Written questions by Dance.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the number of carriages on (a) Great Western Railway and (b) South Western Railway during the Christmas period on the delivery of those services.

Great Western Railway and South Western Railway are responsible for ensuring the train service they operate, including the number of carriages they deploy, is optimised to meet the needs of the passengers they serve. This is while also taking account of planned maintenance work. Officials have been working closely with all operators to review plans and ensure readiness ahead of the Christmas period.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of disruption on the (a) South Western Railway and (b) Great Western Railway services over the Christmas period by people living Yeovil constituency.

On 23 November the Chancellor and Transport Secretary announced that rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years. Over a billion journeys are going to benefit from this freeze with season tickets, anytime returns on commuter routes, and off-peak returns on longer-distance routes all subject to the freeze. Commuters from Yeovil to Exeter or Bristol could save around £200 across the year, while commuters to Weymouth could save around £100. Planned engineering works may impact Yeovil constituents using South Western Railway and Great Western Railway services over the Christmas period. South Western Railway customers using services towards London Waterloo will be affected by major engineering works between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction and there will be some alterations to services on the Great Western Railway network. Passengers are advised to use journey planners to check before they travel.

What steps she is taking to make rail travel more affordable for over 30s in Yeovil constituency.

On 23 November the Chancellor and Transport Secretary announced that rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years. Over a billion journeys are going to benefit from this freeze with season tickets, anytime returns on commuter routes, and off-peak returns on longer-distance routes all subject to the freeze. Commuters from Yeovil to Exeter or Bristol could save around £200 across the year, while commuters to Weymouth could save around £100. Planned engineering works may impact Yeovil constituents using South Western Railway and Great Western Railway services over the Christmas period. South Western Railway customers using services towards London Waterloo will be affected by major engineering works between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction and there will be some alterations to services on the Great Western Railway network. Passengers are advised to use journey planners to check before they travel.

What steps Great British Railway will take to make railway stations in Yeovil constituency more accessible.

The Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the significant social and economic benefits this brings to passengers and communities. In May 2024, the previous government agreed the publication of a list of 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work under the Access for All programme, which included Yeovil Junction in the Yeovil constituency. Network Rail has now completed this feasibility work, and the Government will shortly announce which of these stations will progress to the next stage. The Railways Bill will ensure that the interests of all passengers, particularly those with accessibility needs, are at the heart of decision-making across the railways. Great British Railways (GBR) will have a clear passenger and accessibility duty, requiring it to consider the needs of disabled passengers and to embed improved accessibility at the core of the railway. However, we are not waiting for GBR to be established to deliver improvements. Alongside the Railways Bill, the Department for Transport has published the Roadmap to an Accessible Railway, which sets out the actions being taken now to improve accessibility and the day-to-day travel experience for passengers who need assistance, ahead of GBR’s creation.

What steps she is taking to support the road haulage industry in Yeovil constituency.

National support for the road haulage industry includes joint investment with industry in lorry parking and driver welfare facilities of up to £35.7m. This is in addition to up to £30 million joint investment by National Highways and industry to improve lorry parking on the strategic road network. Further National Highways funding is planned for the third road investment strategy (RIS3) as part of the Customer and Community Designated Funds, subject to confirmation of National Highways’ RIS3 settlement. Support for the sector’s decarbonisation includes the Plug-in Truck Grant which provides a contribution to the upfront purchase costs of zero emission vehicles, the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which is now closed to new applicants, but is providing up to £200m to fund hundreds of ZE HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites and the Depot Charging Scheme which closes on the 28 November 2025, and will support HGV, van and coach fleet operators with the cost of installing charging infrastructure at depot sites. Qualifying Operators in Yeovil have had the opportunity to apply for national schemes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23770 on Motor Vehicles: Lighting, whether she plans to publish the findings of the Government-commissioned independent research into headlamp glare.

Researchers are currently finalising the headlamp glare report so that it can be published in the autumn.

What steps she is taking to ensure there is consistent onboard information on request stops on rail services across the South West.

The process for request stops is standard for all stations on Great Western Railway’s (GWR) network. Alighting passengers must inform the conductor to request the stop, and boarding passengers need to signal the driver by raising their hand as the train approaches. However, I am aware that the operator has issues with some of their older fleet specifically for onboard information as the Passenger Information System is not always working as it should be. GWR are working with their technology supplier to improve the consistency of passenger information.

What steps she is taking to help support people to purchase affordable electric charging points for existing homes in Yeovil constituency.

To further accelerate the uptake of EVs, the Government offers grants to support the installation of chargepoints in residential and commercial properties. The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant supports the provision of chargepoints for residents in flats and rented accommodation with grants of up to £350. SMEs and residential landlords can also claim car park grants of up to £15,000 and £30,000 per site towards the cost of infrastructure works and chargepoints.Additionally, on the 13 July, the Government announced the £25m Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant to further support local authorities in England to adopt pavement channels. This will allow EV drivers to access their domestic electricity tariffs by safely connecting a home EV charger to their vehicle parked on-street and adds to published local authority guidance and chargepoint grants.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62375 on Buses: Safety Belts, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 3-point seat belts on passenger safety.

