Written questions by Raja.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes to have been sufficiently fully tested for passenger services to commence.

Chiltern subleases the trains that will be used on East West Rail from West Midlands Trains. The operator continues to work jointly with the train owner and the industry supply chain on the schedule for the final modifications which are expected to be delivered and tested imminently.

With reference to the flights listed to the British Virgin Islands in WPQ 120039, a) what the purpose was of each such visit; b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit; c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; d) what the total cost was of each visit; and e) what assessment was made of whether those engagements could be conducted remotely or combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has a statutory requirement under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to monitor port security in the British Overseas Territories. Both visits in 2025 were security assessments of 13 port facilities undertaken within five days on each visit. Meetings were also conducted, including with the Governor’s Office, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and with port security officials. DfT officials additionally delivered capability‑building training during the April visit, supporting enhanced security delivery at port facilitiesThe April visit involved three officials – two Senior Executive Officers (SEOs) and one Higher Executive Officer (HEO). The November visit involved one SEO and one HEO. No Ministers or Senior Officials attended. The total cost of the April visit was £11,581.19. November was £12,706.58. Both visits were approved by a Deputy Director (Senior Civil Servant) in DfT’s Transport Security Division in line with departmental policy. The majority of DfT’s port security engagement with the Overseas Territories is undertaken online, however an effective assessment on whether a port is delivering on its security requirements is best completed by an onsite visit.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122526, what data limitations prevent the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency from tracking the conversion of recruitment campaign click-throughs into completed applications.

As with any job advertisement on Civil Service Jobs, candidates must have registered an account with the site to apply for a vacancy. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is not responsible for this site. The only data DVSA can directly extract from campaigns run on Civil Service Jobs, and candidates’ activity as part of these, relates to the overall numbers of applications, such as applications started and completed. This data does not link back to any previous click-throughs.

What support is available to businesses affected by disruption arising from maintenance works on the strategic road network.

National Highways has a duty to maintain highways under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. It is a publicly funded body and is not obliged or required to pay compensation for disruption, inconvenience, costs or loss of business caused by roadworks. National Highways recognises the importance of minimising impacts on businesses during maintenance works. It engages with businesses, local authorities and other stakeholders, to plan and communicate works and diversion routes, with the aim of reducing impacts as far as possible.

What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) affordability of at home EV charging.

The Government continues to offer grant funding for those living in flats and rented accommodation, with up to £500 per charge point socket.The Government is also continuing to support drivers to access cheaper, flexible charging tariffs, both at home and in public. The Government set out a range of steps to support this as part of its Clean Flexibility Roadmap 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122543, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has made of the adequacy of conversion rates from application to appointment for driving examiner roles by recruitment channel.

As with any recruitment in the Civil Service, all applications must be made through Civil Service Jobs. There are several stages candidates must progress through before being offered employment, and consequently there will be candidates unsuccessful at various stages of the process. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) must ensure appointments are made based on merit following fair and open competition. As well as parts of the application process common to other Civil Service roles – eligibility checks, application forms, interviews, DBS checks - there are elements that are unique to the recruitment process for driving examiners (DE) when compared to other roles. Upholding road safety standards underpins everything DVSA does, and the recruitment process has to ensure those employed as DEs can determine if a candidate is ready and safe to take to the road alone. Candidates successful at interview will undertake an assessment of their driving ability, which they must pass. Further details of what this assessment entails can be found on GOV.UK. Candidates who successfully pass recruitment and are offered employment must undertake and pass a training programme before conducting tests.

What average grant value per vehicle has been assumed in modelling the Zero Emission Truck and Van funding package.

Based on historic splits between higher and lower value awards, we estimate that the average grant value for vans in the 2026/27 financial year will be approximately £3,500. For trucks, the estimated average grant value is approximately £50,000 in 2026/27.These estimates are indicative and remain subject to uncertainty. Actual average grant values will depend on market uptake and the proportion of vehicles eligible for each grant level. All grants remain under review and may be amended at any time to ensure value to the taxpayer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120647, what estimate she has made of the net saving once the costs of expanding DfT Operator Limited, including staffing and administrative overheads, are accounted for.

Scaling up DFTO staffing in anticipation of establishing GBR is critical to building DFTO’s present capability to manage its growing number of operators and allow DFTO to maximise efficiencies during the transition to GBR. We expect the costs associated with expanding DfT Operator Limited - expansion that is key to delivering public ownership - to be offset in full by efficiency savings and reductions in the net subsidy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120878, whether those efficiencies will contribute to a reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy in 2026–27.

The Government expects efficiencies made through public ownership to contribute to a reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy during the Spending Review period of 2026-27 to 2028-29, inclusive. This includes £395m of efficiencies from corporate initiatives as part of the Departmental Efficiency Plan, £52m of which are forecast to be delivered in 2026-27.

What recent estimate she has made of the proportion of electric vehicles in short-term hire fleets used by Government departments.

Data on vehicles used by Government departments are collected as part of the Government Fleet Commitment. This includes vehicles hired for 6 days or more. The Government Fleet Commitment data are fed into the Greening Government Commitments, and the most recent published data can be found online at Greening Government Commitments April 2021 to March 2024 report - GOV.UK. However, the data does not break down owned fleet and hired vehicles.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on advertising driving examiner vacancies in each of the last three years.

