Written questions by Arthur.

What steps she is taking to support the increased use of (a) car-pooling and (b) lift sharing.

I am carefully considering how we can support and promote car club and car-sharing schemes. The Government already supports car clubs with bonus credits in the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate and guidance for local authorities on charging for car clubs. As I set out in response to a topical question from the Member for Brentford and Isleworth on 11 September, I will hold a roundtable with industry stakeholders in the near future to inform these considerations.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that rail workers maintain their (a) pay and (b) working conditions when their rail company is moved into public ownership.

As rail passenger services are transferred into public ownership, staff employed by the privately-owned operator transfer to the public sector operator in accordance with Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, protecting their contractual terms and conditions.

If she plans to have discussions with unions ahead of rail companies being taken into public ownership.

The Department and DFT Operator have regular discussions with trade unions on a range of topics, including the public ownership programme. Officials engage with trade unions throughout the transfer process, from the point of confirming when a train operator’s services will transfer into public ownership through to the transfer date and beyond.

If she will publish the membership and terms of reference of the Rail Engagement Group.

As part of our manifesto commitment to reset industrial relations, the Government is looking to establish the Rail Engagement Group (REG). It is intended that the REG will bring together leaders from the Department for Transport, rail industry and trade unions for strategic discussions about the railway, as we move towards establishing Great British Railways. Individuals have recently been invited to join the REG. The group’s membership will be published on gov.uk after it has been confirmed. The terms of reference will be published once agreed by the REG.

What recent discussions her Department has had with freight operators on the potential impact of the Railway Bill on their operating model.

The Rail Minister meets regularly with the freight operators and the Railways Bill has been a subject of discussion on a number of occasions. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published every quarter and this information can be accessed on the Gov.uk website via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-transparency-data#meetings. In addition, officials meet regularly with the freight operators and have provided updates on the Bill. There have also been workshops for operators on specific aspects of the Bill.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61693 on Driving Licences: Health, what the DVLA’s planned timeframe is for the introduction of the new strategic system to process medical cases.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s new system to process medical cases is being delivered in three phases and is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2026.

What recent discussions her Department has had with open access passenger service operators on the potential impact of the Railway Bill on their operating model.

DfT officials have regularly engaged Open Access operators, alongside other stakeholders, to provide both updates regarding proposed reforms and to invite their feedback. This includes engagement around the recent consultation on the Railways Bill, and the Department is now considering the responses received. It should also be noted that my Department remains committed to a role for Open Access in the reformed rail sector, providing competition to Great British Railways and choice for passengers. However, Open Access must genuinely add value and not simply inhibit the efficient operation of the network or divert revenue from existing operators – all of which are currently supported by the taxpayer in some form.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of accession to the EUROFIMA convention.

The Government is committed to developing a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock, supporting British manufacturing, fostering innovation, and enhancing the rail passenger experience. As part of this work, the Department is exploring a range of financing structures to support investment, in partnership with private finance. This includes active engagement with Eurofima to assess how its financing mechanisms could support future investment in the UK rolling stock market.

What steps she is taking to help improve customer confidence in battery performance when buying used Euro 6 compliant electric vehicles.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate and the recently announced Electric Car Grant require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries. In comparison, new petrol or diesel cars usually come with a 3-year warranty.  Moreover, during the warranty period, if the battery capacity drops below 70% for cars or 65% for vans, the manufacturer must provide a replacement battery. The UK has worked with international partners at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV batteries (GTR No.22). If implemented, this regulation would ensure that EVs provide easily accessible, accurate, and comparable information on the battery’s state of health. The Government is analysing options for the implementation of GTR No.22 regulations in the UK.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on providing English local authorities the powers to enforce a pavement parking ban.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on this matter. The Department held a consultation on pavement parking in 2020 and has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the possible legislative opportunities for delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing zebra crossings without zig-zag lines.

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 to inform good practice advice to support possible future legislative change. The Department cannot give any timescale at present for when TSRGD may be amended.

With reference to Sustran's report entitled Transforming mobility, published on 8 July 2025, what steps she is taking to support the roll-out of side road zebra crossings.

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 to inform good practice advice to support possible future legislative change. The Department cannot give any timescale at present for when TSRGD may be amended.

With reference to Sustran's report entitled Transforming mobility, published on 8 July 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing paid local access panels to (a) review and (b) improve transport (i) policy and (ii) practice for disabled people.

The Sustrans Transforming Mobility Report highlights how paid access panels could be one means by which local transport authorities engage with disabled people to shape, review, and monitor transport policies and projects, so that accessibility is embedded from the start of projects.This recommendation is aimed at local leaders, who know their communities and are best placed to make decisions about how they can improve local transport for disabled people. Improving accessibility is a collaborative effort, with operators, industry, and local authorities having key parts to play – alongside the support of all passengers. Breaking down barriers to opportunity is a core mission statement for this government and that is why we are developing an Integrated National Transport Strategy to enable us to better work with partners across the transport sector to deliver a network that works for all passengers.More widely, the government is committed to improving public transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. The Bus Services (No.2) Bill, introduced by the government on 17 December is intended to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them and includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive. In addition, on 1 October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.Ensuring the rail network is accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of the establishment of Great British Rail.

What steps she is taking to support initiatives aimed at increasing cycling participation among women and girls.

The Department and Active Travel England (ATE) work with local authorities and other delivery partners to support active travel outreach programmes for underrepresented groups, including women and girls. This includes funding for Bikeability cycle training for children and outreach programmes to engage underrepresented groups through Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival programme and local authorities. In addition, ATE is working with local authorities across England to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure including as part of wider transport schemes. This includes providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes. Responsibility for many aspects of transport in Scotland, including active travel, is devolved. My honourable friend the member for Edinburgh South West may wish to speak to the Scottish Government regarding steps taken to increase cycling participation among women and girls in Scotland.

What is the average waiting time for a driving test in Currie; and when she expects the backlog to be cleared.

The year-to-date average waiting time for a driving test at Edinburgh (Currie) driving test centre (DTC) is 24 weeks.The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.DVSA expects to deliver thousands of additional tests this month and is working to increase test availability further over the coming year. Over 630,000 learners across Great Britain now have a test booked. That number will rise as the DVSA increases test availability.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that rail fares are affordable.

Scottish fares are a matter for the Scottish Government. However, in both administrations Scotland and England, some fares are regulated to protect passengers by setting the maximum amount that regulated fares can increase year-on-year. London North Eastern Railway's (LNER’s) "Simpler Fares" trial is running on the East Coast Mainline, including between London and areas around Edinburgh, to explore alternative fare structures on long-distance routes. With LNER’s Simpler Fares initiative, the number of tickets has been reduced to just three per class - fixed, semi-flexible, and fully flexible. The off-peak and super-off-peak tickets with complex validities have been replaced by a new semi flexible ticket - “70-Flex” which allows passengers to adjust their booking in order to travel on an earlier or later LNER service, scheduled to depart within 70 minutes of their booked departure time, which is much clearer and more descriptive.Finally, everything is priced on a single leg basis where a single costs no more than half of the equivalent return, enabling passengers to easily mix and match tickets for each leg of their journey without penalty according to their needs e.g. Fixed out and Flexible back or First Class with Standard.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the lessons learned from the implementation of pavement parking restrictions in (a) Edinburgh and (b) London.

The Department has been carefully considering the responses to the consultation that took place in 2020 and is currently working through the policy options. There will be a full impact assessment of the policies to be implemented, which will consider a wide range of issues including lessons from other parts of the country. Departmental officials are in contact with the Scottish Government and London Councils. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.

What assessment she has made of the potential role of technology in the decarbonisation of the transport sector.

Technological solutions will play a critical role in decarbonising transport across all modes, including through accelerated electric vehicle rollout and low carbon fuel deployment in shipping and aviation. Government will produce a plan later this year for reducing emissions from all sectors, including transport, in line with legislated carbon budgets.

Whether she is taking steps with the Civil Aviation Authority to help reduce the potential impact of the new scheme of charges on drone operators.

After consulting the aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consulted ministers in February about changes to its schemes of regulatory charges for 2024/25. We considered every response to its sector consultation, including 72 specifically about drone charges. Before coming to ministers and after sector consultation, the CAA amended its charges to make them less impactful to many members of the drone community.Government support for the CAA in 2025/26 also includes £16.5m for Future of Flight projects, some of which will benefit drone users. Where appropriate the CAA considers making refunds to applicants that misinterpret CAA policies or make mistakes in applications. The CAA plan to share guidance on common mistakes to help prevent recurrence and this will help to minimise applicant costs. Furthermore, the digitisation of some application routes should bear down on costs to regulated parties, including drone operators.

How many people (a) sat and (b) passed a driving test at the Edinburgh (Currie) Driving Test Centre in each year since 2010.

The attached Excel document shows the number of people using a unique driver number that a) sat and b) passed a driving test at Edinburgh (Currie) driving test centre (DTC) in each year from 2015 to 30 September 2024. Please note, this data is based on candidates’ unique driver numbers. Based on this unique number, the data does not include if a candidate took a test more than once in any given year. However, if a candidate changed their unique driver number, each driver number is counted once in each year it is used. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) retention period for this data is ten years. The attached Excel document also shows the number of tests conducted and passed at Edinburgh (Currie) DTC between 2010 and 30 September 2024. This data is the total number of tests conducted per year and would include candidates who took multiple tests. DVSA publishes this data online at: Driving test and theory test data: cars - GOV.UK. DVSA can currently only publish the data included in the attached Excel document up to the end of September 2024.