Written questions by Thomas.

What steps she is taking to help tackle the variation between national and local standards for (a) preventing and (b) repairing potholes.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. National Highways are responsible for the maintenance of Strategic Road Network in England. The Government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve both motorways and local roads across the country. This funding increase will allow National Highways and local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network, delivering faster, safer and more reliable journeys. That is on top of the record investment of almost £1.6 billion for local road maintenance that we have made this year, a £500m increase compared to 2024-25. 25% of this funding uplift will be held back until local authorities can prove that they are meeting certain criteria to ensure that best practice in sustainable highways asset management is followed.

What recent steps her Department has taken to support disabled people using public transport.

The government is committed to improving public transport services so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive.On 1 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 audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We know that the experience for disabled people when traveling on rail too often falls short of what is expected and what passengers deserve. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of Great British Rail.

What discussions she has had with local authorities on the variances in the eligibility criteria for disabled bus passes.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The disabled eligibility criteria are set out in section 146 of the Transport Act 2000. To support local authorities, the Department maintains guidance on assessing the eligibility of disabled applicants, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-forlocal-authorities-on-eligibility-for-disabled-people. However, local authorities are responsible for administering disabled concessionary bus passes and the Department plays no role in the assessment of applications.