Written questions by Robertson.

Pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122545 on the Vehicle Certification Agency, whether her Department has set a target date for the Vehicle Certification Agency to eliminate its deficit.

The VCA is currently analysing responses to its recent consultation on increasing certain fees, which would support deficit reduction. If taken forward, any fee changes require the consent of this House through a fee order. We are therefore unable to set out a specific timeframe for elimination of the deficit at this stage. As is the standard practice, I will update the House in due course.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of social media, email alerts and in-centre advertising for driving examiner roles by conversion to (a) completed applications and (b) successful hires.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer to Question 122595, 30 March 2026.

What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to help facilitate the installation of pavement gullies for at home EV charging.

The Department ran a consultation between November 2025 and January 2026, seeking views on changes to permitted development rights for cross-pavement charging solutions. The Department will publish its response shortly. This expands on the £25m grant funding for local authorities, supporting the installation of cross-pavement channels.

What the total duration in hours was of (a) partial and (b) full closures as a result of the M6 Lune Gorge project.

Between 1 September 2025 and 14 April 2026, all recorded closures associated with preparatory works were partial closures only, affecting a single northbound or southbound carriageway, or lane closures. There were 18 overnight carriageway closures, each operating within a standard nine hour window (8pm – 5am), giving up to 162 hours of partial closures. In addition, lane closures from January 2026 total up to 270 hours. There were no full closures affecting both directions simultaneously during this period.

What estimate she has made of the maximum number of vehicles that could be subsidised under the Zero Emission Truck and Van, which her Department announced on 25 March 2026, at the highest grant rates, and the corresponding total cost to the Exchequer.

The schemes have been designed so that grant funding is sufficient to fully support businesses to transition to zero emission vehicles, consistent with the Government’s plan to meet legally binding carbon budget targets. By 2030, within the current funding envelope we estimate that the schemes could award 250,000 zero emission vans grants, 20,000 zero emission trucks grants, and nearly 25,000 chargers under the depot charging scheme, although projecting this is highly uncertain. The total cost to the Exchequer is capped based on the announced budget of £877 million. Given the existence of the budget cap, we have not separately tried to estimate the maximum number of grants that could be delivered using the highest grant rates.

What forecast has been made of uptake rates for (a) zero emission trucks, (b) vans and (c) depot charging grants under the Zero Emission Truck and Van funding package, announced 25 March 2026.

The schemes have been designed so that grant funding is sufficient to fully support businesses to transition to zero emission vehicles, consistent with the Government’s plan to meet legally binding carbon budget targets. By 2030, within the current funding envelope we estimate that the schemes could award 250,000 zero emission vans grants, 20,000 zero emission trucks grants, and nearly 25,000 chargers under the depot charging scheme, although projecting this is highly uncertain. The total cost to the Exchequer is capped based on the announced budget of £877 million. Given the existence of the budget cap, we have not separately tried to estimate the maximum number of grants that could be delivered using the highest grant rates.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119471 on the Vehicle Certification Agency: Fees and Charges, whether there is a timeline to eliminate the Agency’s financial deficit; and what steps her Department is taking to monitor the delivery of deficit reduction.

The VCA is currently analysing responses to the consultation on increasing certain fees, which closed earlier this month. If taken forward, the fee increase would require secondary legislation before it can be implemented (subject to Parliamentary approval). We are therefore unable to set out a specific timeframe for elimination of the deficit at this stage. Work on efficiencies is ongoing and reduction of the VCA’s deficit is regularly monitored and reported on via the VCA and Department for Transport’s internal governance processes. It is also reported annually as part of the VCA’s Annual Reporting and Accounts, which are published on their website.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, what steps the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is taking to improve its ability to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment activity for driving examiner roles.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including: monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaignsaverage times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date. The performance in these areas have improved in the past 12 months. For example, before November 2025, the average time DVSA took to advertise and onboard potential driving examiners (DE) into training was 16 weeks. In December 2025, DVSA improved its recruitment process and the average time DVSA now takes to onboard potential DEs is 13 weeks. Further proposals should see this reduce by another 2-3 weeks for future campaigns.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120007 on High Speed 2 Line: Finance, whether the Department expects any reduction in the maximum speed of High Speed Two trains to contribute to meeting the Department’s capital expenditure limits set out in the Spending Review.

The Spending Review settlement for the current period is not dependent on the outcome of the Strategic Speed Study.

In which month she expects East West Rail services to commence from Oxford Parkway to Bicester.

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed. Appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator was delayed by the General Election in July 2024, and consequently they were not appointed until March 2025.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government Fleet Commitment in increasing the proportion of zero emission vehicles in departmental vehicle hire fleets, in the context of the proportion of electric vehicles rented by departments.

Data on vehicles used by Government departments, including vehicles hired for 6 days or more, can be found online at Greening Government Commitments April 2021 to March 2024 report - GOV.UK. However, the data does not break down owned fleet and hired vehicles. The Government Fleet Commitment was included in the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) framework for the period between April 2021 to March 2025. The GGCs are currently under review to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment, including for example working with lease operators and hire companies to minimise the carbon intensity of their fleets and rental vehicles.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has made of the effectiveness of different recruitment channels used to attract applicants for driving examiner vacancies.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses the Government Recruitment Service's applicant tracking system, but this does not provide information on how applicants learned about vacancies.DVSA advertises all driving examiner vacancies on Civil Service Jobs(opens in a new tab) on GOV.UK. DVSA also uses posters in driving test centres and external online job sites to reach a wider pool of applicants.For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage.In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently only has data for one complete and one ongoing campaign. For DVSA social media advertising, the current click through rate as of February 2026 was 1.4%. For DVSA direct communications that have been sent to subscribers of jobs at DVSA over the last 12 months, the average click through rate was 4%. It is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed applications.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government Recruitment Service applicant tracking system on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's ability to access applicant referral source data.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses the Government Recruitment Service's applicant tracking system, but this does not provide information on how applicants learned about vacancies.DVSA advertises all driving examiner vacancies on Civil Service Jobs(opens in a new tab) on GOV.UK. DVSA also uses posters in driving test centres and external online job sites to reach a wider pool of applicants.For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage.In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently only has data for one complete and one ongoing campaign. For DVSA social media advertising, the current click through rate as of February 2026 was 1.4%. For DVSA direct communications that have been sent to subscribers of jobs at DVSA over the last 12 months, the average click through rate was 4%. It is not possible to say what number of these click throughs resulted in completed applications.

Pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120007, how much of the average annual real-terms reduction in HS2 capital spending between 2025-26 and 2029-30 will be achieved through (a) efficiency savings, (b) reprofiling of expenditure, (c) changes to project scope and (d) changes to the delivery timetable.

The HS2 Spending Review settlement reflects the scope of work that the HS2 programme plans to deliver over the period 2026/27 to 2029/30. The average annual real-terms growth rate of -7.9% detailed in the Spending Review report reflects changes in annual spend over this period, based on the expenditure profiles HS2 Ltd agreed with the Department for Transport to deliver Phase 1 scope. It reflects the stages of the programme and supports the reset of the programme Mark Wild is conducting.

What the latest electric vehicle market share is as a proportion of new car registrations; and what projections her Department has made for that figure.

The zero emission vehicle share of new cars registered in 2025 was 22.9% according to DfT's faster indicators of transport activity, updated March 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity#:~:text=Cars%20and%20light%20goods%20vehicles%20registered%20for%20the%20first%20time%20by%20body%20type%20and%20fuel%20type The Government last published projections for new zero emission vehicle sales in the Cost Benefit Analysis for the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2025. The Government regularly updates its analysis to account for changes in the market environment.

How many potholes were filled on local roads in England in each of the last three financial years; what estimate her Department has made of the number of potholes filled in (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26 to date; what baseline year is being used to measure the Government’s commitment to fix an additional one million potholes per year; and how many additional potholes have been repaired above that baseline since July 2024.

Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including repairing defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports. The record £7.3 billion funding settlement over the next four years will bring annual funding for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes to over £2 billion annually, doubling annual funding by 2029-30 compared to 2024-25 levels. This funding increase is enough to enable local authorities to fill millions of additional potholes in each year of this Parliament when compared to 2024-25. At the same time, the Department is also expecting local highway authorities to adopt best practice in highways maintenance, which includes a greater focus on preventative maintenance so that fewer potholes form in the first place and a greater focus on permanent pothole repairs to reduce the need for repeated and more costly temporary repairs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116584 on Aviation: Colour Vision Deficiency, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the published evidence and legal findings relating to operational colour vision assessments in other jurisdictions.

While some national aviation authorities have begun to explore operational colour vision assessments, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is not aware of any peer‑reviewed evidence demonstrating their validation or safety equivalence to established testing methods. The UK CAA does liaise with other regulators that have implemented operational colour vision assessments. This includes discussions on their experience with these assessments, which will be taken into consideration to inform future UK CAA policy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116791, which organisations representing disabled people were engaged in relation to the guidance entitled Floating Bus Stops: Provision and Design; on what dates that engagement began and concluded; and what form that engagement took.

Three workshops were held on the floating bus stop guidance, one in-person (17 November 2025) and two online (18 and 24 November 2025). All three workshops were facilitated by Transport for All and attended by officials from the Department and ATE. They consisted of facilitated discussions about the draft guidance. The groups attending and representing the interests of disabled people were Guide Dogs, Mencap, Motability Foundation, Transport for All and Wheels for Wellbeing. Age UK represented issues affecting older people, including mobility and accessibility. Seventeen disabled people with lived experience attended, representing eight different impairment types and using 12 types of mobility aids. Other groups represented included the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking, Bikeability Trust, Campaign for Better Transport, Confederation of Passenger Transport, Cycling UK, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, Policy Connect, and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. Officials from the department held meetings online to discuss the guidance with representatives from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) on 9 June 2025 and 19 January 2026, with Guide Dogs on 17 October 2025, and with Living Streets on 22 October 2025. All of the above organisations and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, were asked to comment on the draft guidance, circulated via email, from 26 November to 2 December 2025. The department and ATE also sought feedback from the Urban Transport Group, Transport for London, and ATE’s Technical Oversight and Advisory Group. A full list of those involved in the consultation process is included in the guidance: www.gov.uk/government/publications/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design#consultation-requirements.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115449, in which month in Q2 2026 the Department expects to publish the findings of the Call for Evidence on Restricting the generation of surplus funds from traffic contraventions.

It remains the Department’s plan to publish the findings of the Call for Evidence: 'Restricting the generation of surplus funds from traffic contraventions' in March. This was commissioned by the previous Government as part of its Plan for Drivers.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of train driver training places.

It is the responsibility of operators to determine their own workforce requirements, including the number of train drivers they need to recruit and train.  However, we recognise that the rail industry faces an acute shortage of train drivers and that a system-wide approach is needed to address this.  We therefore look to the Department for Transport Operator (DfTO) and, ultimately, Great British Railways, to provide industry leadership and coordination in this area. In the interim, the Department has asked train operators to develop comprehensive plans to address train driver availability and resilience in the short and medium term.  The Department is also taking legislative steps to make it easier to recruit and train drivers, including reducing the legal minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18, which is scheduled to come into force on 30 June 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval.