Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 176 · Department for Transport
What guidance she is offering passengers whose flights are impacted by jet fuel shortages.
UK airlines are clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel, and there is no need for passengers to change upcoming travel plans. It is important however that passengers are aware of their rights during any disruption and that is why t...
What transport infrastructure projects in the 2024 Labour Party manifesto have been (a) completed, (b) commenced, (c) delayed or (d) cancelled.
The 2024 Labour Party election manifesto made the following two pledges for transport infrastructure projects. To fix an additional 1 million potholes across England each year, funded by reallocating money from the previously cancelled A27 bypass. We are ...
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers through an (a) exclusive and (b) centralised contracting model on independent community optometry
The consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers closed on 11 May. The Department for Transport is currently analysing the responses, and the government response will be published once that is complete. The logistical arrangeme...
What recent formal consultation his Department has undertaken with Approved Driving Instructors and their representative bodies regarding the standards check system.
When the current standards checks system was implemented in 2014, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conducted a full consultation. The system has not changed and, therefore, there has been no formal consultation since those changes. The curre...
What assessment his Department has made of the fairness and accuracy of the current standards check system for Approved Driving Instructors.
When the current standards checks system was implemented in 2014, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conducted a full consultation. The system has not changed and, therefore, there has been no formal consultation since those changes. The curre...
What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of safety regulations governing dockless e-bike hire schemes operating in urban areas.
Shared cycle schemes can have huge benefits but for them to be a success across the country we must minimise negative impacts such as obstructive parking or antisocial behaviour. I know that these negative impacts are not just an inconvenience for many people, but rather a real safety issue. That is why the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will enable our local leaders to license these schemes and why all licences will include minimum standard conditions set by the Secretary of State, with safety being a core consideration.
Whether her Department plans to introduce a licensing regime for e-bike hire operators operating in public spaces.
Yes. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, currently at Report Stage in the House of Lords, will empower our local leaders to license shared cycle schemes. Licences will also include minimum standard conditions to ensure a consistent national baseline of safety and operability. We will implement licensing through a combination of regulations and guidance following detailed public consultation.
Pursuant to the written answer 907855 of 12 February 2026, if he will provide the data on (a) punctuality and (b) cancellations for (i) publicly owned and (ii) privately owned operators in each of the last five years.
Data on passenger rail performance, including both quarterly accredited official statistics and periodic management information on cancellations and punctuality for all Train Operating Companies (TOCs), is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on the ORR Data Portal. The Railways (Public Ownership) Act only came into effect in November 2024. Prior to this, operators run by the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort (DfT OLR) were not recognised as being in “public ownership”, now referred to as the DfT Operator (DFTO). The profile of TOCs within DOLR and subsequently DFTO has changed over time and a five-year time series comparing “publicly owned” and “privately owned” operators would not provide a meaningful comparison. Table 1 shows the most recent comparative figures for the DFTO and DfT ‑ contracted operators for the 12 months to 3 Jan 2026 (Rail Period 10, 2025/26). Table 1. Performance of the DFT Operator1 and DfT-contracted2 operators in the 12 months to 3 Jan 2026 (Rail Period 10, 2025/26)GroupingsCancellationsTrains arriving within 3 minutes (percentage)DfT Operator (DFTO)13.1%83.0%DfT contracted Operators (private sector)2‑contracted4.5%81.9%Notes 1. During this period, seven TOCs were under the DfT Operator (DFTO) and seven were privately operated under DfT contracts. (West Midlands Trains did not transfer to DFTO until 1 February and is therefore included in the privately operated group for this period.)2. The following operators are outside the scope of this comparison, as they are contracted by devolved authorities: Transport for Wales Rail, Scotrail, Caledonian Sleeper, Merseyrail, Elizabeth line and London Overground. Open access operators are also excluded from this comparison.Source: DfT analysis of Table 3124 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator (periodic); Table 3138 - Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator (periodic)
How much transport infrastructure funding per capita has been allocated to (a) mayoral combined authorities and (b) non-mayoral areas in the North West of England in the latest funding round.
