Written questions by Campbell.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 44913 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister on the reasons for the difference in the rate of public electric vehicle charging devices per 100,000 of population between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

My officials regularly engage with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on zero emission vehicle initiatives, including charging infrastructure development. Minister Lightwood met the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure in April during the British-Irish Council meeting to discuss the electric vehicle transition. We will continue to work, where appropriate, with the Devolved Governments to improve transport outcomes for all people of the UK. While transport is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. Through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the EV charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.

If she will have discussions with car manufacturer representatives on the advisability of continuing with the installation of Euro New Cap Assessment Programme systems on all new vehicles.

The Department for Transport has regular discussions with representatives from the automotive industry to help guide future policy. The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is an independent charity, of which the Department is one of many members. It provides information to consumers on the relative safety of a range of new vehicles, including cars, so that they can factor safety into their vehicle buying decisions. Not all new vehicles are rated, but the process incentivises manufacturers to develop increasingly safer vehicles through better design and the use of new technology. It imposes no mandatory requirements, and it is a commercial decision for the vehicle manufacturers to determine which safety systems they choose to fit.

Whether she plans to publish a consultation on draft measures to support young and novice drivers before the summer recess.

We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this for young people and novice drivers. Further details will be provided in due course.

When the new Road Safety Strategy will be announced.

Improving road safety is one of my key priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why we are developing our Road Safety Strategy. At the Transport Select Committee in April 2025, the Secretary of State set out that we hope to publish the Strategy later this year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37986 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will hold discussions with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on taking steps to increase the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging points.

The Secretary of State met with the Minister for the Economy, on 6 May to discuss decarbonising road transport. Minister Lightwood also met the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure in April during the British-Irish Council meeting to discuss the EV transition. Additionally, my officials regularly engage with the Department for Infrastructure on zero emission vehicle initiatives, including charging infrastructure development. While transport is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. Through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the EV charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.

If she will meet with representatives of Heathrow Airport to discuss the potential inclusion of Heathrow Logistics Hubs as part of its expansion plans.

The government supports airport expansion and has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow and expects proposals to be brought forward by the summer. The specific details of the proposals for a third runway are a matter for the promoters to consider but government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43027 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, how many public charging devices for electric vehicles there were per head of population in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland as of 1 January 2025.

The below table shows public electric vehicle charging devices per 100,000 of the population in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as of 1 January 2025. EnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandPublic electric vehicle charging devices per 100,000 of population111.0112.799.935.6 Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.

What steps she plans to take to reduce the number of car accidents among (a) recently-qualified and (b) young drivers.

We recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads. As work progresses on the new road safety strategy, we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers. My Department’s THINK! campaign aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales, and is primarily focused on men aged 17-24. THINK! plays an important role in raising awareness of risky driving behaviours amongst young people. This has recently included campaigns on drink-driving and speeding on rural roads.

Whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of regional disparities in the number of public charging devices for electric vehicles by population.

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. Chargepoint availability is increasing everywhere with public charging device numbers increasing by 45% in rural areas of England in 2024.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the maritime decarbonisation plan on the UK economy by 2029.

We will shortly set out our next steps for reducing shipping emissions in a forthcoming maritime decarbonisation plan, which will include a package of policy and regulatory measures. Maritime has a key role to play in supporting the Governments missions, including to Kickstart Economic Growth, and our plans will ensure that we seize the green growth opportunity of maritime decarbonisation, whilst limiting any impacts to business. We will publish an impact assessment and consult the industry on individual measures, and economic impacts will form part of these assessments.

If she will make an assessment of the number of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging points per hundred thousand people in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland on 1 December 2024.

The number of publicly available electric vehicle charging devices per 100,000 population by country of the UK is published as part of the department’s quarterly electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics. These statistics are published quarterly so an equivalent summary as of 1 December 2024 is not available. Data as of 1 January 2025 is given in the table below: CountryCharging devices per 100,000 populationEngland111.0Wales99.9Scotland112.7Northern Ireland35.6

What steps she is taking to help reduce road (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries among young people.

The Government treats road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course. Road safety is devolved to Northern Ireland (as well as to Wales and Scotland).

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 36365 on HM Coastguard: North West, if she will take steps to distribute copies of the (a) assessments and (b) consequent service level changes to relevant stakeholders.

HM Coastguard would not normally share any documentation relating to operational decisions pertaining to the capability and capacity of Coastal Response Teams. HM Coastguard does however proactively engage with all relevant local partners when there is a change to Coastal Response Teams operational skillset. HM Coastguard remains available to re-engage with any stakeholder that has a concern relative to Coastal Response Team operations. Further, HM Coastguard has never entered into a service level agreement with City of Derry airport, for the provision of mud rescue capability. An internal review of HM Coastguard Mud Rescue capability concluded that the changes would not impact on the statutory role of search and rescue. This includes the mobilisation, organisation and tasking of adequate resources to respond to persons in distress in the air, at sea, in tidal waters or at risk of injury or death on the sea cliffs and shoreline of the UK.

Whether she made an assessment of the potential impact of relocating HM Coastguard's mud rescue capability from Coleraine to Bangor on the (a) North Coast and (b) North West.

An operational assessment of the impact of relocating HM Coastguard’s mud rescue capability from Coleraine, including the impact on the (a) North Coast and (b) North-West was undertaken both at Area and Divisional level.

What services the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will have available at Post Offices between 2027 and 2029.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s current contract with Post Office Ltd expires on 31 March 2026, with an option to extend until 31 March 2027.  The DVLA is preparing to launch a procurement for a new contract for the service currently provided by Post Office. This contract which will begin when the current contract expires.  The requirements for this contract are currently being developed and the winning supplier will be determined in compliance with UK public procurement regulations.

What large transport infrastructure projects outside the South East she is considering.

Future funding for capital investment in transport will be determined as part of the spending review. This will be underpinned by a range of analysis, to ensure that the right investments are made in the right places. The Government remains committed to improving transport infrastructure across all parts of the United Kingdom, ensuring that benefits are felt at both a regional and national level. While transport is largely devolved to Northern Ireland, the Department for Transport is taking steps to improve links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by funding Transport Scotland’s A75 feasibility study to explore options to bypass Springholm and Crocketford, supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes, and through investment in green shipping corridors through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. The government is also subsidising flights between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport through a Public Service Obligation.

When she plans to publish the next National Road Traffic Projections.

The National Road Traffic Projections were last published in December 2022. The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16707 on Electric Vehicles, what assessment she has made of whether there will be sufficient charging points for the number of electric vehicles that are estimated to be on the road by 2027.

As of 1 January, there are over 73,000 public charging devices installed throughout the UK. In the past year, nearly 20,000 charging devices were added, making it a record-breaking year. This progress was recognised in a report published by the National Audit Office on 13th December 2024 which outlined that chargepoint roll out in the UK is on track to meet forecast demand out to 2030. The fast pace of rollout is set to continue, with the Government’s £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund alone delivering over 100,000 public chargepoints across England over the next few years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 14917 on Driving Licences: Northern Ireland, when she plans to announce the other measures.

Further measures to support young and novice drivers are being considered. More information will be set out in due course.

If she will hold discussions with train operating companies on the adequacy of rail fare structures for passengers.

While it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway. Through legislation, we will set out the role GBR will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the railway. Fares and ticketing will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until Great British Railways is established.