Written questions by McMurdock.

How many learner drivers are on waiting lists for practical driving tests in the East of England.

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. DVSA acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers, including those living in rural and semi-rural communities. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of our Plan for Change. It is not possible to confirm how many people are waiting to book a practical driving test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.DVSA continually reviews its recruitment needs to ensure the agency maintains the right level of resource to meet customer demand. The Agency’s latest national recruitment campaign closed in December 2025. As a result, it has a number of candidates progressing through the final recruitment stages. In the East of England. This includes:11 potential driving examiners (DE) booked onto training courses.14 potential DEs currently undergoing pre-employment checks.72 applicants currently working their way through recruitment processes.DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible at all test centres and regularly conducts tests outside of normal hours, including evenings, weekends and on public holidays. Between June - December 2025, DVSA conducted 1,158,458 car practical driving tests. This is an increase of 102,290 more car practical driving tests when compared to the same period in 2024. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme introduced in June 2025. DVSA publishes data on car practical test cancellation reasons by month and driving test centre (DTC) on GOV.UK. This data, in report DRT122B, is updated annually and currently shows data to March 2025. The next update is due to be published in June 2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of driving test delays on employment opportunities in rural 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. DVSA acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers, including those living in rural and semi-rural communities. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of our Plan for Change. It is not possible to confirm how many people are waiting to book a practical driving test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.DVSA continually reviews its recruitment needs to ensure the agency maintains the right level of resource to meet customer demand. The Agency’s latest national recruitment campaign closed in December 2025. As a result, it has a number of candidates progressing through the final recruitment stages. In the East of England. This includes:11 potential driving examiners (DE) booked onto training courses.14 potential DEs currently undergoing pre-employment checks.72 applicants currently working their way through recruitment processes.DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible at all test centres and regularly conducts tests outside of normal hours, including evenings, weekends and on public holidays. Between June - December 2025, DVSA conducted 1,158,458 car practical driving tests. This is an increase of 102,290 more car practical driving tests when compared to the same period in 2024. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme introduced in June 2025. DVSA publishes data on car practical test cancellation reasons by month and driving test centre (DTC) on GOV.UK. This data, in report DRT122B, is updated annually and currently shows data to March 2025. The next update is due to be published in June 2026.

If he make an assessment of the potential merits of installing a bridge over the level crossing in East Tilbury.

Network Rail are engaging with London Gateway and other stakeholders on the merits of level crossing interventions in the East Tilbury area and are keeping my officials updated.

Pursuant to the press release entitled £43 million boost for green aviation to drive growth, jobs and cleaner flights, published on 20 January 2026, what proportion of the UK's aviation emissions her Department estimates this investment will remove.

Through the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published on 29 October, the Government detailed policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels in aviation, and estimates of the emission reductions they would achieve. This package of funding will help to enable these emission reductions. The nature of research and development activity creates challenges in assessing the exact expected CO2 benefits at the outset, as these depend on the extent to which the outputs of research and new technologies are adopted into commercial use, and the pace at which this happens. Government seed funding is integral in supporting early-stage research and development for technologies which are not yet commercially viable but could be scaled in future.

Pursuant to the press release entitled £43 million boost for green aviation to drive growth, jobs and cleaner flights, published on 20 January 2026, what proportion of global aviation emissions her Department estimates will be removed as a result of the funding for green aviation projects.

Through the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published on 29 October, the Government detailed policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels in aviation, and estimates of the emission reductions they would achieve. This package of funding will help to enable these emission reductions. The nature of research and development activity creates challenges in assessing the exact expected CO2 benefits at the outset, as these depend on the extent to which the outputs of research and new technologies are adopted into commercial use, and the pace at which this happens. Government seed funding is integral in supporting early-stage research and development for technologies which are not yet commercially viable but could be scaled in future.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of how much (a) carbon dioxide and (b) other pollutants will be prevented from being released as a result of the announced grant for electric lorries.

As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.

Pursuant to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, how many and what proportion of lorries registered in the UK are electric lorries; and what estimate she has made of the potential increase in that number as a result of the announced subsidy.

As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.

With to her Department's press release entitled Boost for British business as government slashes cost of electric lorries by up to £120,000, published on 6 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the number of lorries expected to be purchased using the announced grant by 2030.

As of September 2025, there were 1,313 battery-electric HGVs on UK roads (VEH1103): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tables.The £18 million Plug-in Truck Grant Uplift announced on 6 January 2026, which runs until 31 March 2026, is estimated by the Department for Transport to support 195 battery-electric HGV sales. This equates to approximately 1.4% total HGV sales over January-March 2026. This is estimated to directly lead to 0.03MtCO2 emissions reductions over the zero emission (ZE) HGVs vehicles’ lifetime and is expected to support the acceleration of deployment of ZE HGVs in the UK, helping build a UK market for these vehicles which will increase their future adoption and help to deliver carbon budgets.Estimates of the impact of the grant on ZE HGV sales are uncertain and will depend on demand. The truck grant is only confirmed to continue until the end of March 2026 so it is not possible to share 2030 fleet projections at this stage. Grant rates for any future truck grant from April 2026 will be published in due course.

What steps she is taking to ensure that road user charges for the Lower Thames Crossing are proportionate for local residents.

The charging regime for the Lower Thames Crossing has not yet been set. Many crossings in England, including the Dartford Crossing, already have a charge, and this will also apply to the Lower Thames Crossing. Charges are necessary to cover the costs of providing the infrastructure, whether funded publicly or privately. Under the Government's preferred financing option, the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, it is envisaged that there would continue to be a discount for local residents once the transfer to the regulated private entity has completed.

What assessment she has made of the value for money of temporary pothole repairs where defects recur frequently.

In November 2024, the Department published a report on the economic benefits of investing in local highways maintenance. The analysis found that proactive maintenance can be more cost effective. In contrast, reactive maintenance was shown to be less cost-effective and associated with higher long-term expenditure. This report can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-appraisal-for-investing-in-local-highways-maintenance The Department encourages local highway authorities to focus on long-term preventative maintenance. In November, we confirmed a record £7.3 billion of funding for local highways maintenance over the next four years. By providing long-term funding certainty, local authorities can better plan ahead and invest into preventative maintenance. This approach is also encouraged through guidance such as the Code of Practice for Well-managed highways infrastructure. Finally, to unlock their full share of the Government's £500 million funding uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year, local highway authorities had to demonstrate how they prioritise preventative maintenance. The Department has used this information to introduce a new rating system that measures how well local highway authorities maintain their roads and adopt best practice such as preventative maintenance.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of reported personal injury road collisions involving defective road surfaces between 2022 and 2024.

Statistics on reported road collisions where a reporting police officer has assigned ‘Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road’ as a contributing road safety factor are published on gov.uk:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3d602e65dc716bfb1dd00/ras0701.odsNo further assessment of the trends in these figures has been made. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network, which is why the Government has announced a record of £7.3 billion investment for local highway maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30. This investment to improve the condition of our roads will make journeys faster, smoother and safer. This builds on nearly £1.6 billion in capital funding that has been provided for local highways maintenance in England for the financial year 2025/26, a £500 million increase compared to the previous financial year.

Whether she plans to publish data on the potential correlation between road surface conditions and road safety outcomes for vulnerable road users.

There are currently no plans to publish data beyond the statistics on factors contributing to collisions that are already available (published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain#factors-contributing-to-collisions-and-casualties-ras07). The Government recognises that defective road surfaces, including potholes, can present significant safety risks to vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists. Local highway authorities have a statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain their road networks and must consider the needs of vulnerable groups when planning and delivering maintenance programmes.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of a) injuries and b) fatalities where road surface defects were identified as a contributory factor in the last decade.

Statistics on reported road injuries and fatalities where a reporting police officer has assigned ‘Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road’ as a contributing road safety factor are published on gov.uk:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3d602e65dc716bfb1dd00/ras0701.odsNo further assessment of the trends in these figures has been made. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network, which is why the Government has announced a record of £7.3 billion investment for local highway maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30. This investment to improve the condition of our roads will make journeys faster, smoother and safer. This builds on nearly £1.6 billion in capital funding that has been provided for local highways maintenance in England for the financial year 2025/26, a £500 million increase compared to the previous financial year.

What plans she has to introduce requirements for local highway authorities to report data on (a) pothole recurrence and (b) repeated repairs at the same locations.

As announced in March 2024, local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year. This included publishing an estimate of the number of potholes they have filled in each of the last five years. Reports are now available on local highway authorities’ websites. To gain access to all the Department’s increased highways maintenance funding in the future, local highway authorities will have to continue to demonstrate that they comply with best practice, for example by adopting more preventative maintenance. We will share more information about the reporting requirements for this in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of advance ticket discounts on affordability on the c2c rail line.

c2c serves a mostly short distance turn up and go market, with around 95 per cent of all daily ticket sales made within a week of the date of travel. Affordability is therefore primarily determined by walk-up fares. c2c reduced its single fares in December 2023 to always be half the equivalent of a return fare, a change made in readiness for the roll out of contactless Pay As You Go (PAYG) ticketing. c2c is the first TOC in Britain to offer contactless PAYG ticketing on its whole network and advises that it has the lowest walk-up fares per mile of any train company in the southeast.