The Road Safety Observatory, supported by the Department for Transport, summarises and reviews research on road safety, including seat belts. It identified research indicating that 3-point seat belts in vehicles can reduce the serious injury rate by 60% compared to being unrestrained. There is no specific assessment for buses. The Road Safety Observatory synthesis on seat belts is available from the RoSPA website and can be found at the following link:- https://www.rospa.com/siteassets/images/road-safety/road-safety-projects/road-safety-observatory/vehicles-seatbelts.pdf.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate on (a) car dealerships and (b) the automotive sector in (i) rural areas and (ii) Yeovil constituency.

The ZEV Mandate requirements only apply to vehicle manufacturers and not to car dealerships. However, we continue to consider views from dealership representatives on the transition. I am aware that one of the UK’s micro volume manufacturers is based in Yeovil. The Government recognises that micro volume manufacturers face additional challenges in decarbonising at the pace of the ZEV Mandate trajectory, and exemptions are in place for these manufacturers until 2035.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating three point seatbelts to be fitted on coaches in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The Department for Transport is committed to improving road safety and incidents involving buses and coaches are rare – national casualty statistics indicate that they are one of the safest forms of road transport. Vehicle construction regulations are applied nationally, rather than on a constituency or other geographic basis, and have required all buses and coaches to be fitted with seat belts since 2001, except for those designed and authorised to carry standing passengers. In large vehicles where the deceleration forces of a collision are generally lower than for smaller vehicles, a lap belt only is permitted providing other design criteria are met to prevent or limit injury. In smaller vehicles, or where these other design criteria cannot be met, a three-point belt is required. International vehicle construction requirements, including those covering seat belts, are developed through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, where they are kept under review to ensure they evolve to continuously drive forward vehicle safety.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of completing a road safety strategy for Yeovil constituency.

This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing a Road Safety Strategy and are considering a variety of measures which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.

What plans she has to increase local authorities' powers to ensure the immediate permanent reinstation of roads by utility companies near (a) high-traffic areas, (b) hospitals, (c) schools and (d) other critical locations.

Utility companies can put temporary reinstatements in place following works to re-open roads to traffic whilst, for example, waiting for specialist materials which may be specified by local authorities such as a particular type of paving stone. Permanent reinstatements must be put in place within 6 months. The DfT has no plans to change these arrangements.

What steps she plans to take to increase the level of overrun charges for utility companies responsible for delayed road repairs.

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

What steps she plans to take to introduce overrun charges for utility companies undertaking road repairs on weekends and bank holidays.

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

What plans she has to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the revenue from the lane rental scheme is reinvested in (a) road resurfacing and (b) pothole repairs.

Charges for works that overrun are already set at up to £10,000 per day. The Government announced in December that we will apply overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays. We also announced that local authorities operating lane rental schemes will be required to spend 50% of surplus lane rental charges on highway maintenance, The regulations implementing these changes will be laid later in 2025. They will also double the level of fixed penalty notices available for some street works offences.

What plans she has to increase local authorities' powers to inspect roads that have temporarily been reinstated by utility companies conducting roadworks more frequently.

Local highway authorities already have powers to inspect both temporary and permanent reinstatements for compliance with the DfT's technical standards (the specification for the reinstatement of openings in the highway). Since 2023, a performance-based inspections regime has been in place which means those companies who fail inspections are inspected more than those who comply. As companies pay for inspections, there is also a strong financial incentive for them to meet standards.

What steps she plans to take to reduce the time within which utility companies conducting roadworks must ensure that roads are permanently repaired to six months.

Utility companies can put temporary reinstatements in place following works to re-open roads to traffic whilst, for example, waiting for specialist materials which may be specified by local authorities such as a particular type of paving stone. Permanent reinstatements must be put in place within 6 months. The DfT has no plans to change these arrangements.

What steps her Department plans to take to help improve road infrastructure to respond to flooding risks in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

The Government takes flooding and its effects seriously, and has established a Floods Resilience Taskforce, which will enable close working between national, regional, and local government, including the devolved administrations, along with flood risk partners. The Government is providing local authorities with an additional £500 million of funding for local highway maintenance for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25, with Somerset Council receiving £44.9 million in 2025/26 for highway maintenance. It is up to local highway authorities to determine how best to spend this funding on maintaining and protecting their roads, including making them more resilient to flooding. The Department is also working with the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Adaptation, Biodiversity and Climate Board to produce best practice advice and guidance to local highway authorities to help them deal with the effects of climate change.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of steps to improve accessibility of train stations for disabled people.

We are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway for all users, including those with a range of disabilities. The Department for Transport recently completed an accessibility audit of all 2,577 stations across Great Britain. This data is being used to guide how the government and rail industry can most efficiently invest through programmes such as Access for All, which has delivered step free access at more than 250 stations since 2006.