Written questions by Morello.

How many fast charging points for electric vehicles are operational in West Dorset constituency.

Data on the number of public electric vehicle charging devices in the West Dorset constituency, provided by the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap as of 1 January 2025, are given in the table below, categorised by standard speed groupings. Higher power devices can deliver charging at quicker speeds. 3kW up to 8kW8kW to 49kW50kW to 149kW150kW and aboveWest Dorset constituency3047282Data on charging devices not available to the public installed under government grants are not available at parliamentary constituency level and so are excluded from this table.

What plans she has to increase the number of fast charging points for electric vehicles in West Dorset constituency over the next five years.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. The Government and industry have supported the installation of 75,305 publicly available charging devices, including 15,082 rapid charging devices. There are currently over 5,250 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargers within one mile of the strategic road network. As of 1 January 2025, there were 107 public charging devices in West Dorset, including 30 rapid or ultra-rapid devices. Dorset Council, which includes West Dorset constituency, were allocated almost £3 million of capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. The £381 million LEVI Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. The funding, backed by private investment, will support the installation of at least 100,000 on-street chargepoints across England.

Whether her Department has set a timetable for future meetings of the Motor Insurance Taskforce.

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce was launched in October. It is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.The taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will look at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities. The Department will provide updates on the motor insurance taskforce’s work and announce a date for the next meeting in due course.

What steps the Motor Insurance Taskforce is taking to help reduce the cost of motor insurance.

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce was launched in October. It is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.The taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will look at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities. The Department will provide updates on the motor insurance taskforce’s work and announce a date for the next meeting in due course.

What steps she is taking to support local authorities in west Dorset to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. The Government and industry have supported the installation of 75,305 publicly available charging devices, including 15,082 rapid charging devices. There are currently over 5,250 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargers within one mile of the strategic road network. As of 1 January 2025, there were 107 public charging devices in West Dorset, including 30 rapid or ultra-rapid devices. Dorset Council, which includes West Dorset constituency, were allocated almost £3 million of capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. The £381 million LEVI Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. The funding, backed by private investment, will support the installation of at least 100,000 on-street chargepoints across England.

When her Department plans to publish an update on the work of the Motor Insurance Taskforce.

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce was launched in October. It is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.The taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will look at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities. The Department will provide updates on the motor insurance taskforce’s work and announce a date for the next meeting in due course.

What criteria her Department uses to determine the level of prioritisation of road improvement schemes.

The Department has responsibility for prioritisation of investment in enhancement on the strategic road network and considers a balance of funding, economic, and strategic factors. These are principally considered through a proposed scheme’s value for money assessment, affordability, deliverability, and alignment to wider government objectives and plans. Prioritisation decisions for local roads are a matter for the relevant local highway authority.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that road infrastructure works on the A35 Sea Road South are not indefinitely delayed due to funding constraints.

Improvements across the strategic road network are evidence led, and National Highways will continue to use a prioritisation matrix to ensure that schemes are progressed in line with the associated need across the network. As such the proposed safety improvements running between Charmouth and Yellowham, inclusive of Sea Road South, have been allocated funding for 2025/26.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for the A35 Sea Road South scheme in 2025-26.

National Highways has entered an interim settlement year to allow time for ministers to pause and consider Strategic Road Network priorities and capital spend. It has received an allocation of Customer and Communities funding for this interim settlement and prioritised schemes nationally against this allocation. While the A35 Sea Road South scheme did not score highly enough within the prioritisation process to receive this funding, money has been allocated to a scheme which addresses road safety on this route.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) condition and (b) traffic capacity of the A35 Sea Road South.

This Government recognises that maintaining the condition of the country’s roads is essential to ensure people can travel safely and effectively. The condition of the A35 is regularly inspected and any identified maintenance defects are addressed accordingly in line with their severity. Traffic capacity and congestion along the route is monitored regionally by National Highways and fed into a prioritisation process as appropriate.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the level of funding allocated to the A35 Sea Road South scheme on (a) road safety and (b) local transport infrastructure in West Dorset constituency.

The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The A35 Sea Road South improvement scheme is assessed, like any other Customer and Communities designated funds scheme. National Highways have developed a safety study running throughout Dorset. Working with partners such as the police they have assessed the safety need along the route and allocated funding in 2025/26 to a scheme to make the route safer and more intuitive for road users.

What progress she has made on the feasibility study for installing lifts at Dorchester South station under the Access for All programme; and what her planned timetable is for the completion of those lifts.

Network Rail are expected to complete the feasibility study for Dorchester South by late spring 2025. Once all 50 studies within the Access for All programme have been completed, expected by summer 2025, Network Rail will be able to confirm a delivery schedule. Stations selected for delivery are due to be completed by 2029.

Whether she plans to (a) install lifts, (b) reopen the subway and (c) implement other measures to enhance accessibility at Dorchester South station.

Stations in the Access for All programme including Dorchester South railway station follow the normal Network Rail project lifecycle, including option selection and detailed design, which once complete will inform which measures are installed to improve accessibility at the station.

What steps the Government is taking with international partners to align (a) sustainability standards and (b) certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040. We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness. The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.

What steps her Department is taking to accelerate the (a) production and (b) commercial viability of sustainable aviation fuel usage in the UK.

Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040. We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness. The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle supply chain issues limiting the production of sustainable aviation fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040. We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness. The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using sustainable aviation fuel to reduce the aviation sector’s carbon emissions.

Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040. We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness. The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) maintenance of rural roads.

This Government takes the accessibility and condition of both rural and urban roads very seriously and is determined to help local authorities tackle the maintenance backlog that results from years of underinvestment by the previous Government. The Government has announced a highway maintenance funding uplift of £500 million for the 2025/26 financial year to help local authorities in rural and urban areas to carry out their highway maintenance responsibilities. Dorset County Council is set to receive over £25 million, an increase of over 35% from the current financial year. It is up to each authority to decide how much of this it spends on its rural roads, based on local needs and priorities.The Department also provides Integrated Transport Block funding to local authorities to allow them to carry out accessibility and other improvements to roads in rural and urban areas and hopes to confirm 2025/26 allocations shortly. Active Travel England has also recently announced active travel funding allocations to authorities for 2024/25 and 2025/26 which will allow them to improve the accessibility of footways in both rural and urban areas, and Dorset will receive around £1 million of this funding.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of car insurance costs on the ability of young people to access employment.

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. The taskforce has been set up to support the Government’s missions to grow the economy and break down the barriers to opportunity for drivers of all ages, by acting on the cost pressures facing industry. We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.

What discussions she has had with the motor insurance sector on trends in the level of insurance prices for first-time drivers.

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. The taskforce has been set up to support the Government’s missions to grow the economy and break down the barriers to opportunity for drivers of all ages, by acting on the cost pressures facing industry. We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.