Written questions by Holden.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) mandatory registration and (b) identification plates for e-scooters on road safety.

Under current legislation, private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can be used but only as part of the Government’s national rental e-scooter trials. The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. The impact of potential regulatory requirements such as the need for registration or identification plates, will be fully assessed as regulation is developed. The Department for Transport will consult on any new regulations before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.

How much of the projected efficiency saving from corporate initiatives by 2028–29 represents cash reductions in Departmental expenditure, as opposed to productivity improvements, cost avoidance or spending reclassification.

The Department for Transport’s published Departmental Efficiency Plan states that £199m in corporate initiatives efficiencies are forecast to be delivered in 2028/29. These efficiencies are considered cash releasing efficiencies (i.e. they reduce our expenditure requirements) in line with the definition in the Government Efficiency Framework.

When she expects construction works on the Lower Thames Crossing to commence.

Construction enabling works have commenced north and south of the River Thames. These include ground works to create haul roads, construction of site compounds, utility works, ecological and archaeological works and extensive pre-construction surveys are ongoing.

What milestone dates have been set for the introduction of AI-powered disruption updates on LNER services.

In the coming months London North Eastern Railway will begin introducing advanced AI‑powered tools designed to keep passengers better informed and in control when travelling. This new capability will enable instant travel updates and make it easier for customers to manage their journeys during disruption.These improvements will be supported by enhanced, data‑driven systems that aim to reduce delays and help deliver a more reliable railway for passengers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101854, how much funding is being provided over the Spending Review period in a) bus services, b) active travel infrastructure, and c) the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant; and over what years that funding will be allocated.

Funding for Bus Services can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations/labg-revenue-allocations-2026-to-2029 Funding for Active Travel Infrastructure was published as part of the Spending Review 2025, and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document Mode Shift Revenue Support grant: Up to £20 million provisional budget for 2026/27 – shared with Waterborne Freight Grant. Future funding arrangements subject to future departmental business planning.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the fatality rate per vehicle mile travelled for hybrid, petrol, diesel and fully electric cars in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold data that would enable an estimate of fatality rates per vehicle mile travelled by propulsion type.The STATS19 collection and DVLA records provide a breakdown of fatalities in reported road traffic collisions by vehicle and propulsion type. This information is published in data table RAS0507 available on the gov.uk website. However, data on mileage driven by vehicles of different propulsion types is not available to the Department. Consequently, it is not possible to calculate fatality rates per mile travelled by propulsion type.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the the Greater Anglia timetable changes from 14 December 2025 for meeting peak-time passenger demand at Billericay station over the period of the local plan.

Greater Anglia added extra carriages to a small number of Saturday services operating from Billericay as part of the December 2025 timetable change. Greater Anglia monitors passenger demand and will make adjustments to train services and capacity where required, and where it is possible to do. I expect Greater Anglia to continue to work with local stakeholders to develop timetables for the future.

What incentives will be put in place to encourage growth in passenger numbers for the rail network for (a) Great British Railways as an organisation, (b) senior management within Great British Railways and (c) the rail workforce.

The Government has been clear that GBR will be incentivised to deliver for passengers. By bringing responsibility for track and train into one organisation, GBR will be able to remove the mixture of conflicting incentives across multiple organisations and realign incentives towards passengers. This is being considered as part of the continuing GBR design process. The Long-Term Rail Strategy will set out the outcomes we expect GBR to achieve, including an unrelenting focus on passengers. This will inform the development of GBR’s long-term strategic business plans, ensuring passengers, and other users of the railway, remain central to the organisation’s culture. The continued expectation of a reduction in subsidy for the railways also incentivises growing passenger numbers, as well as benefitting taxpayers.

Whether she plans to require train operators, including Northern, to begin recording instances of failed passenger assistance.

All train and station operators, including Northern, are required by their Accessible Travel Policies to monitor their performance in delivering assistance, including failures. The Office of Rail and Road publish annually the ‘Experience of Passenger Assist’ report which records the experiences of users of Passenger Assist, helping to monitor trends. The most recent report can be accessed at https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/2024-2025-experiences-of-passenger-assist-research-report.pdf

Whether officials in her Department have had discussions with (a) c2c, (b) Network Rail and (c) relevant local authorities about establishing a community rail partnership on the c2c route; what assessment she has made of the case for a c2c community rail partnership; and what the (i) required steps, (ii) decision making process and (iii) indicative timetable are for recognition of such a partnership.

Officials have not discussed with Network Rail or relevant local authorities; however, officials have discussed establishing a community rail partnership with c2c which both parties see value in. Next steps would include building the proposal and securing sufficient funding; officials will continue to explore what opportunities there might be in future business planning rounds.

How many Greater Anglia trains are expected to be fitted with physical advanced monitoring equipment by the end of 2026.

Projects are still in development, but Greater Anglia estimates that between eight and twelve units in total will have physical monitoring equipment installed by the end of this year.

Whether she has considered (a) establishing an investigation mechanism and (b) commissioning an independent review into the safety performance of hybrid vehicles.

As announced in the recently published Road Safety Strategy, the department will be establishing a data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch to learn lessons from road incidents, by taking a strategic, thematic approach, focusing on patterns of collisions, injury trends, and systemic safety issues. There are currently no plans to commission an independent review into the safety performance of hybrid vehicles.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101846, how many station staff were employed by TransPennine Express on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the percentage change in station staffing levels has been over that period.

For 2024-25 rail period 4 (23 June-20 July 2024) TransPennine Express reported 153.5 full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff at stations, including barrier staff. That figure for 2025-26 rail period 10 (7 December 2025-3 January 2026) was 178 FTE, representing a 16 per cent increase. The increase over 2024-25 were mainly due to filling vacancies that had been paused pending the previous Government’s proposed closure of ticket offices which they subsequently reversed.

With reference to her Department’s Efficiency Delivery Plans, what proportion of the forecast reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the period covered by the Spending Review is attributable to (a) quantified administrative efficiencies arising from the creation of Great British Railways, (b) efficiencies delivered through regulated settlements, and (c) assumptions on passenger ridership and revenue growth.

The Department’s Spending Review settlement and additional commentary were set out on gov.uk. As is usual, the Department does not publish further detail on those budgets. The reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy over the Spending Review period will be enabled through delivery of the public ownership programme, a relentless focus on improving operational performance and improvements for customers, and by driving passenger revenue growth.

How many driving mobility assessment centres operate in the UK; how many are managed by NHS Trusts; how many are operated by charitable organisations; and what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the long-term sustainability of the funding model for these centres.

There are fourteen mobility centres in operation in the UK. Four are managed by NHS Trusts, and nine by charitable organisations, with one Community Interest Company. The Department for Transport provides grant funding to mobility centres that have been accredited by Driving Mobility in England, and we work closely with them.

What proportion of Advance tickets previously available on LNER routes remain available following the introduction of long-distance simplified fares.

LNER does not publish data on the proportion of Advance/Fixed tickets sold before and after the commencement of the trial.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the long-distance simplified fares trials on passengers.

The Department has commissioned independent evaluation on the trial, this research has not yet concluded. The current evidence is provided by London North Eastern Railway and is available at: https://assets.ctfassets.net/mxack5k9p2sw/6k2Evw4OmGsvywKgBg9U9j/e63a4ca09d2c4e01fada29f731d90f7b/Simpler_Fares_LNER_Website_Copy_Enhanced_Sept_2025.pdf.

With reference to her oral contribution of 8 January 2026, Official Report, column 420, on what evidential basis she said that the majority of single tickets under the extension of contactless ticketing will be the same price or lower than under the previous fares structure.

As part of our fares simplification to expand Pay As You Go (PAYG) with Contactless ticketing, we introduced single leg pricing. The Department worked with the rail industry to ensure that as much as possible, single fares will cost roughly half the price of a return. The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of PAYG rollout, in the South East, following the launch of phase one stations last year. This will measure the impact of both PAYG technology and fares reform on passenger experience. Once the evaluation is complete, we will make the final reports public.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101830 on c2c Railway: Rolling Stock, how many Class 357 units operated by c2c have received all planned upgrades and modifications in full.

All Door Overhaul and Tight Lock Auto Coupler Overhaul works planned for 2025/26 have been completed on 74 units. Planned train painting and corrosion repairs and LED lighting upgrades are currently being undertaken.

What her planned timetable is for bringing forward legislation on micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters.

The Government has made a commitment to pursue legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, when Parliamentary time allows.