Written questions by Stafford.

If her Department will respond to the correspondence of 27 March 2026 from the Leader of Surrey County Council regarding the A31 Farnham Corridor scheme.

A response will be issued as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a national strategy to discourage littering, particularly on roads and pavements.

Overall policy responsibility for litter sits with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has recently published an updated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Department for Transport supports local authorities and National Highways in tackling litter through a range of existing frameworks and initiatives, including activity focused on encouraging positive behaviour change and the effective use of enforcement powers.

What steps she is taking to ensure that measures in the Road Safety Strategy are applied effectively during winter.

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 policy commitments in the Road Safety Strategy will be developed in the usual way, ensuring that thorough consideration is given to all aspects of a policy. This will include consideration of each policy’s effectiveness throughout the year, including during the winter period.

What estimate the Government has made of the financial losses suffered by businesses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates to commit fuel theft or evade charges.

No assessment of potential financial losses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates has been made. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. The DVLA is part of the British Standard Institute (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The proposed amendments are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology is a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE).

Whether the Government plans to review the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to ensure it can effectively detect vehicles with obscured or altered number plates.

No assessment of potential financial losses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates has been made. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. The DVLA is part of the British Standard Institute (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The proposed amendments are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology is a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE).

How many private hire vehicles and drivers licensed by out-of-area authorities have been recorded as operating in (a) Hampshire and (b) Surrey in the most recent period for which data is available.

The Department for Transport does not hold this data.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of charging infrastructure for community transport operators using electric minibuses in rural areas.

The government recognises the vital role community transport plays in connecting people to places, facilitating independence and providing access to essential services, employment, education and leisure. The Government is driving forward the expansion of public charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, in urban or in rural areas, can confidently make the switch to an electric vehicle.As of 1st July 2025, there were 10,903 public EV charging devices in rural areas of England. The number of public charging devices in rural areas of England increased by 33% from July 2024 to July 2025.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of driver licensing for community transport operators; and if she will review access to (a) D1 and (b) Certificate of Professional Competence licences for (i) volunteer and (ii) community drivers.

The previous government published a Call for Evidence in 2022 on driver licensing. It sought views on whether changes to D1 licensing could be made in a positive way to help industry, including community transport operators, without detrimental impact on road safety. The results were published in 2023 and despite there being support for removing D1 driver licence testing to increase the pool of drivers, there was no evidence that road safety would not be compromised. There are circumstances when a driver may be able to drive a minibus with a category B (car) licence when stipulations are met and when driving under a Transport Act 1985 permit. Access to D1 licences requires additional testing for drivers who passed their car test after 1997. A Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is not required for volunteer or community drivers unless driving professionally for hire or reward. However, CPC training and testing are available to those who wish to enhance their skills or pursue professional driving roles.

Whether she has had recent discussions with South Western Rail on the role of open access rail operators in supporting (a) connectivity, (b) passenger choice and (c) service quality within the UK rail network.

There have been no such conversations with SWR regarding Open Access. Open Access Operators can improve connectivity and choice for passengers but can also increase costs to taxpayers and create additional performance pressures. We have been clear that Open Access must deliver value, not merely divert revenue from existing operators. Open Access applications are also subject to assessments on whether there is sufficient network capacity to accommodate them in a process overseen by the ORR, this is to ensure that new services don’t put too much pressure on the network and adversely affect passengers and freight operators.

What mechanisms her Department has to coordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple local authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways.

Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 local highway authorities have a duty to maintain the highways network in their area. DfT does not have legal mechanisms under the act to co-ordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways. Section 8 of the Act provides for agreements to be made between neighbouring local highways authorities.

If she will commission a review into the (a) management arrangements and (b) maintenance outcomes on non-trunk A roads that cross multiple local authority areas.

It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to maintain the highways network in their area, as per section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. However, the Government is determined to end the pothole plague on our roads, which is the result of a decade of under-investment by the previous Government. We have provided an extra £500 million for councils this year to allow them to make an immediate start on this. To qualify for their share of the £500m funding uplift, local highway authorities will have to publish a report in plain English on their websites by the end of June, detailing the condition of their local roads, how much they are spending on maintaining them, and how well they are adhering to best practice.

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) reports and (b) complaints there have been relating to (i) abandoned roadworks equipment and (ii) degraded signage on the (A) A3, (B) A31 and (C) A331 in each of the last three years.

Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day. The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information. The A3, A31 and A331 form part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/ National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3, A31 and A331 upon request.

What guidance her Department has provided to local highway authorities on the timely removal of (a) cones, (b) sandbags, (c) signage and (d) other abandoned roadworks equipment.

Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day. The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information.The A331 and the section of the A31 in this constituency are local roads managed by Surrey County Council and Hampshire County Council who may hold information relevant to this. The A3 forms part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/ National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3 upon request.

Whether she has had discussions with Hampshire County Council on pavement parking; and whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to support local authorities in tackling concerns related to pavement parking.

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with Hampshire County Council about pavement parking. The Department held a consultation in 2020 and has been considering the responses to the consultation and working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.

Whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Farnborough Airport on levels of pollution.

The monitoring of local air quality is the responsibility of the relevant local authority and noise controls should be set through the planning system. My officials regularly engage with a range stakeholders in the sector.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of expansions in clean air zones on levels of costs for road users.

The Government has no plans to expand any of the Clean Air Zones, and therefore no assessment has been made.

Whether she has had discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on unpaid compensation payments for (a) British Airways and (b) Norse Atlantic passengers.

The Department expects all airlines to ensure passengers receive the best possible service, including timely payment of compensation where it is due. The Department regularly engages with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a range of matters. As the independent regulator for aviation, the CAA is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers, including those relating to compensation.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines operating in UK airports to be members of the Civil Aviation Authority approved alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Air passenger rights remain a priority, and the Department will continue to consider opportunities to ensure passengers are provided with the highest level of protection possible.

With reference to her Department's reports entitled Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement - Phase 2 Final Report, published August 2021, and Work Order T0218 Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement – Phase 3 Parts A to C, published March 2024, what assessment she has made of noise camera trials in (a) controlled and (b) real-world conditions in (i) detecting and (ii) identifying excessively noisy vehicles.

The Department conducted controlled and real-world trials of noise camera technology between April 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024.Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to detect and identify excessively noisy vehicles, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which is likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances.

What plans she has to (a) bring forward legislative and (b) amend existing legislation to tackle noise pollution caused by (i) motorcycles and (ii) modified vehicle exhaust systems.

The Department does not have plans to amend existing vehicle noise legislation.The Department takes the impact of noise pollution on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict noise regulations for motorcycles are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the market. Replacement exhaust systems that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.The police have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on an ongoing basis. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 they can take action if they suspect a vehicle is being driven in a manner that makes excessive noise which is avoidable through reasonable driver care. In the same Regulations, vehicle exhaust systems are required to be maintained in good working order and not altered so as to increase noise.