As part of the Government’s Spending Review in June last year, the following capital funding totals have been allocated for transport infrastructure to local transport authorities, including Mayoral Strategic Authorities and non–mayoral authorities in the North West: Mayoral Strategic AuthoritiesGreater Manchester - £1.42 billion Integrated Settlement.Liverpool City Region - £0.9 billion Integrated Settlement. Non-Mayoral Strategic AuthorityLancashire - £571.5 million consolidated local transport funding. Devolution Priority Programme areasCheshire and Warrington - £385.3 million consolidated local transport funding.Cumbria - £383.3 million consolidated local transport funding. The funding allocated covers the period up to 31st March 2030 and has been allocated on a range of factors beyond population, including deprivation and road mileage.
What steps her Department has taken to improve the reliability of rail services that have been returned to state ownership.
Public ownership is a vital step towards rebuilding trust and pride in our railways. On average, publicly owned DfT train operators perform better on punctuality and cancellations than those yet to come under DfT ownership. The department expects all operators, public and private, to deliver good performance for passengers.
Pursuant to the written Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 108043 on Roads: Wildlife, if she will amend Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to reclassify cats to ensure drivers are required to stop and report a collision.
I understand the distress of owners who lose beloved pets and it is a great source of worry and uncertainty when they are lost. There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats. Having a law making it a requirement to report road collisions involving cats would be very difficult to enforce and we have reservations about the difference it would make to the behaviour of drivers, who are aware that they have run over a cat and do not report it.
What steps her Department is taking to improve public awareness of what drivers should do if they hit or find a deceased animal on the road, including domestic pets.
I understand the distress of owners who lose beloved pets and it is a great source of worry and uncertainty when they are lost. All drivers are encouraged to periodically to refresh their road safety knowledge. All road users are required to comply with road traffic law in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users. Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report a collision involving specified animals including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets.Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation. In terms of the national road network, National Highways has clear guidelines for contractors to follow when they find a deceased cat or dog. This process is designed with owners in mind, giving them the best chance of being informed of the incident to allow closure; the process is set out in the Network Management Manual.
If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing holders of a UK Category B driving licence to drive motorhomes with a maximum mass of 4,250kg.
The Department has not yet made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing holders of a Category B driving licence to drive motorhomes with a maximum mass of up to 4,250kg. I acknowledge that this change is within the EU 4th Driving Licence Directive and the Department is considering whether to apply similar measures within Great Britain.
Pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2026 to Question 98657 on Railways: Nationalisation, if he will list the performance benchmarks that operators have (a) failed and (b) passed since April 2025 by (i) private and (ii) public operator.
Performance across the rail network is improving, with cancellations now at 3.6%, down from a peak of 4.1% last January. We set stretching but achievable contractual targets for operators to drive continuous improvement in performance. Since April 2025, all publicly owned operators have fallen below the expected level for at least one of the following measures in a four-weekly period: Time to 3 (T3) punctuality and All stations cancellations. Over the same period, all privately operated train companies have also fallen below the expected level for at least one of their contractual benchmarks, including TOC-on-self cancellations, Delay Minutes, Short Formations, Time to 3, Time to 15 and All cancellations. Overall, operators currently in public ownership remain more reliable on average than those in private ownership.
What steps she is taking to ensure qualified drivers are aware of changes to the Highway Code.
Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large- scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
What steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests at Blackpool test centre.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.In the coming months, DVSA will:Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their testsIntroduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.Make use of MOD driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including for Blackpool driving test centre, to provide as many tests as possible. Two new entrant driving examiners will be placed on a training course as soon as possible. Upon successful completion of training, this will increase the number of driving examiners at Blackpool driving test centre from seven to nine. A full-time driving examiner can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
How much and what proportion of funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail is expected to be spent in Lancashire.
Northern Powerhouse Rail will provide up to £45 billion of funding to deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale is enabling these areas to function as single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has not excluded funding potential future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire. This is not within the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme funding and would be considered through other sources in the normal way, such as future rail network enhancement programme funding.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Northern Powerhouse Rail on rail connectivity, journey times, frequency and rolling stock between Blackpool and Manchester.
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with onward services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales. The scheme is expected to provide connectivity and growth benefits across the wider region. Government will work with local leaders to develop the details before decisions are made on future journey times and frequencies.
What discussions she has had with Lancashire County Council and district councils in Fylde and Wyre on the design and delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward. The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
How Members representing Lancashire constituencies will be consulted as Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals are developed.
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward. The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.