Written questions by Norris.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of workforce training capacity to support the transition to electric vehicles.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she collects data on local highways authority spending on highways maintenance additional to funding provided by central government.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own highways maintenance budgets, drawing on a combination of Department for Transport capital funding and their wider local resources. To support greater transparency, the Department introduced a requirement last year for all local highway authorities to publish annual highways maintenance transparency reports. These set out how each authority plans to spend its Department for Transport highways maintenance allocation, alongside its total planned highways maintenance expenditure from all funding sources. This provides clearer visibility of the extent to which authorities invest above their DfT allocation. In addition, the Department introduced a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. As part of the spend scorecard within this rating system, authorities that reported plans to spend 100% of their Departmental allocation received an amber rating. The vast majority of authorities reported plans to invest at least 30% of additional capital from other funding sources to maintain their highway networks, and 113 authorities therefore received a green spend scorecard.

How many Mobility as a Service (MaaS) apps are in development using public funding; and which locations they cover.

The Department is aware of several ‘Mobility as a Service’ apps at various stages of development and implementation across the country through regular engagement with local authorities. However, we do not maintain a comprehensive list of these. The geographic scope and funding models of such apps are a matter for local authorities.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure Bath and North East Somerset council, rated red, for the local highway authority’s road condition ratings, improves its performance.

The Department published a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January which rates authorities red, amber or green based on: the condition of their roads; how effectively they spend their record Government funding; and, whether they do so using best practice. This system allows the Government to target support to those who need extra help; red-rated authorities will receive dedicated support to bring them in line with best practice, expert planning and capability assistance.Bath and North East Somerset Council received an overall amber rating. Its three scorecards show red for condition, green for spend, and amber for wider best practice.The Government recognises that historic underinvestment has made it difficult for authorities to maintain their roads in the way that they would want to. The Government has therefore confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new, four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and shift from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance.Local authorities can further improve their ratings by adopting new innovative approaches trialled through the government's £30 million Live Labs 2 programme. This has been extended by a year to help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials that reduce costs, emissions and disruption while keeping roads in better condition for longer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the resilience of rail networks during periods of extreme winter weather.

Department officials hold regular discussions with Network Rail and the industry to ensure severe weather preparedness plans are in place with clear mitigations to reduce the impacts of weather on the rail network. The industry’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year.Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather. Network Rail uses detailed forecasts from weather experts, MetDesk, to formulate local action plans during adverse weather to minimise disruption to journeys. These forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails, and overhead power lines.A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time. In extreme weather conditions, Network Rail and train operators prioritise getting passengers home safely over running the normal timetable. They also prioritise vital rail freight to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country.

When the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency last reviewed the driving test questions relating to (a) horse riders (b) cyclists and (c) motorcyclists.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regularly reviews the driving theory test questions to ensure they remain clear, relevant and effective in assessing candidates’ road safety knowledge and understanding. This includes the questions about how to drive safely to protect vulnerable road users such as horse riders, cyclists and motorcyclists. In addition, the CGI video hazard perception part of the driving theory test includes hazards involving horse riders, cyclists and motorcyclists. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to identify developing hazards in good time. Every theory test candidate is exposed to both questions and hazard clips on these topics.

What progress Network Rail has made in carrying out rail infrastructure safety assessments required by the Office of Rail and Road.

The department looks to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the independent rail safety regulator, to ensure that Network Rail is held to account for safety-related matters. ORR has assessed Network Rail’s progress in carrying out structural assessments and is assured that it is on target to complete most of the first phase by the deadline agreed with ORR. A small number of these assessments are not expected to be completed by the deadline and will be monitored on a case-by-case basis.

If her Department will publish a strategy for new rolling stock to be procured by passenger train operators contracted by her Department.

The Government has begun work to develop a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, the first for more than three decades and we expect to publish it next year. The strategy will place the needs of passengers at its heart and will pursue modern standards of carbon-friendly traction, passenger comfort and accessibility.

What progress she is making on supporting people that want to use electric vehicles.

The Government is investing over £4.5 billion to help industry and consumers transition to zero emission vehicles. The £650 million Electric Car Grant has supported around 30,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle since its launch in July. As of 1 October 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,021 publicly available charging devices (including 17,354 rapid charging devices), an increase of 23% year on year. In September 2025, battery electric vehicles represented over a fifth (23.0%) of new UK car registrations, and the UK now has the largest market share for electric cars of any major European economy.

