Written questions by Morris.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the availability of quality roadside facilities on recruitment and retention of HGV drivers.

Through the Rapid Evidence Assessment published in October 2023, the Department has assessed the potential impact of the availability and quality of roadside facilities on HGV driver recruitment and retention, finding that inadequate facilities can act as a deterrent to entering and remaining in the profession. In addition, the Department also published the National Survey of Lorry Parking in September 2022, which identified shortages in HGV parking and concerns about the quality and security of welfare facilities. In response, the Department launched the HGV Parking Match Funding Grant Scheme to improve driver welfare and increase secure parking provision, delivering up to £35.7 million of joint investment from government and industry in 30 counties across England. This is on top of up to £30 million investment in lorry parking by National Highways and industry in lorry parks along the strategic road network in England, The Department is currently undertaking a new National Lorry Parking Survey, which will provide up to date and comprehensive evidence on the availability and quality of lorry parking in England. The survey is scheduled to be published in autumn 2026.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Road Safety Strategy on people in Northumberland.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Road Safety Strategy on people in Hexham constituency.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Road Safety Strategy on people in the North East.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

What conversations the Department is having with relevant stakeholders to improve local bus services in the North East.

The Government is committed to helping local leaders improve local bus services and grow usage across England, including the North East, Northumberland and Hexham constituency. The Department for Transport regularly engages with local authority representatives from the North East Combined Authority, including as part of our continued support to local transport authorities pursuing bus franchising. We are taking action to give local leaders the powers they need to deliver better bus services for passengers, including through the Bus Services Act 2025, and investing over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London, of which £23.8 million has been allocated to the North East Combined Authority. This funding can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people.

What discussions the Department is having with relevant stakeholders on improving local bus services in the Hexham constituency.

The Government is committed to helping local leaders improve local bus services and grow usage across England, including the North East, Northumberland and Hexham constituency. The Department for Transport regularly engages with local authority representatives from the North East Combined Authority, including as part of our continued support to local transport authorities pursuing bus franchising. We are taking action to give local leaders the powers they need to deliver better bus services for passengers, including through the Bus Services Act 2025, and investing over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London, of which £23.8 million has been allocated to the North East Combined Authority. This funding can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people.

What discussions the Department is having with relevant stakeholders on improving local bus services in Northumberland.

The Government is committed to helping local leaders improve local bus services and grow usage across England, including the North East, Northumberland and Hexham constituency. The Department for Transport regularly engages with local authority representatives from the North East Combined Authority, including as part of our continued support to local transport authorities pursuing bus franchising. We are taking action to give local leaders the powers they need to deliver better bus services for passengers, including through the Bus Services Act 2025, and investing over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London, of which £23.8 million has been allocated to the North East Combined Authority. This funding can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to electric vehicle charging facilities in the North East.

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 (EV). Public chargepoint numbers are increasing and, as of 1 November 2025, Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,798 publicly available charging devices, up 22% on this time last year.The North East region was allocated over £25m through the Government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to leverage significant private investment and increase the number of local public chargepoints across the region.The £25 million EV Pavement Channel Grant is also available, which is intended to empower local authorities to adopt pavement channels as part of their local charging solutions. The North East was allocated over £1.6m to support the installation of pavement channels alongside public chargepoints.

What data her Department holds on the number of electric charging points in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

The below table presents the number of public charging devices as of 1st October 2025 in Hexham constituency, Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne, the North East, and England. AreaNumber of public charging devices, 1st October 2025Hexham constituency237Northumberland611Newcastle upon Tyne277North East2,698England74,115

What data her Department holds on the number of electric vehicles currently registered in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

At the end of June 2025, the number of licensed vehicles that were battery electric was 3,313 in Newcastle, 5,220 in Northumberland, 35,438 in the North East and 1,464,860 in England. We do not readily hold the respective figure for Hexham constituency. It is important to note, vehicles are allocated to geographic location according to the postcode of the registered keeper. The address does not necessarily reflect where the vehicle is located. This is especially true for large fleets kept by companies involved with vehicle management, leasing or rentals.

What discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on supporting people to use electric vehicles.

Officials from the Department for Transport regularly engage with the Department for Infrastructure on initiatives to support the use of zero emission vehicles (ZEV). Minister Lightwood met the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure in April during the British Irish Council meeting, and the Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure earlier this month [November] as part of the Interministerial Group for Transport. Both meetings included discussions on the ZEV transition.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access at train stations in Hexham constituency.

Several stations in the Hexham constituency have a degree of step free access, but this often involves use of level crossings, steep ramps or long walking routes between platforms and this is far from ideal.No stations in the constituency were put forward for accessibility upgrades during the latest round of Access for All funding nominations in 2022, meaning they were not considered by the previous Government.Nominations for future rounds of Access for All funding will benefit from strong industry support and a proportion of third-party match funding, helping to ensure that investment delivers the greatest benefit to passengers. In the meantime, if any passengers are unable to use a particular station train operators are obliged to provide alternative accessible transport at no additional cost.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access for train stations in the North East.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail, train operators and local authorities to improve step-free access at stations across the North East. For example, the Transpennine Route Upgrade will provide step free access at 22 stations. A number of stations in the region have been made accessible with funding from the Access for All programme, including Northallerton and Middlesborough railway stations.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access at train stations in Northumberland.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail, train operators and local authorities to improve step-free access at stations in Northumberland. For example all of the Northumberland Line’s new stations have been designed to be fully accessible. A number of stations in Northumberland have also benefitted from funding under the Access for All programme, including Morpeth and Alnmouth railway stations.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling harassment on public transport against women and girls in the North East.

The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling. And, as part of that, I meet with a range of stakeholders from across the country to discuss issues across my portfolio, including the safety of women and girls on public transport. Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). As part of the Government’s aims to reduce VAWG by half over the next decade, the Department has an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work to help tackle VAWG on transport. This includes measures in the Bus Services Act 2025 such as training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour. The Act also enables all Local Transport Authorities to introduce byelaws to tackle ASB on vehicles, as well as within and at bus-related infrastructure (for example bus stations). The Department supports BTP’s zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual offences. This includes using a range of policing techniques to pursue offenders on the rail network to ensure it remains a safe environment and encourage reporting of incidents via BTP’s 61016 text number or 999 in an emergency. BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences. BTP also deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to crime stoppers.

What recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling harassment on trains against women and girls in Hexham constituency.

Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Hexham Station has a very low crime rate, with no sexual offences reported this year or in 2024/25. BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences. BTP deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to Crime Stoppers.

What recent discussion her Department is having with relevant stakeholders to help tackle harassment against women and girls on trains in the North East.

Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. The Department is committed to working with the rail industry and the British Transport Police (BTP) to ensure this is the case. Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences. BTP deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to crime stoppers.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East on developments to Active Travel England.

Active Travel England has a key role in the planning system as a statutory consultee for development management via Schedule 4 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. As part of this statutory role, Active Travel England officials regularly offer to hold discussions with local planning authorities, developers and local highway authorities.

How many electric charging points have been established through Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding.

In total, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, alongside significant private investment, is expected to support the installation of at least 100,000 chargepoints across England. The majority of LEVI projects have now been approved to go to delivery, the first contracts have been signed between local authorities and chargepoint operators, and the first projects have now started to install chargepoints. Data on chargepoints installed under LEVI will be available in due course. Installation rates will increase as more projects enter delivery, with installation expected to continue over the coming years.

How many an what proportion of cars were powered by electric in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England in the most recent period for which data is available.

At the end of June 2025, the number of licensed cars that were battery electric was 3,119 (2.9%) in Newcastle, 4,955 (2.9%) in Northumberland, 30,928 (2.5%) in the North East and 1,355,127 (4.7%) in England. We do not readily hold the respective figure for Hexham constituency.It is important to note, vehicles are allocated to geographic location according to the postcode of the registered keeper. The address does not necessarily reflect where the vehicle is located. This is especially true for large fleets kept by companies involved with vehicle management, leasing or rentals.