Written questions by Denyer.

How will the Freedom from Violence and Abuse strategy action plan's commitment to launch mandatory training for staff in the bus industry on how to recognise and respond to VAWG incidents be informed by the experience of women and girls.

The government wants everyone to feel and be safe when travelling. The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police, the transport industry and local authorities to help tackle violence against women in girls (VAWG) on transport. We are actively engaging with a broad range of relevant stakeholders in preparation for the launch of the mandatory training including, charities, transport user representative bodies, academics, other government departments, and bus operators, to ensure that women and girls’ experiences are at the centre of its development.

If she will take steps to provide support to public sector workers to access electric vehicles.

It is for individual public sector employers to manage compensation and benefits for employees. The Government is supporting the uptake of electric vehicles through schemes such as salary sacrifice, and the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, which has supported over 50,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle since July 2025.

What plans her Department has to (a) review and (b) update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.

At present there are no plans to review or update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847. Whilst the Department for Transport continues to ensure that the UK’s maritime legislation is fit for purpose, there has been no pressing need identified to warrant parliamentary time to review this Act.

What assessment she has made of (a) the availability of global supply of the feedstocks used for sustainable aviation fuel and (b) the amounts of that feedstock the Government has identified as being needed for decarbonisation of (i) road transport and (ii) aviation.

As of the 1st of January 2025, a market for low carbon fuels for use in aviation and road transport has been supported under two separate schemes: the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). Targets under both the SAF Mandate and RTFO are set considering global availability of feedstocks and competing demands between transport modes and across sectors of the economy. Any proposals to introduce or change future targets under the RTFO or SAF mandate scheme design will always consider these competing demands. Accordingly, the Department published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF Mandate, alongside the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) Order 2024 SI No.1187 which introduced the scheme. The Cost Benefit Analysis set out our assessment of the availability of sustainable feedstocks and considered potential feedstock and production constraints. The Department is confident that the SAF Mandate targets have struck the right balance between ambition and deliverability.

What estimate (a) her Department and (b) HS2 Limited have made of the cost of construction of HS2 in each of the last five years.

Construction of HS2 Phase One started following notice to proceed in April 2020. Since October 2020, the cost to date of delivering HS2 is set out in the 6 monthly Parliamentary Report. Capital expenditure on Phase One is reported in the HS2 Ltd Annual Report and Accounts – expenditure for each of the last 5 years is summarised in the table below: YearCapital Expenditure on HS2 Phase One2020/21£3.1 billion2021/22£4.8 billion2022/23£6.6 billion2023/24£7.2 billion2024/25£6.8 billionThe Spending Review settlement has also provided £25.3 billion to progress delivery of HS2 from the West Midlands to London Euston covering financial years 2026-2027 to 2029-2030. The programme is currently undergoing a fundamental reset under the leadership of CEO of HS2 Ltd, Mark Wild. As part of this reset, a revised cost estimate will be agreed and reported to Parliament in due course.

What her planned timetable is for publishing finalised City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements 2.

Funding in future years is being considered as part of the current Spending Review, the outcome of which will be confirmed in due course.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the availability of (a) suitably skilled contractors and (b) materials to allow local authorities to meet the 31 March 2027 deadline for investing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.

The Government recognises that investment in transport infrastructure is of critical importance to unlocking national growth and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) programme has a key role to play in continuing to transform local transport across the country. DfT is working closely with Local Authorities and other Government departments on understanding and mitigating any potential barriers to delivery, including supply chain or capacity constraints, as part of our ongoing Spending Review discussions.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of combining City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements CRSTS 1 and 2.

Discussions are underway between the department and MCAs, including West of England, on how the transition between CRSTS 1 and CRSTS 2 can be delivered. Some MCAs are also moving towards Integrated Settlements which will enable greater flexibility for planning and decision making at a local level.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17936 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will publish her assessment of the differences in the cost per kWh of public and home electric vehicle charging.

There are no current plans for the Department for Transport to publish an assessment of the differences in cost of public and home vehicle charging. A number of assessments are already publicly available such as this analysis by the RAC: Electric car public charging costs | RAC Charge Watch | RAC Drive

Pursuant to the Answer on 2 December 2024 to Question 15939 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, whether she is taking steps to analyse pricing data to compare the cost of using (a) public and (b) home electric vehicle charging points.

As set out in the Manifesto, the Government is committed to delivering an equitable transition to zero emission vehicles which works for all drivers. The Government regularly monitors the cost of public and home electric vehicle charging.

With reference to the Answer of 5 March 2024 to Question 17184 and pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2024 to Question 2507 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, whether she plans to respond to the Local Government Association's report entitled The Path to Inclusive Footways, published on 10 February 2024.

The Department agrees that the design and maintenance of footways has a major impact on how useable they are for different people, particularly disabled people. The report raises a number of important issues which the Department is considering carefully.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of clarifying rules on pavement parking in the proposed English Devolution Bill.

In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. We are considering the views received to inform the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy. The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking