Written questions by Robertson.

A) what the failure-to-attend rate for practical car driving tests was in each month since January 2024; and b) whether the Department has assessed the impact on failure-to-attend rates of the change introduced on 8 April 2025 to the minimum notice period for cancelling or changing a practical car driving test.

The attached Excel spreadsheet shows failure-to-attends (FTA) as a percentage of the total number of bookings for each month since January 2024. DVSA monitors failure to attend rates and consider potential causes of those rates changing, together with potential interventions to reduce such rates, on an ongoing basis.

A) how many additional practical car driving tests were delivered by DVSA in each month since July 2024 compared with the same months in the previous year; b) of those additional tests, how many were delivered by (i) examiners working overtime, (ii) warrant card holders temporarily deployed from other DVSA roles, and (iii) newly recruited examiners; and c) during which months warrant card holders from non-examiner roles were deployed to conduct practical driving tests.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars shows the number of car practical driving tests conducted up to February 2026. The spreadsheet attached shows the number of overtime tests for the period July 2023 to January 2026. Further information is not available.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 108807, what progress her Department has made towards the 2030 public electric vehicle charge point target.

An estimate of potential future demand for charge points was originally published in the 2022 “Taking Charge: the National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy” and ranged from 280,000 to 720,000 in 2030. This analysis was updated in 2024 to a range of 250,000 to 550,000 in 2030. Both the 2024 NAO ‘public chargepoints for electric vehicles’ report, and the Climate Change Committee 2025 Progress report, concluded that rollout is on track. As of 1 February 2026, there are 88,513 public charging devices across the country. The majority of public chargepoints will be delivered by industry, who have already committed £6 billion of private sector investment before 2030.

What steps her Department is taking to help support public awareness of the Don’t Swerve a Sight Test campaign.

We appreciate the work that the Association of Optometrists is doing to highlight the importance of good vision for driving.On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all road users. Alongside the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

What discussions she has had with the optical sector on (a) proposals to modernise driver vision testing and (b) any other proposals to strengthen road safety standards.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers. We welcome responses from optometrists and optometrist organisations to the consultations. My officials have met with various optometrist organisations (including the College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers, and we will continue to engage with optometrist organisations as our policies develop further.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of increasing the number of vision checks required for drivers aged over 70 on road safety.

At the age of 70, drivers must renew their entitlement, and at most, every three years after that. This provides a timely reminder to individuals to consider their health in the context of driving. To renew their entitlement, they must make a legal declaration, via self-certification, that they can meet the legal eyesight standards required to drive and confirm whether they have any medical condition which may affect their fitness to drive. On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all road users including older drivers. Alongside the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.A summary of the evidence underpinning the need for mandatory eyesight testing is included in the ‘safety impacts of mandatory eyesight testing’ section of the consultation document.Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.

What steps she is taking to support the maritime sector.

The Government strongly supports the sector, including £448m of funding for maritime decarbonisation, updating the National Policy Statement for Ports, fostering an environment for port investment, backing maritime skills and seafarers’ rights. We will shortly publish a Maritime Growth Strategy with our priorities for sustainable sector growth, people, environment, and safety.

Whether she plans to require in-vehicle CCTV in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set in regulations national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. The power was approved by the House of Commons and the Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords. Should Parliament enable the setting of standards, mandating CCTV in vehicles will be considered as part of that process.

What her proposed timeline is for publishing her Department's response to the consultation and evidence-gathering exercise on removing the 50km restriction for 18 to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers.

In April 2024, the previous government launched a consultation to help support driver recruitment, including a measure to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18 to 19-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service, aiming help to increase the number of available bus drivers, particularly for longer, more rural routes.Following the change of government, the Department has re-engaged with industry to better understand the likely effect of removing the current restrictions.Once all responses have been gathered, they will be considered alongside contributions from other stakeholders. This combined evidence base will be used to determine our next steps.

What the average processing time was for driving licence applications in December 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January to question UIN 103613.