What steps she is taking to promote (a) walking, (b) wheeling and (c) cycling in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The Spending Review in June 2025, which covers multiple years from 2026/27 onwards, allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure including dedicated cycling routes. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over 2024/25-25/26. Active Travel funding supports local transport authorities with developing and constructing walking, wheeling and cycling facilities, as well as supporting behaviour change activities and capability building measures. The West of England Combined Authority, of which North-east Somerset and Hanham constituency is part, has been allocated £3,481,065 from the Consolidated Active Travel Fund 2025-26.

What the average waiting time was for a driving test at Bristol Kingswood centre on 1 June 2025.

The average waiting time in weeks for a car practical driving test at Bristol Kingswood driving test centre, for June 2025, was 21.6 weeks.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for driving tests at the Bristol (Kingswood) 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.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 waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK. On 15 July, DVSA launched a new recruitment campaign for the Bristol area. DVSA is looking to recruit two additional driving examiners (DE) at Kingwood, up to 10 additional DEs in Avonmouth and two additional DEs in Weston-Super-Mare. Further vacancies in other sites in the surrounding area such as Taunton and Chippenham, will also be advertised in DVSA’s following recruitment campaigns shortly.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the report by the Urban Mobility Partnership entitled Community Bus Partnerships: A proposition to deliver improved local bus services, published on 20 May 2025.

The government’s reforms to bus services are designed to empower local authorities to improve services to better meet the needs of their communities. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill last year, which will increase the powers available to local leaders to choose the bus services model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, strengthened Enhanced Partnerships with private operators or setting up new local authority bus companies. In parallel, the government is reviewing Enhanced Partnerships, looking at where it can strengthen these to help local areas deliver better services for passengers.

What steps her Department is taking to support access to public transport for care leavers.

This government recognises the importance of supporting care leavers and is keeping public transport accessible and affordable for them with the £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London and investment of over £1 billion to improve bus service reliability and frequency. Care leavers can also access the 16-25 Railcard, which provides 1/3 off the cost of rail travel for young passengers. We continue to support Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities who use their local transport funding, including the Local Authority Bus Grant, to provide targeted support for care leavers, such as through offering discounted fares.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a land use framework.

Yes, I can reassure My Honourable Friend that our departments are working closely together to deliver on this manifesto commitment. You will notice that the recently published consultation on the principles for a land use framework specifically reference transport issues and include questions about its role. This is because both departments recognise:- that different spatial choices will impact trip generation and travel patterns;- that transport data – such as our emerging national measure of connectivity – are key to guide decisions about land; and- that vision-led approaches can help better coordinate land use and transport issues.I can reassure My Honourable Friend that we will continue to work closely with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on land use questions; firstly, to respond to the representations received through the consultation and then to ensure that transport issues and fully considered in the future development of the Land Use Framework.

What steps she is taking to create (a) cycling and (b) walking routes (i) to and (ii) through green spaces.

Active Travel England (ATE) recently announced £222.5 million of funding for local authorities to support the development and build out of local networks. It is for local authorities to decide on priorities for this investment, including to and through green spaces. In addition, ATE is providing £30 million to Sustrans to develop the National Cycle Network in both rural and urban areas. This is on top of £100,000 previously awarded to each National Park Authority in England to develop active travel network plans. These are also designed to improve access to green space for residents and visitors alike.

How many enforcement visits NSL Services Ltd made in (a) Bath and North East Somerset, (b) South Gloucestershire and (c) England in (i) September, (ii) October, (iii) November and (iv) December 2024.

The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. A scan of both the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency’s and the NSL Services Ltd databases would be required. Subsequent manual scrutiny and organisation of the data would be necessary to obtain the information requested.

How many reports of untaxed vehicles the DVLA have sent to NSL Services Ltd in (a) Bath and North East Somerset, (b) South Gloucestershire and (c) England.

The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. A scan of both the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency’s and the NSL Services Ltd databases would be required. Subsequent manual scrutiny and organisation of the data would be necessary to obtain the information requested.

How many Great Western Railway trains were cancelled due to lack of drivers in December 2024.

Great Western Railway cancelled just under two per cent of total services in December due to driver related issues, particularly on Sundays. We acknowledge that performance is not where it needs to be on Great Western Railway and the Department is working closely with the Operator to improve performance and ensure greater resilience going forward.

If she will make an assessment of which initiatives in Bus Service Improvement Plans create the highest levels of modal shift.

It is too early in the lifetime of the Bus Service Improvement Plans programme to fully understand which initiatives have had the most impact. The Department for Transport has commissioned an evaluation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan Programme, a £1.1 billion tranche of funding that has been allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) across England. The work will answer questions around how effectively the plans were delivered, the scheme's impact on bus usage, and its value for money. It will also include an assessment of the scheme’s impact on increasing passenger numbers.