Written questions by Pinkerton.

What data her Department holds on modes of transport used by commuters in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department holds information on the usual method of travel to work from the Travel to work, England and Wales: Census 2021 publication by the Office for National Statistics. According to this data, 46% of people in employment in the Surrey Heath constituency in 2021 usually travelled to work by driving a car or van. This was followed by 40% working mainly at or from home, and 5% on foot. Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the travel to work topic.

What funding her Department provides for transport projects in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament, the Department has provided the following transport funding to Surrey County Council: Over £32 million of highways maintenance funding, an increase of 36% increase compared to what they received in 2024/25. £12 million of bus funding for financial year 2025/26, an increase of £8.1 million compared to what they received in 2024/25. £1.7 million to deliver an additional 12 Zero Emission Buses. Almost £2.8m capital and resource funding as part of the £381m Local EV Infrastructure Fund, to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking in the area. Over £4.8 million in Integrated Transport Block funding to support local transport maintenance and enhancements. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage people to transition to greener forms of transport in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament, the Department has provided the following transport funding to Surrey County Council: Over £32 million of highways maintenance funding, an increase of 36% increase compared to what they received in 2024/25. £12 million of bus funding for financial year 2025/26, an increase of £8.1 million compared to what they received in 2024/25. £1.7 million to deliver an additional 12 Zero Emission Buses. Almost £2.8m capital and resource funding as part of the £381m Local EV Infrastructure Fund, to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking in the area. Over £4.8 million in Integrated Transport Block funding to support local transport maintenance and enhancements. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of bus service provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.

What steps her Department is taking to improve bus connectivity in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing late-night train services in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department and operators are in regular discussion regarding service provision, which aims to balance the needs of both passenger and taxpayer. There are no current plans to increase late night services to Surrey Heath.

What steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in managing the increasing volume of utility roadworks in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department supports local authorities in several ways, including via updates to statutory guidance, supporting the roll-out of lane rental schemes and improving our Street Manager digital service which all authorities and utility companies use to plan, co-ordinate and manage works. The Government has also announced that we are cracking down on utility companies, doubling fines and applying charges for works that overrun at weekends.

Whether she plans to publish the DVSA's findings from the call for evidence on the experience of booking and managing car driving tests.

On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have been analysing the responses to this and have been working to develop proposals to improve the rules to make sure learner drivers can book their driving test easily and efficiently. This will lead to public consultation on the proposed improved rules, with potential future legislative changes. On the 23 April, the Secretary of State announced that this consultation has been fast-tracked and will launch in May 2025.

If she will provide an update on the progress of implementing the DVSA’s seven-point plan aimed at reducing driving test waiting times.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work on implementing its 7-point plan to reduce waiting times and to encourage learner drivers to only book their driving test when they are ready.DVSA’s progress so far against the measures has seen: 154 new driving examiners complete their training and carrying out driving teststhe introduction of tougher terms and conditions for driving instructors who can book tests for their pupils (6 January).a call for evidence concluded on booking driving tests, which received almost 27,000 responses. DVSA expects to launch the consultation in spring 2025.on 8 April 2025 DVSA implemented changes to the short notice cancellation period, increasing the notice required from 3 to 10 days for learner drivers to cancel their driving test and receive a refund. On the 23 April the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further action to help reduce driving test waiting times.Further information on these actions and progress on the 7-point plan can be found on GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce private vehicle dependency in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament the department has provided increased funding to Surrey County Council to deliver better bus services and active routes. Surrey County Council were awarded £12 million of bus funding in financial year 2025/26, an increase of £7 million from last year. At the Budget, the Government announced an additional £100m for active travel in England 2025/26, enabling local authorities to install cycling infrastructure and upgrade pavements and paths. Surrey County Council received just over £4.3m for active travel investment in 2025/26. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure hospital road infrastructure is sufficient to meet growing population demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

Surrey County Council are the local transport authority for Surrey Heath and also have responsibility for the local highway network. It is up to the respective local authority to invest in its local transport network based on local needs and priorities.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve road safety for vulnerable road users in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

If Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss railway infrastructure improvements aimed at enabling more direct services to London.

Future rail infrastructure investment is being considered as part of the Spending Review, which will conclude in June 2025. The Rail Minister would therefore be happy to meet the MP for Surrey Heath once this process has concluded.

What steps she is taking to improve road safety near schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

My Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. Active Travel England and my Department published joint School Streets Guidance in November 2024. School Streets schemes restrict motor traffic outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times; reducing congestion, improving safety and enabling more pupils to walk, wheel or cycle.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for new railway stations that offer a direct route to London in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government believes that local leaders are best placed to prioritise and take forward regeneration projects which are most appropriate for the areas they serve, particularly where they will support economic growth, job creation, more and better housing. I would encourage you to engage further with local planning teams and local stakeholders to make the case for funding new railway stations in the Surrey Heath constituency.

What steps her Department has taken to reduce congestion at the meeting of the A322 with the M3 Junction 3 in Surrey Heath constituency.

National Highways undertook an early-stage study of the M3 junction 3 in 2023. As well as a long-term large-scale enhancement to address both congestion and incidents, it is considering smaller, tactical solutions that can be delivered in the short-term. It is commencing a feasibility study on small-scale improvements, working closely with Surrey County Council who are responsible for the A322. This work will form the evidence base for potential future enhancements to be delivered during RIS3, beyond 2026.

If Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss national infrastructure improvements where the A322 meets the M3 Junction 3.

I would be happy to meet to discuss potential improvements to this junction and surrounding roads as the Minister responsible for this matter.

What assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) cost-efficiency of pothole repair strategies in Surrey Heath Constituency.

Surrey County Council is the local highway authority for the Surrey Heath constituency. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to helping local highway authorities such as Surrey County Council maintain and renew their local highway networks. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, with funding allocations to individual English local highway authorities announced on 20 December 2024. Surrey County Council will receive up to £32.4 million for local highway maintenance in 2025/26, an increase of around 38% compared to the current financial year. The effectiveness and cost-efficiency of Surrey’s highway maintenance programmes, including strategies concerning potholes and other road defects, is a matter for the Council.

What steps her Department is taking to mitigate travel disruptions caused by flooding in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government recognises that flooding can have a devastating impact on people, businesses and communities, as well as causing disruption to all road users. The Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through a new Floods Resilience Taskforce and is investing £2.4 billion to better protect people and communities across the country. Surrey County Council is the local highway authority for Surrey Heath. For the 2025/26 financial year, the Government is providing Surrey County Council with £32.4 million for local highway maintenance, which is an extra £8.5 million compared to 2024/25. Funding allocations can be found on gov.uk. In addition, the Department is working with the UK Roads Leadership Group’s (UKRLG) Adaptation, Biodiversity & Climate Board to provide guidance to local highway authorities on how to reduce the mitigate the impacts of flooding on local roads. A recently published UKRLG-commissioned report, Emergency Preparedness, Response & Recovery, considers the lessons learned from extreme weather events, such as flooding, and makes recommendations for Government and local highway authorities on improving resilience.

What steps her Department is taking to prevent sinkhole formation in Surrey Heath constituency.

Tackling problems such as sinkholes on local roads is a matter for local highway authorities. Surrey County Council is the local highway authority for Surrey Heath constituency. For the 2025/26 financial year, the Government is providing Surrey County Council with £32.4 million for local highway maintenance, which is an extra £8.5 million compared to 2024/25. It is up to local highway authorities to determine how best to spend this funding to maintain all parts of their networks, including tackling issues of this sort.