Written questions by Mayer.

What assessment her Department has made of (a) the prevalence of illegally modified number plates and (b) the adequacy of current enforcement and detection mechanisms; and whether she plans to review the associated penalties.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime and to quantify the number of illegal plates that may be in circulation. The law requires that anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK must be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for number plate suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied. Selling a number plate without carrying out these checks carries a maximum penalty of a fine of £1,000 and the potential removal from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). The safety of all road users is a top priority for the Government. As part of the development of our Road Safety Strategy, the Government is considering a range of policies relating to motoring offences, and we will set out next steps for the strategy in due course. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable RNPS process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. On-road enforcement for offences relating to the display of number plates is a matter for the police.

Whether her Department plans to issue guidance to local transport authorities on the minimum standards for (a) format, (b) legibility and (c) frequency of updates for printed passenger information at bus stops.

The Government knows how important it is that passengers have access to high quality and reliable information about their local bus services, including at bus stops. Local authorities are responsible for the bus stops in their area. The Department for Transport’s guidance to local transport authorities and bus operators on developing Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) makes clear that bus stops should show up-to-date and accurate information about the services stopping there, and that BSIPs should set out the action that will be taken to provide good quality bus information to passengers. At the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government confirmed over £1 billion to support and improve bus services, including £712 million allocated to local authorities in England outside London in 2025/26. Central Bedfordshire Council have been allocated £3 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including improving the information available to passengers about local bus services.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of guided busways as a type of rapid transit on (a) journey time reliability, (b) passenger growth and (c) modal shift from private vehicles.

The Government welcomes steps to improve the reliability and frequency of local bus services, including reducing journey times, for example through bus priority and busway schemes. Local transport is devolved, and local transport authorities are responsible for the design and delivery of the optimal mass transit solution for their particular local challenges. At the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government confirmed over £1 billion to support and improve bus services, including £712 million allocated to local authorities in England outside London in 2025/26. Central Bedfordshire Council have been allocated £3 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability, or implementing bus priority measures.

If she will update the delivery plan for Highways England 2020-2025.

National Highways published its Delivery Plan for the Interim Period, April 2025 to March 2026, on its website on Thursday 17th July 2025.https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/2k0f3ya4/interim-period-delivery-plan-2025-26.pdfThe Department will publish the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) by the end of March 2026. Following this, National Highways will produce its next Delivery Plan covering 2026-2031.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the incidence of assaults on bus drivers; and what recent discussions she has had with (a) operators, (b) trade unions and (c) local transport authorities on this matter.

The Government is committed to ensuring the safety of bus drivers and is taking steps to reduce the incidence of assaults. The Bus Services (No.2) Bill includes measures setting requirements for mandatory training for staff including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public or with issues related to the travelling public. This training will be on preventing and/or responding to incidents of violence against women and girls as well as anti-social behaviour incidents that potentially affect the personal safety of any passenger, member of the public, or staff. This measure will also extend requirements for relevant bus staff to undertake training relating to disabled passengers. The Department engages regularly with bus operators, trade unions and Local Transport Authorities across the full range of measures contained in the Bill. This will continue as the guidance around this training is developed. The Bill also provides Local Transport Authorities with the power to create byelaws and deploy officers who can deal with low level anti-social behaviour and fare evasion on the bus network. Officers will have the power to issue fines, ask people to leave the vehicle, bus station or shelter and, if necessary, to remove them if they refuse to do so.

Pursuant to the National Infrastructure Service and Transformation Authority's document entitled NISTA Annual Report 2024-2025, published on 11 August 2025, what estimate she has made of the forecast underspend on (a) the TransPennine Route Upgrade and (b) the East-West Rail project in (i) 2025–26, (ii) 2026–27 and (iii) 2027–28.

The Spending Review, announced on 11 June 2025, saw an average annual funding increase for improvements to the railway over the next four years, with £10.2bn provided for rail enhancements in the period. This included funding to continue to deliver at pace on East West Rail and the TransPennine Route Upgrade, for which the capital budgets are held and managed at portfolio level. There is no forecast underspend against budget for these projects at this time and information on the projects within the portfolio will continue to be reported to NISTA to support the

If she will make an estimate of the potential renewable power generation capacity of Network Rail’s estate.

In May 2020 Network Rail carried out a survey and analysis of its land estate to assess the potential suitability for renewable energy generation. It was determined that there is potential capacity of 188 MWp across 34 potential sites.Network Rail purchases electricity for the railway and is committed to transitioning to renewable energy for both the electricity it uses for its own operations, and the electricity to power trains. Network Rail already generates some of this electricity on the rail estate and is continuing the roll out of new renewable energy generation assets on the estate.The government is committed to establishing Great British Energy and significantly increasing the amount of renewable energy generation in the UK by 2030.

