPennine Express services since 4 July 2024.

The increases over 2024/25 were mainly to fill vacancies that had been paused pending the previous Government’s proposals for the closure of ticket offices, which they reversed after significant public criticism. In mid-2024, TransPennine Express gradually increased the Hull station headcount by an additional four full-time employees to support station resilience. It has increased overall station staffing by a further 19 full-time employees to improve reliability and resilience of the delivery of passenger assistance and other customer services (e.g. retailing); many of these roles are currently being recruited into.

What steps she is taking to ensure that funding for bus services results in improved (a) passenger outcomes, (b) service frequency, (c) reliability and (d) bus stops.

On 5 December 2025, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion from 2026/27 for 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 multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead. While local leaders have the freedom to use LABG funding as they see fit to deliver local priorities, LABG funding will be linked to an Outcomes Framework, which will track the impact of funding against indicators aligned with the issues that matter most to passengers, including for example punctuality and reliability. This framework will help the Department for Transport to identify where local transport authorities may need additional support to deliver the improvements their communities expect.

How many Greater Anglia trains have been fitted with advanced monitoring equipment.

Greater Anglia has fitted two units with infrastructure monitoring equipment. Some technology is cloud-based and is therefore not fitted ‘per train’. For example, existing CCTV footage can be analysed by AI to identify overgrown vegetation. There are plans to fit further systems to the fleet throughout 2026.

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

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.

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

Whether contracts for new rolling stock for Northern are expected to be signed in 2027.

It is anticipated that Northern’s new rolling stock contract could be signed in 2027, subject to the completion of Northern’s current live procurement.

What discussions her Department has had with Basildon Borough Council on the (a) proposed 27,000 home increase in the Borough and (b) potential impact of that increase on demand for C2C and Greater Anglia services.

We expect operators to work with local stakeholders, including local councils such as Basildon Borough Council, in relation to housing developments and their potential increase on demand for rail services. Estimates of future demand are being used to inform strategic planning across the Essex Thameside area, with collaboration across operators, Network Rail and local stakeholders such as councils.

How many Northern trains have had sanding systems upgraded in each month since January 2024.

The number of Northern trains that have had sanding systems upgraded in each month since January 2024 is set out in the table below. Jan-247Feb-2421Mar-2465Apr-24116May-2420Jun-245Jul-247Aug-2474Sep-2468Oct-2421Nov-241Dec-241Jan-250Feb-251Mar-253Apr-250May-258Jun-2514Jul-2543Aug-2558Sep-2559Oct-2540Nov-2540Dec-2523 Figures up to 31 December 2025

What the expected completion date is for Southeastern’s rolling stock procurement process.

The Southeastern rolling stock procurement is currently live and is subject to evaluation and all necessary governance for approvals. We are unable to confirm exact timescales due to the confidential nature of the live procurement, but subject to business case approval, it is anticipated that the contract award will be in 2026. Southeastern will keep all stakeholders informed as this progresses.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the British Transport Police’s crime-screening policy for pedal-cycle theft at railway stations on (a) public confidence in policing and (b) the delivery of a joined-up national transport network.

Ensuring the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, and creating a hostile environment for criminals on the network is a priority for both the Department for Transport and the British Transport Police (BTP). Decisions on the use of resource and deployment of officers across the railway are for the BTP, as an operationally independent police service. The BTP’s screening policy, introduced in August 2024, takes into account factors including the possible time window an incident could have taken place in, but also the availability of witnesses and CCTV, the realistic prospect of a successful outcome, and a range of other factors. In some instances this may mean that an investigation is not progressed, but there is no blanket ruling and each case is assessed individually. BTP have not taken the decision to stop investigating bike theft that cannot be narrowed to a two-hour window. BTP work closely with train operating companies and their counterparts in Home Office forces to run events at stations across the network, which provide practical crime prevention advice and services such as free bike marking to passengers. There was a 23% decrease in cycle theft recorded between 2022/23 and 2024/25.

How much of the funding for the infrastructure upgrade programme on South Western Railway has been spent to date.

The most recent infrastructure upgrade programme for South Western Railway was completed in 2020. The Government keeps future investment requirements under review.

What the planned completion date is for the Barking station upgrade being delivered by c2c.

The estimated completion date for the Barking station upgrade is autumn 2026. The right-hand side gateline and lift are now complete and open to the public.

As of 15 December 2025, what the total amount of public funding committed to electric vehicle charging infrastructure to date is; and what estimate her Department has made of the average cost per operational public chargepoint delivered.

At the Autumn Budget we announced that we will invest an additional £200 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, building on the £400 million of funding announced at Spending Review 2025. The cost of deploying public chargepoints varies widely due to a range of factors including location, speed, anticipated utilisation, and grid connection costs, with many chargepoints delivered without any public funding. Where funding is provided, we monitor average public chargepoint costs via data from DfT grants to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. The Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund has been designed to minimise cost to the public by encouraging local authorities to leverage significant private investment.

What engagement her Department has had with the British Standards Institute’s review of BS AU 145e; and what assessment she has made of proposals to ban raised 3D and 4D number plates.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is part of the British Standard Institute committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The committee has put forward proposed amendments which are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters often referred to as 3D or 4D number plates and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. The Government has set out its intention in the Road Safety Strategy to consult on addressing the growing problem of illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ number plates.

If if she will set out the minimum length of hire in days at which a rental vehicle is included within central government departments are counted towards the Government Fleet Commitment for the owned and leased fleet to be 100% zero emission by 2027.

Information on the minimum length of hire at which a rental vehicle included within central government departments are counted towards the Government Fleet Commitment can be found on Gov.UK.

How many full-time equivalent driving examiners employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in (i) July 2024 and (ii) each month thereafter up to the most recent month for which data is available.

The table below shows how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests for each month from July 2024 to November 2025. MonthNo of FTE DEs in postNo of FTE DEs delivering car practical driving testsJuly-20241,4421,439August-20241,4471,436September-20241,4641,450October-20241,4461,439November-20241,4491,423December-20241,4561,421January-20251,4881,438February-20251,4811,448March-20251,4561,415April-20251,4481,416May-20251,4541,430June-20251,4911,424July-20251,5131,438August-20251,5471,445September-20251,5441,464October-20251,5841,485November-20251,6081,539 A DE is a paid Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency employee from the point at which they start their training and therefore considered to be in post.

What estimate she has made of the revenue lost due to rail fare evasion in each month since 4 July 2024.

Deliberate fare dodging undermines our railway. It drains much needed revenue and undercuts the trust of passengers who play by the rules. It has no place on our railways. Although we do not hold data for the revenue lost due to rail fare evasion per month, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has estimated annual revenue lost to fraud and ticketless travel is at least £350-£400 million. The Office for Rail and Road have carried out a review of train operator revenue protection practices which was published in June. It set out five recommendations which include introducing greater consistency and fairness in the use of prosecutions as well as greater coordination, oversight and transparency of revenue protection. The Department has accepted all five recommendations and will publish its formal response to this review in due course.

What the expected completion date is for the redevelopment of Wickford station; and if local taxis licenced by Basildon Council have been included in any consultations about the citing of the taxi rank as part of the redevelopment.

Greater Anglia has commenced the redevelopment works at Wickford station and this is expected to be completed in autumn 2026. Greater Anglia has confirmed that the project scope does not include any changes to the current location of the taxi rank.