Written questions by Robertson.

What minimum safety standards will apply to Great British Railways infrastructure and operations.

The minimum safety requirements that apply under existing rail safety legislation will remain unchanged for Great British Railways.

What plans she has to ensure that (a) the Office of Rail and Road or (b) another independent body has powers to (i) oversee, (ii) intervene in and (iii) appeal decisions on (A) access, (B) contract duration and (C) pricing for freight operations.

The ORR will act as a robust and independent appeals body overseeing access and charging decisions made by GBR on the GBR network. The ORR will be able to consider appeals relating to all GBR’s decisions on access to and use of the network and its charging and performance schemes, ensuring fairness in GBR’s decision-making. The ORR will have a range of remedies including the power to intervene and direct GBR to amend a decision or in certain circumstances, to substitute a decision with its own if necessary.

Whether she plans to publish guidance on the Office of Rail and Road's enforcement actions for safety breaches.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent railway safety regulator for the UK. Its enforcement powers derive from the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and range from giving advice and information through to prosecution in the courts. The ORR has issued a policy statement that explains how it enforces health and safety law and has developed an Enforcement Management Model, which sets out the factors to be considered when deciding whether to take enforcement action, to ensure a consistent approach is taken by its inspectors.

What assessment she has made of the potential environmental impact of proposed rail network expansion under the Railways Bill.

The Railways Bill does not propose any additional network expansion. However, the environmental impact of any future network expansion would be considered during development of such a proposal as per the legal requirements for such projects

What steps her Department is taking to balance safety considerations with efficiency requirements in Great British Railways’ statutory duties.

GBR’s general duties, including the duty to ensure efficient use of taxpayers’ money, will not negate GBR’s statutory obligations under the safety regime. The Railways Bill will not change the safety regime from the existing model that keeps the travelling public and workers safe, a regime that is well understood, that works and has made Britain’s railways one of the safest in Europe.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring Great British Railways to publish its (a) board minutes and (b) key decision papers.

We expect Great British Railways to be transparent in its decision-making and the way in which the Board holds the Executive to account. The full details of how that will be achieved will be set out in due course as the organisation is stood up.

What discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on supporting London bus drivers during periods of industrial action on the London Underground.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London, this includes bus services operating in the Capital. While the Department works closely with Transport for London on a range of issues, the operation of the bus network is for Transport for London and its contractors.

What discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the average annual salaries of (a) London Underground drivers and (b) London bus drivers.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London. They are solely responsible for operational decisions around salaries for London Underground drivers. Similarly, decisions around salaries for London bus drivers are for Transport for London and its contractors.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of tube strikes on (a) passenger load, (b) stress levels and (c) working conditions for bus drivers in London.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and any impacts of strike action on London’s transport network are for TfL to manage. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. Likewise, TfL and their contractors are responsible for operational and welfare decisions regarding bus services and bus drivers operating in the Capital.

What recent discussions her Department has had with Transport for London on the (a) welfare and (b) remuneration of bus drivers in London.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and any impacts of strike action on London’s transport network are for TfL to manage. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. Likewise, TfL and their contractors are responsible for operational and welfare decisions regarding bus services and bus drivers operating in the Capital.

What steps her Department has taken to increase public awareness of changes to the Highway Code made in 2022.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Over £2.4million has been spent on paid advertising across the Highway Code campaign, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.We continually review our campaign priorities using data and research to make sure we are addressing the most important road safety issues to help make our roads safer. We also continue to promote the Highway Code in partnership with other organisations, through THINK! social channels and via education resources. In addition we run three radio filler adverts year-round, encouraging motorists to maintain safe passing distances from cyclists and horse riders, to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe, and to raise awareness of pedestrian priority at junctions.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) the equine sector, (b) local authorities and (c) road safety bodies on enforcing safe driving practices around horse riders.

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads and my Department works with a broad range of stakeholders, including discussions with the British Horse Society, to help us achieve our aim. In 2022 The Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders. Local authorities are responsible for road safety on the local road network. The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness and provides local authorities with guidance on road safety measures but it is up to individual authorities to determine how they meet their statutory duty.