If she will make an estimate of the cost to the logistics sector of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

We have launched an open consultation on potential options for a future regulatory framework to decarbonise HGVs in the UK and support delivery of phase out dates for new non-zero emission HGVs. This consultation closes on 17 March 2026.   We will publish a cost benefit analysis alongside any proposals for future legislation, which will assess the costs and benefits of transitioning to zero emission HGVs.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that local authorities adopt preventative road maintenance approaches in line with the commissioned guidance.

The Government has made available an additional £500 million for highways maintenance for 2025/26, bringing the total available funding this year to £1.6 billion. To qualify for their full share of this funding uplift, local highway authorities had to publish reports setting out how they comply with best practice, including in relation to the extent to which they prioritise preventative maintenance. In November, the Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance for the period of 2026/27 to 2029/30. By providing long term funding certainty, the Department enables local highway authorities to better plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term pothole repairs and to instead invest in preventative road surface treatments so that roads can be fixed properly and fewer potholes form in the first place. Earlier in January, the Department published a new rating system for every highway authority in England. Each local highway authority received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they are spending to maintain it, and whether they do so using best practice, including by adopting more preventative maintenance. The ratings, which will be updated periodically, provide an incentive for councils to adopt more preventative maintenance, and enable the Department to provide targeted support to authorities to help them adopt best practice. To gain access to all the Department’s increased highways maintenance funding in the future, local highway authorities will have to continue to demonstrate that they comply with best practice, for example by adopting more preventative maintenance.

What steps she is taking to tackle the use of e-scooters on pavements and the associated risks to pedestrians.

Enforcement of illegal e-scooter use on public roads and pavements is a matter for the police. A range of motoring offences and penalties already apply, such as criminal prosecution, points on the user’s driving licence and having the e-scooter seized. The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the necessary tools to enforce road traffic legislation. The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. This will help the police to crack down on those who use them in an unlawful or irresponsible way. Any regulations will be publicly consulted on before they come into force, but the Government has no plans to allow pavement riding in the future.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the logistics industry to the achievement of the Modern Industrial Strategy.

Government recognises the logistics industry as a critical enabler of the Modern Industrial Strategy (IS) and its wider economic growth ambitions. The IS identifies freight and logistics as a cross-cutting sector, essential to the success of the Government’s growth ambitions across the eight frontier industries.Page 159 of the Strategy also recognises ports as a key foundational sector, providing critical inputs that enable growth across these frontier industries. This approach is supported by the National Wealth Fund, which will help unlock long-term private investment in strategically important infrastructure, including ports and associated logistics capacity, where this supports economic growth, industrial competitiveness and the transition to net zero.Logistics therefore plays a central role in strengthening national supply chain resilience and supporting delivery of the Industrial Strategy. This contribution will be further reflected in the forthcoming plan for freight, which will set out how Government will work with industry and investors to support long-term growth.

What data she collects on the frequency with which the same potholes are repaired multiple times within a year.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highway network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards for maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. The Department does not gather information from local highway authorities about the causes or recurrence of individual potholes. There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but the Department encourages local authorities to focus on long-term preventative maintenance, which is more cost-effective than the reactive patching of potholes. This is a core aspect of the Code of Practice for Well-managed highways infrastructure, which states that “when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure”. This is available online, at: https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/. The Government is also encouraging local highways authorities to take a long-term preventative approach by making some of their funding conditional on meeting certain best practiced criteria. To qualify for their full share of this financial year's £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice, for example in relation to the extent to which they prioritise preventative maintenance. In this context, the Department for Transport wrote to all local highway authorities in England in December to inform them whether they would be receiving their full funding uplift, and emphasised the importance of following the guidance set out in the Code of Practice with regard to preventative maintenance. The findings from the transparency reports will enable the department to identify where extra support may be needed to ensure compliance with best practice. The department will set out more detail on the further support and training it will make available to local authorities in due course. Finally, regarding analysis of the effectiveness of preventative maintenance approaches, in November 2024 the Department for Transport published an Economic Appraisal of Investing in Local Highway maintenance. The analysis found that proactive maintenance can be more cost effective. In contrast, reactive maintenance was shown to be less cost-effective and associated with higher long-term expenditure. This report can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-appraisal-for-investing-in-local-highways-maintenance