Written questions by Mayer.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

If she will publish a list of locations with enforceable School Keep Clear road markings in each local authority area.

The Government has no plans to publish such a list. Local authorities are responsible for these markings and maintaining their own records.

Whether her Department plans to include the safety of road workers in its Road Safety strategy.

This Government takes the safety of all road users seriously, including those who work on our roads. We are developing a Road Safety Strategy and further details will be shared in due course.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones, published on 26 June, if she will list the locations of the 57 tunnels due to receive improved coverage in Project Reach.

The list of tunnels is shown below. Please note the exact timings are subject to commercial discussions with Mobile Network Operators: TunnelRegionRoute MONUMENT LANE TUNNELNorth West & CentralCentral BEECHWOOD TUNNELNorth West & CentralCentral NEW STREET NORTH WESTERN LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralCentral NEW STREET MIDLAND LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralCentral POTTERS BAR EAST TUNNELEasternEast Coast POTTERS BAR WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast WELWYN NORTH TUNNELEasternEast Coast PEASCLIFFE TUNNELEasternEast Coast STOKE TUNNELEasternEast Coast WOOD GREEN CENTRE TUNNELEasternEast Coast WOOD GREEN EAST TUNNELEasternEast Coast WOOD GREEN WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast BARNET WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast BARNET EAST TUNNELEasternEast Coast BARNET CENTRE TUNNELEasternEast Coast COPENHAGEN CENTRE TUNNELEasternEast Coast COPENHAGEN WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast GASWORKS CENTRE TUNNELEasternEast Coast GASWORKS WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast WELWYN SOUTH TUNNELEasternEast Coast HADLEY WOOD SOUTH EAST TUNNELEasternEast Coast HADLEY WOOD SOUTH WEST TUNNELEasternEast Coast CLERKENWELL NO 1EasternThameslink LUDGATE TUNNELSouthernKent ARDSLEY TUNNELEasternNorth East MACCLESFIELD TUNNELNorth West & CentralNorth West FARNWORTH TUNNELNorth West & CentralNorth West FARNWORTH TUNNELNorth West & CentralNorth West PRESTBURY TUNNELNorth West & CentralNorth West NEWPORT NEW TUNNELWales & WesternWales NEWPORT OLD TUNNELWales & WesternWales KILSBY TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast WATFORD TUNNEL SLOW LINESNorth West & CentralWest Coast WATFORD TUNNEL FAST LINESNorth West & CentralWest Coast PRIMROSE HILL SLOW LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast PRIMROSE HILL FAST LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast SHUGBOROUGH TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast STOWE HILL TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast NORTHCHURCH FAST LINE TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast NORTHCHURCH UP SLOW TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast NORTHCHURCH DOWN SLOW TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast KENSAL GREEN FAST LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast KENSAL GREEN SLOW LINES TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast HARECASTLE NEW TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast LINSLADE UP SLOW TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast LINSLADE CENTRE BORE (UP FAST/DN SLOW)North West & CentralWest Coast LINSLADE DOWN FAST TUNNELNorth West & CentralWest Coast SODBURY TUNNELWales & WesternWestern PATCHWAY UP NEW TUNNELWales & WesternWestern WHITEBALL TUNNELWales & WesternWestern MARLEY TUNNELWales & WesternWestern POLPERRO TUNNELWales & WesternWestern TREVERIN TUNNELWales & WesternWestern PARSONS TUNNELWales & WesternWestern ALDERTON TUNNELWales & WesternWestern WIVELISCOMBE TUNNELWales & WesternWestern BUCKSHEAD TUNNELWales & WesternWestern

With reference to her Department's press notice entitled On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones, published 26 June 2025, if she will publish the location of the rail lines due to get improved coverage with 1,000 of ultra fast fibre optic cable.

New high-count 432 fibre RoutesKMsLondon Kings Cross to Newcastle432Birmingham New Street to Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester Deansgate133London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street (via Chilterns)177London Paddington to Bristol Parkway to Cardiff235Other routes - Great Western Route26Total Km1003

What the cost of a practical driving test was in each year since 1995.

The table below shows the cost of a car practical driving test on weekdays (normal hours) and on evenings, weekends and bank holidays (out of hours), from 1 April 1994 to 30 March 2009. The table also shows the cost of an extended car practical driving test for disqualified drivers. Please note that the cost of a car practical driving test has remained the same since 30 March 2009. Car Practical Driving Tests - Cost (£) Driving TestExtended TestDate IntroducedNormal HoursOut of HoursNormal HoursOut of Hours30-Mar-0962.0075.00124.00150.0001-Apr-0856.5067.00113.00134.0001-Apr-0648.5058.0097.00116.0010-Aug-0545.5055.0091.00110.0008-Dec-0442.0051.0084.00102.0014-Nov-0239.0048.0078.0096.0027-Aug-0138.0047.0076.0094.0010-Feb-9936.7546.0073.5092.0001-Apr-9832.7543.0065.5086.0001-Apr-9731.0041.0062.0082.0029-May-9528.5038.5057.0077.5001-Apr-9427.5037.5055.0077.50