Written questions by MacCleary.

If she will conduct a feasibility study into the restoration of the Wealden railway line from Lewes to Uckfield; whether an impact assessment has been conducted since 2008 on restoring that line; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of restoring that line on (a) rail connectivity and (b) net zero targets.

Successive studies over the last two decades have indicated that the significant costs associated with re-instating the line between Lewes and Uckfield would exceed the benefits to passengers across Sussex. As such, our current focus remains on improving the performance and reliability of existing infrastructure and services.

What steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in improving road safety on rural roads; and if she will take steps with East Sussex County Council to help improve road safety on the C7 road between Newhaven and Lewes.

The Department recognises that the majority of road fatalities (according to the latest statistics) occurred on rural roads (60%) with fewer fatalities on urban roads (35%) and motorways (5%). We have awarded local authorities £185.8 million of funding between 2017 and 2024 through the Safer Roads Fund to improve the safety of England's most high risk 'A' roads. To date, it has funded 445.3 miles of rural roads which make up 62.4% of all funded routes. My Government is developing a road safety strategy, the first in over ten years, and we will set out more details in due course. East Sussex County Council is responsible for making decisions about roads in their area and as such, is best placed to bring forward proposals to improve safety on the C7 road.

What estimate she has made of the cost of consultancy to (a) negotiate and (b) implement new cross-border transport arrangements with the EU since January 2020 by (i) consultancy firm, (ii) contract value and (iii) month of contract award; and what scrutiny mechanisms exist for those consultants.

No estimate has been made of the cost of consultancy by my department used during negotiation and implementation of new cross-border transport arrangements with the EU since January 2020. Since the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement came into effect on 31st January 2020, and subsequent application of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement from 1 January 2021, there has been an extensive programme of work across numerous government departments to facilitate implementation of our new relationship with the EU and ensure the continued flow of people and goods. Most cross-border impacts of EU Exit for transport relate to border checks such as immigration controls, checks on goods and security arrangements on which other departments lead. The National Audit Office has produced a number of reports on EU Exit preparations including one on borders last year: The UK border: Implementing an effective trade border - NAO report.

What steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for driving tests in (a) rural areas and (b) urban areas.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at all driving test centres (DTC), include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of raising the level of Penalty Charge Notices on the number of parking offenders outside London.

We have no current plans to raise the PCN levels. It is important to strike the right balance between deterrence and fairness on this issue.

If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the availability of cycling infrastructure on employment levels.

Investment in cycling is crucial to supporting the economy, with recent evidence indicating that 3.6%, or over a million people, usually cycle to work and contributes about £5.4 billion to the British economy annually, with £4.1 billion resulting from reductions in mortality, pollution and congestion. The average benefit-cost ratio for Active Travel Fund 4 estimated that for every £1 of investment in active travel infrastructure schemes, there would be a return £2.40 of economic, social, and environmental benefits. Building on this evidence, Active Travel England is delivering a national active travel evaluation that will seek to include a proportionate assessment of the impact of active travel investment on employment.