What data her Department holds on the scale of ride sharing car services.

The Department does not hold any data on the scale of ride sharing car services. However, to help better understand the scale of usage I have commissioned officials to consider how we can support and promote the use of car club and car-sharing schemes, starting with a roundtable of industry stakeholders.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in current levels of concessionary bus travel usage.

The Department publishes statistics on concessionary travel in England in the Concessionary Travel Statistics release, which are based on survey data collected from Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs). Concessionary travel relates to when eligible people travel on reduced (or free) fares. The latest concessionary travel statistics, including figures on concessionary bus passenger journeys in England for the year ending March 2011 to the year ending March 2024 for older and disabled people are provided in the table below: Table: Older and Disabled Concessionary Bus Journeys, millionsYear ending MarchEnglandEngland outside LondonLondonEnglish metropolitan areasEnglish non-metropolitan areas20111,04875329630245020121,05474730729545320131,00971129828143020141,00770830027743020159896932962684252016958670289258412201792564428124739720188816082732323762019861592269226366202080255025220934020212701799276103202249132216912919320235703721981412312024604389215144245

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of road traffic incidents in which unrestrained pets have caused (a) injury to vehicle occupants, (b) difficulty for emergency services accessing vehicles and (c) secondary accidents as a result of pets escaping following a collision.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to extend UK e-scooter rental trials until 2028 on (a) private and (b) public funding of active travel infrastructure.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of e-scooter trial extensions on active travel infrastructure investment.In the Spending Review we announced £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure.

Whether Great British Railways will introduce a centralised lost property system across the rail network.

Great British Railways will bring the track, train and rail estate together under one organisation. This will enable it to more effectively adapt and create a system to better suit passenger needs. We are working closely with industry on opportunities to optimise the approach to standards across the rail sector.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving National Highways a remit to increase the efficiency of motorways and major A roads by incentivising increasing the number of people in a car.

National Highways does not currently have a formal policy on car sharing but recognises the role it can play in reducing congestion. National Highways will continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with partners and stakeholders to support a more efficient and sustainable strategic road network, including initiatives such as car sharing.

What proportion of staff working in DfT Operator were in their immediately previous role (a) working in the civil service (b) working in the private sector.

Neither the Department for Transport nor the DfT Operator hold this information.

What proportion of staff working in DfT Operator were women as of the end of July 2025.

As of 31 July 2025, 56.7 per cent of the DfT Operator workforce were women.

How many full time equivalent staff were working in her Department as of the end of July 2025.

3,404.74 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff were in the Ministerial Department’s total workforce at the end of July 2025.11,705.87 FTE staff were working in Executive Agencies.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for Blue Badges to include voluntary patient transport providers.

It is preferable for disabled individuals to hold their own Blue Badge, allowing them to use it in any vehicle they travel in, whether as a driver or a passenger. However, an organisational Blue Badge may be issued to an organisation for use in vehicles transporting disabled people who would individually qualify for a badge, as set out in Section 4(2) of the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000. Local authorities must be able to confirm that the organisation both cares for and regularly transports individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for a personal Blue Badge, and that there is a clear operational need for an organisational badge rather than relying on individual badges.

What information her Department holds on average cab temperatures on buses in periods of hot weather; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of average cab temperatures on the health of bus drivers.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring all transport workers have access to suitable working conditions. The majority of bus services in England outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators, who are responsible for ensuring their employees have access to healthy and safe working conditions.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Annual Shared Micromobility Report 2024 published by CoMoUK.

We are committed to growing shared micromobility in Great Britain. The Government continues to trial rental e-scooters so we can learn what works, and on 21 July I announced these trials will be extended to May 2028, and for the first time since the trials began, I am offering new towns and cities the opportunity to join. Cycle sharing is already here and growing, as highlighted by this report. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill introduced on 10 July included a measure to regulate on-street micromobility services which will give our local leaders the powers to regulate shared micromobility so they can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and ensure they are used safely and responsibly.

Whether her Department is considering taking steps to reform the escalation process for Penalty Charge Notices in cases where the original notice was for a minor offence and was not received by the registered keeper.

With regard to on-street parking, local highway authorities are responsible for enforcing parking restrictions under the system of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE). Penalty charge notices must be issued in line with the Secretary of State’s ‘Statutory Guidance on the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions’ which is available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-enforcement-of-parking-contraventions/The Department has no plans to change the process for issuing Penalty Charge Notices.With regard to private and off-street parking, policy on this including enforcement is the responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.