Written questions by Dickson.

Whether her Department plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities.

There are no current plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities. The Department for Transport has commissioned a National Survey of Lorry Parking which is currently underway. The survey will provide a fresh baseline on the availability of secure lorry parking and HGV driver welfare provision and is scheduled to be published in the autumn. The survey was last conducted in 2022 and provided the evidence base for the design of the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme. With industry, this scheme is delivering up to £35.7 million in joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. The scheme is helping to improve driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security and decarbonisation. This investment is on top of up to £30 million investment by National Highways and industry at truck stops and motorway service areas along the strategic road network. The government is prioritising improvements to the planning system. Strengthened policy on freight and logistics has been proposed in the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve the consideration of freight, including lorry parking, in the planning system.

What data her Department holds on the number of people screened for drink-driving with a breath alcohol content of (i) 9–21, (ii) 22–34 and (iii) higher than 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Data on screening test results in England and Wales, including the concentrations of alcohol detected in drivers’ breath in roadside breath tests, are published in table RAS2042. The table has not been updated for 2023, so the latest data currently available are for 2022. The table is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain#ras20 The Home Office publishes annual statistics on roadside breath tests for alcohol in England and Wales in its Police powers and procedures: Roads policing release.

When further details on the Structures Fund will be announced.

The Structures Fund will enable local highway authorities to repair run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels across England. We will publish more information about the fund in due course and encourage all MPs to highlight the opportunity to their local councils.

Whether her Department plans to reform the role of the Traffic Commissioner function for Great Britain.

A functional review conducted by the Ministry of Justice, published in May 2023, found the function generally effective and offered proposals for improvement. My Department is considering these proposals, alongside a range of reform options, aiming to ensure that the powers and functions of Traffic Commissioners remain robust and effective.

Whether the Integrated National Transport Strategy will include measures to support the(a) efficiency and (b) decarbonisation of the logistics sector.

The Strategy will set the high-level direction for how transport should change to better serve people and is currently in early development. Government recognises the importance of the logistics sector in delivering its missions and transport priorities, including driving economic growth and achieving net zero. We are committed to working with the sector to achieve this and will set out next steps in due course.

What technical assistance her Department plans to provide to Kent County Council for restoring the collapsed section of the A226 Galley Hill Road at Greenhithe.

The Department has had a number of meetings with Kent County Council (KCC) on this matter and I visited the road in question in September. The Department is waiting for KCC to submit an analysis of the costs and benefits of different options to inform a decision on any Government support.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of National Highway's management of recent traffic issues in Dartford constituency.

Following any major incident National Highways carry out a full debrief to ensure any lessons are learnt to improve future incident management. National Highways is committed to implementing improvements based on their findings to ensure effective management of traffic during both planned and unplanned disruptions.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of recent traffic disruption on the local economy in Dartford constituency since October 2023.

National Highways has not conducted a specific assessment regarding the impact of recent traffic disruptions on the local economy in the Dartford constituency. National Highways is responsible for the operation of the strategic road network and monitoring and improving performance indicators related to delay, journey time reliability, and incident clearance, which are reported publicly.