Written questions by Paffey.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential risks posed by vehicles parking facing oncoming traffic.

Rule 248 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space. The Department has made no such assessment and does not plan to extend this requirement to daylight hours as there is no corresponding advantage during daylight hours when parked vehicles can be seen more easily whether or not they are parked against the traffic flow. Moreover, this would increase the number of awkward and often dangerous manoeuvres, such as U-turns, which might be required to find a legal parking place.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of HGV testing capacity provided by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in Southampton; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of examiner shortages on (a) vocational test volumes, (b) driver recruitment pipelines and (c) supply chain resilience in major port cities; and what steps she is taking to increase HGV testing capacity in those areas.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to ensuring there are sufficient vocational driving tests to meet demand from the HGV and PSV training sector across the country, including in major port cities. In 2024/25, the national average waiting time for a vocational practical test was 4.9 weeks. Whilst DVSA is continuing to deploy examiner resource to vocational testing, it needs to ensure this is done in a way which balances all of the demands on DVSA’s examiner resource. DVSA business account managers are working closely with training providers to understand when and where large goods vehicle tests are required and if there is likely to be any peaks in demand. There are several vocational test sites that serve customers in Southampton, and currently there are not any known delays in test availability for these sites. The vocational testing waiting time in the DVSA regional zone in which Southampton is situated, is currently 2.6 weeks. The national average, as of 9 February, is 3.9 weeks.

When the New Road Safety Strategy will be published.

On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to improve road design, protect vulnerable road users, and review motoring offences. All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board chaired by the Minister for Local Transport.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the (a) use of postal communication and (b) lack of digital alternatives at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on service users.

The large majority of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s services are available digitally.To reduce the use of postal communications, the DVLA has introduced digital reminders alongside existing options for both vehicle excise duty and driver licensing through its Driver and Vehicle Account. The DVLA has future plans to provide further secure communications through the account. These will be introduced following customer insight testing to ensure that they meet customer needs and are fully effective.

What her planned timetable is for announcing further details on the regulation of private electric scooters, as indicated in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.

The Government is committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows. We understand the importance of providing a clear legislative timeline and my Department is working with colleagues across government to secure this.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of autonomous rail rapid transit for (a) Southampton, (b) the Solent region and (c) in general.

Government recognises the valuable role that mass transit networks can play as part of a truly integrated transport system, in the right circumstances, in our cities. It is for Local Transport Authorities to bring forward mass transit plans, as they are best placed to identify possible opportunities and the potential benefits of such schemes. The Department encourages authorities to take a mode neutral approach to mass transit schemes, and to develop proportionate solutions to local transport issues. it is important that local authorities consider affordability and projected demand alongside other cheaper fixed route options, such as bus rapid transit. The Government is providing Southampton City Council with £15.56 million of capital funding from 2025/26 to 2029/30, and £890,000 of resource funding from 2026/27 to 2028/29 from the Local Transport Grant (LTG), which could be used to further develop their mass transit plans.

What options her Department is considering to reduce fatalities involving young drivers through the Road Safety Strategy; and when that strategy will be published.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. More details will be set out in due course. We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign. We are considering measures to address this and protect young drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety - the first in over a decade.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that wheelchair users have reliable access to priority spaces on buses.

The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) require buses and coaches designed to carry over twenty-two passengers and used on local and scheduled services to incorporate features to support disabled people to travel safely and in reasonable comfort. This includes provision of a wheelchair space and lift or ramp suitable for a passenger using a standard “reference wheelchair”. We know that wheelchair users are sometimes unable to board a bus because the statutory wheelchair space is already occupied, and we welcome efforts by operators to relieve pressure on it, including through dedicated announcements and signage, the provision of taxi guarantee schemes, and by incorporating a second wheelchair space into vehicle designs. We want disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity, and the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill includes a comprehensive package of measures aiming to improve local bus network accessibility and safety.