Written questions by Mathew.

Whether her department monitors the discharge of highway runoff entering rivers along the network.

National Highways carries out targeted monitoring at key locations on the strategic road network and is working with the Environment Agency to develop a further monitoring strategy. National Highways also has its 2030 Water Quality Plan setting out what it is doing to tackle potential pollution to the water environment from its highest risk outfalls and soakaways. Water runoff from local roads is a matter for local highway authorities.

How many driving tests have been booked in Wiltshire in 2025.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical driving test in Wiltshire were in the last 10 years, by driving test centre.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What information her Department holds on the number of approved driving instructors there are in Wiltshire.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What steps she is taking to improve rail services in rural areas of the South West.

This government is committed to improving rural rail services in the South-West, and public ownership and the creation of Great British Railways will help to deliver this. We are striving to enhance connectivity and increase service frequency across underserved communities to the benefit of passengers provided it is affordable for the UK taxpayer. Wiltshire local authority is receiving £18.6 million of capital Local Transport Grant and over £1.3million in revenue funding from the Local Transport Grant over this Spending Review period which will help to improve transport in their local area.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of car use on (a) congestion and (b) road noise.

The Department periodically publishes the national road traffic projections. The most recent being the National Road Traffic Projections 2022. This includes a measure of congestion expressed as lost time per mile, per vehicle in seconds. This is split by vehicle type, road type and region. While no specific assessment on levels of car use and road noise has been undertaken, the Government’s methods for the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN), however, provides a standardised approach to calculate noise impacts from existing or proposed road networks to assess and manage the noise impacts on nearby communities.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of minimum service standards for cross county bus services.

Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) already often work closely together when tendering routes that cross shared boundaries and in delivering their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP). There are also requirements set out in the Transport Act 2000 for LTAs to take account of the effect of an Enhanced Partnership on neighbouring areas and for bus policies on bus services in neighbouring LTA areas to be considered when developing their franchising arrangements. The government has updated its bus franchising guidance to LTAs to make clear that they should consider cross-boundary services during any franchising assessment process, including in the commercial case where they should set out how they intend to facilitate cross-boundary services to deliver relevant BSIP outcomes and targets in both authorities’ areas. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December which 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, including services that cross local authority boundaries. The Bill would give franchising authorities greater scope to grant service permits to operators wishing to provide non-franchised services which enter a franchising area from another area. Franchising authorities will be able to take account of these proposed cross-boundary services’ benefits in all the areas where the service would run, not just the franchising area as before. This will enable franchising authorities to better harness the additionality the market can provide in delivering these important services and take a more holistic approach to cross-boundary bus provision.

What steps she is taking to encourage active travel in rural areas.

We have recently announced £222.5 million to local authorities outside London for the delivery of active travel schemes and £30 million for upgrading the National Cycle Network. Much of this investment will go to rural areas. Active Travel England (ATE) also provides training for local authority staff to enable delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development. Additionally, ATE has worked with the ten National Parks in England to help them develop better links to rural towns and villages. ATE is developing specific guidance for good practice application in rural areas and expects to publish this shortly.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the classifications of (a) mobility scooters and (b) powered wheelchairs on people with mobility aids outside those classifications.

The Department is committed to delivering a transport network which puts passengers and their needs at its heart. We want to see disabled passengers able to make the journeys they want and need – doing this easily, confidently, with dignity and without extra cost. We recognise the need for modern regulation that is designed with, and meets the needs of disabled people, and will continue to work closely with a range of stakeholders to help us develop this work.

What steps she is taking with local authorities to provide sustainable road surfacing.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. Decisions on road surfacing materials used in highway maintenance activities are a matter for each local authority based on local needs and priorities. The Department encourages and supports innovation and best practice in road surface repairs in various ways. It has started the task of updating the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure, which will include new advice on matters such as surface treatments. The Department is also providing £30 million to the ADEPT ‘Live Labs’ research programme, enabling local authority-led consortia to trial innovative low-carbon ways of looking after their networks. One of the projects within the Live Labs programme is enabling novel resurfacing materials to be tested and evaluated through the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact unrepaired potholes on (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. The Department’s highway maintenance funding is to enable local highway authorities to look after all parts of their highway networks, including cycle lanes and footways. It is up to individual local highway authorities to assess the impacts of their highway maintenance programmes on all road users, and to satisfy themselves that they are complying with their responsibilities under the Highways Act 1980. Local highway authorities should consider the needs of all road users, especially vulnerable groups such as cyclists and pedestrians, when planning their highway maintenance programmes. Potholes, and poorly maintained pavements, have particular impacts on cyclists and pedestrians. The consequences of hitting a pothole can be far worse for a cyclist than for a driver, for example, and poorly maintained pavements can result in trips and falls as well as putting some people off walking altogether.

What steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure the reliability of bus services.

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. Bill measures aim to enable public access to a new database of information about local services. This will help ensure transparency in LTA and operator service delivery. 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 reliability. Wiltshire Council have been allocated over £6.7 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services across the area, including Melksham and Devizes.

What steps her Department is taking to prevent reduction in access to ticket offices on the Great Western Railway network.

Officials regularly discuss ticket offices with Great Western Railway, including those in Wiltshire, on behalf of the Secretary of State. Any changes to ticket offices in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement must be made following the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement process and Secretary of State guidance.

What steps her Department plans to take to reduce the backlog of drivers waiting for a driving test.

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. On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.

What progress she has made on her Department's Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome, updated on 21 November 2024.

The consultation responses did not provide sufficient evidence to move away from a position of local authority choice to one in which allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes is the default.The government response included a commitment to update Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/24: Motorcyclists using bus lanes. No timetable has been set for publication. The Department will also consider how best to work with combined authorities and Transport for London, to encourage a more joined up approach to motorcycle access in these areas, through discussions around the Government’s devolution agenda.

What steps her Department is taking to improve bus transport for people with hidden disabilities.

The Government is committed to improving bus services right across the country, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity, including people with hidden disabilities. On 1st October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide accessible audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026. On 17th December, the government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures to make the design of bus and coach stations and stops safer and more accessible, and sets requirements for training for staff on disability-assistance and disability awareness to ensure bus drivers and staff dealing directly with the travelling public are better informed of the rights and needs of disabled passengers.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the reliability of train services (a) in Wiltshire and (b) from Melksham station.

We are working closely with all operators to improve performance as it is the key focus for the Secretary of State. The Department is also working with Great Western Railway to provide a more robust service for Wiltshire and Melksham through improved rolling stock reliability and train crew availability. Performance in the last couple of periods has improved since carrying out significant improvement works around Westbury and driver related cancellations on Sundays have also reduced.

If she will have discussions with Network Rail on the potential merits of a Devizes Parkway railway station.

Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will conclude in June 2025.

What estimate she has made of the cost of the proposed local Thames Crossing funded as a private finance initiative.

Officials and National Highways are exploring all funding options for the Lower Thames Crossing, including private finance. As with all capital projects, spending decisions will be subject to the upcoming spending review. The assured cost estimate in line with the 2023 baseline for publicly funding the project is £8.95bn, but it is important to recognise that there is a normal level of uncertainty at this early stage of the development of a project of the size and complexity of the Lower Thames Crossing.