What assessment her Department has made of the extent to which business rates relief and other fiscal support provided to Heathrow and Gatwick is available to regional airports; and what steps she is taking to ensure regional airports are not placed at a competitive disadvantage.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector, however this government recognises the crucial role regional airports play in supporting thousands of local jobs, connecting communities to global opportunities, and strengthening social and economic ties across the four nations. My department regularly engages with regional airports including through the Aviation Council, which includes a Regional Connectivity Working Group chaired by industry. At the Budget, the Government announced a £4.3bn business rates support package. This includes a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion to provide more generous support for those paying higher tax rates (such as the new high-value multiplier), including airports.

If she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in January 2026.

The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time in weeks, in January 2026, for a car practical driving test at all driving test centres (DTC) in Great Britain.

Whether her Department plans to review the UK Emissions Trading Scheme once the International Maritime Organisation rules come into force.

Addressing international emissions from shipping is critical and it is important action is taken globally through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). If the IMO Net-Zero Framework is introduced, the Government will review the scope of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system for operators.

How many ports have operational shore power infrastructure capable of supporting zero-emission operations; and how this compares with the number of ports affected by the inclusion of emissions at berth in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Government does not centrally record the level of live shore power infrastructure at ports, harbours, marinas, terminals or wharves, including whether they offer low voltage or high voltage shore power connections. We are aware of at least nine ports, harbours, marinas, terminals and wharves that have live operational shore power units that allows some vessels to run on shore power today. At least another two locations are currently installing shore power. Of these eleven locations, six of them received R&D funding through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. The policies in the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy will encourage more investment in maritime decarbonisation, including shore power rollout at more ports.

What estimate her Department has made of the average social value weighting applied by contracting authorities in procurements of new buses supported by Government funding schemes in each of the last five years.

My department devolves the procurement activities to the contracting authority for new buses and therefore does not hold information on the average social value weighting which may have been applied.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the scope within current procurement and trade obligations for contracting authorities to weight social value criteria to support UK jobs and supply chains in publicly funded bus procurements.

Through the work with the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel my department is currently seeking agreement to implement a minimum weighting for social value to be considered when undergoing bus procurement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104846, what assessment has been made of the risk that AI initiatives described as operating on a test-and-learn basis do not deliver the scale of efficiency savings assumed in the Departmental Efficiency Plan.

The department has not undertaken a specific risk assessment on whether the AI initiatives operating on a test-and-learn basis will deliver the scale of efficiency savings forecast in the Departmental Efficiency Plan. The department has agreed to achieve net efficiency savings of £199m from corporate initiatives, and these will be enabled by a broad range of activities, including the use of digital tools and utilisation of technology beyond specific AI initiatives; we are continuing to assess the impact and potential benefits of implementing AI and will continue to develop our alignment on AI initiatives across DfT, it’s Arm's Length Bodies, and Agencies.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105753, what assessment the Department has made of which specific budget lines will reduce as a result of the £199 million corporate initiatives efficiencies described as cash releasing.

A breakdown of the forecasted £199m in corporate initiative efficiencies published in the Departmental Efficiency Plan described as cash releasing are included below by budget line as published in the departmental Supply Estimate.Budget Line28/29 Cashable EfficienciesCentral Administration£0.234mSupport for Rail Passenger Services£199mTotal corporate initiative cash releasing efficiencies:£199.234m Beyond the efficiencies set out in the Departmental Efficiency Plan, the department has also made a commitment to reduce our administration budget over this period in line with the government’s overall aim to reduce administration costs by 15% by the end of the decade.

What the average waiting time was for a practical car driving test at Swindon Test Centre in the most recent month for which data is available.

For January 2026, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at Swindon driving test centre was 18.8 weeks.

Pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2026 to Question 105752 and 20 January 2026 to Question 104846, what proportion of the £199 million efficiency saving projected from corporate initiatives in 2028–29 is expected to arise specifically from AI-enabled processes.

None of the £199m in efficiency savings from corporate initiatives have been specifically identified as arising from AI-enabled processes. As part of a test and learn approach, we are assessing the impact and potential benefits of implementing AI and digital tools on a case-by-case basis as we develop our alignment across the DfT family on AI initiatives.