What steps her Department is taking to improve road safety for horse riders in Isle of Wight East constituency.

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads and my Department works with a broad range of stakeholders, including discussions with the British Horse Society, to help us achieve our aim. In 2022 The Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders. Local authorities are responsible for road safety on the local road network. The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness and provides local authorities with guidance on road safety measures but it is up to individual authorities to determine how they meet their statutory duty.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57194 on Motorcycles: Convictions, on what date the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency plans to complete its scan of the driver database; and when the information will be shared.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency wrote to the Honourable Member on 20 June by email to joe.robertson.mp@parliament.uk with the information requested. Officials will re-send this letter by email and by post.

How many staff were moved from Great British Railways Transition Team to (a) Network Rail, (b) DfT Operator and (c) her Department following the disbandment of the Great British Railways Transition Team on March 31, 2025.

On 31st March 2025 GBRTT had 208 employees. Since this date 31 people have left the legacy organisation's employment, and 12 people have joined or are joining; resulting in 189 employees. The remaining 189 employees have almost all moved into Network Rail, except for four people who are working at DfTO and one person who has re-joined DfT.

What role Network Rail's System Operator has in the establishment of Great British Railways; and whether any staff have been moved to the System Operator since March 2025.

Teams from the System Operator contribute to elements of the Great British Railways (GBR) design programme, where their expertise is relevant. They do this alongside other teams from across the industry with the design programme deliberately set up to draw on relevant capabilities from all parts of the railway. In addition, the Department for Transport has asked Network Rail’s System Operator to engage the railway industry in preparatory work on the anticipated changes to access and use of the railway network. Some staff have been moved into the System Operator since March 2025 following the shut down of the previous government’s Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT].

What steps the Government is taking to establish Great British Railways, following the disbandment of the Great British Railways Transition Team in March 2025.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act was the first step towards fixing our railways, enabling the majority of services to be owned by and run for the public, but we need further fundamental reform to fix the underlying structural problems and put passengers and customers back at the heart of the railway. Great British Railways (GBR) is set to be the ‘directing mind’ for the rail industry, bringing together the management of the network and the delivery of passenger services into a single public body. A design programme for GBR is underway, which is jointly run by the Department for Transport, DfT Operator and Network Rail. We anticipate that GBR is to be set up over the following 12 months after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent. The Bill is expected to be introduced later in this session.

What data her Department holds on holders of provisional licences to ride AM category mopeds by (a) age and (b) country of birth of holder.

There are currently 9,809,729 individuals with entitlement to drive mopeds (Categories AM and P). The table below shows the data broken down by age group.AgeTotal16-201,676,08321-302,727,29031-402,094,38541-501,554,66451-601,127,53161-70607,35871-8019,77281-902,52891-100115101+3Grand Total9,809,729 It is not compulsory to provide country of birth when applying for a driving licence so a full breakdown of provisional licence holders with moped entitlement by country of birth is not available.

What is the cost to the public purse of the higher-rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment for the (a) London Congestion Charge, (b) Ultra Low Emission Zone charge, (c) Dart Charge, (d) Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charge, (e) Tyne Tunnel toll, (f) M6 Toll, (g) Humber Bridge toll and (h) Mersey Gateway Bridge toll.

The Department does not hold this information. The only undertaking cited that is operated by National Highways on behalf of the Department is Dart Charge, and while National Highways records the number of crossings made by vehicles exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, it does not know the reason why a vehicle is exempt.The other undertakings cited are the responsibility of the relevant local authority or group of authorities, except the M6 Toll, which is a privately owned asset without any recourse to public funds.

Which regulations govern the use of (a) motorcycles and (b) mopeds with L-plates for commercial delivery work in urban areas; and whether she plans to amend those regulations.

There are no current rules limiting commercial riding to those with a full licence. New riders are allowed to ride learner legal motorcycles, mopeds and scooters once they have passed their compulsory basic training (CBT) course. If riders do not to progress to a full licence within the two-year validity period of the CBT certificate, then they are required to complete their CBT course again. All riders are required to have a valid insurance policy to cover the type of machine and the activity they are undertaking.