The table below shows the driver recruitment campaigns that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent advertising on, in each of the last three financial years to date. Financial YearSpend (£)Number of Campaigns2023/2419,675.0542024/2530,903.8932025/268,000.003Total58,578.9410

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has considered introducing additional tracking mechanisms to identify which recruitment channels generate successful applicants.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses the Civil Service recruitment service for all of its recruitment. For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage. In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently only has data for one complete and one ongoing campaign.

What assessment has been made of the availability of shore power and alternative fuel infrastructure for ferry operators serving the Isle of Wight.

The policies set out in the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy will encourage more shore power or alternative fuel availability for ferry operators, by incentivising investment in maritime decarbonisation across the UK and in our ports. This Government will continue to work with Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, in its work to incentivise network companies to invest strategically ahead of need, ensuring that future grid capacity planning reflects the emerging demands from electrifying sectors, including the Isle of Wight ferry market. Through our UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions research programme, we have awarded nearly £580k funding to support a feasibility study, which is looking into options for providing shore power for the existing Wightlink FastCat ferry service.

What funding she has allocated to National Highways for ongoing repairs and maintenance of motorways and strategic A roads in addition to funding provided in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) due to be published in March will set out the funding that will be provided to National Highways for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the strategic road network over the period from 2026/27 to 2030/31.

What steps her Department is taking to provide incentives to Local Highway Authorities to achieve green ratings under traffic light rankings for pothole repairs; and whether she plans to impose consequences on authorities not achieving green ratings.

The Government has provided a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years. A portion of this funding is incentive funding, which is subject to local highway authorities publishing their maintenance plans and meeting performance-based criteria. By meeting these criteria, local highway authorities will also be able to achieve better ratings. Any authorities that received a red rating under the Department’s rating system also receive access to a dedicated support programme to help them improve their rating and local road conditions. At present, the Department has no plans to penalise or withhold resources from local highway authorities that do not achieve a green rating. We instead aim to support local highway authorities – through our record funding and wider support and guidance – so that they can achieve a better rating and to ensure road conditions improve nationwide.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated to Local Highway Authorities for pothole repairs.

The Department has announced a record £7.3 billion investment into highways maintenance over the next four years which will enable local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network, delivering faster, safer and more reliable journeys. By confirming funding over a four-year period, local authorities will have greater certainty to plan ahead and move away from short-term fixes, enabling more proactive and preventative work to stop potholes from forming in the first place. The Department will monitor how effectively local authorities use this record level of funding through annual transparency reports, incentive funding requirements which encourage authorities to follow best practice in highways maintenance, and the new traffic-light ratings system which was announced in January. Together, these measures will provide clearer oversight of local performance and help ensure that funding is used to deliver lasting improvements for road users.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of diesel operation on the Midland Main Line north of Leicester on emissions and air quality in a) Leicester and b) the East Midlands.

Prior to the decision being made to pause the Midland Main Line Electrification programme as part of Spending Review 2025, the benefits of the scheme were being assessed. The benefits of fully electrifying the Midland Main Line (MML) are predominately those that would deliver greener transport, such as reducing carbon and improving local air quality, particularly at stations, through trains using electric traction rather than diesel. Whilst not as clean as fully electric trains, the new intercity bi-mode trains currently being introduced by East Midland’s Railway are much cleaner and will contribute to improving air quality on the route. Station managers in areas with poor air quality are required to develop and implement Air Quality Improvement Plans (AQIPs) which should outline feasible measures to improve air quality. The AQIPs for Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and Sheffield stations on the MML have been developed and must be reviewed and updated annually.

Whether her Department considers the level of rail infrastructure investment in (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands to be proportionate to its population.

Decisions made by the Government on investment in rail infrastructure are taken to ensure that the railways are funded to operate safely and efficiently and in line with our strategic goals.The funding identified for rail infrastructure enhancements as part of Spending Review 2025 was not apportioned regionally. Schemes were prioritised for funding on a value for money basis and we needed to make difficult decisions to reach an affordable and sustainable position.In addition to funding for rail enhancements, the Office of Rail and Roads’ periodic review process determines Network Rail’s funding allocation for the Operation, Support, Maintenance and Renewal (OSMR) of the network. The periodic review process is undertaken on a regional basis. Funding for Network Rail to operate, maintain and renew the railway in the East Midlands during Control Period 7 (from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029) is included in their £9.6bn settlement for the Eastern region.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authority taxi and private hire licensing enforcement policies are brought into line with the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards.

We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters including safety. Where key safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.

What assessment she has made of the level of variation between local authorities in the discretionary provision of free bus passes for carers of disabled people; and what steps she is taking to ensure a consistent approach across England.

The Department does not have any plans to provide advice on offering a discretionary concession to carers of disabled people, as offering this is a choice for the individual local authority to make.In the year ending March 2025, 66% of Travel Concession Authorities in England outside London offered a discretionary concession for those travelling with a disabled person. The decision on whether to offer discretionary concessions is for the local authority to make depending on their needs and circumstances.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, of which Leicester City Council was allocated £9.4 million. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include funding discretionary concessions.