Written questions by Robertson.

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.

What assessment she has made of the increase in income generated by West Midlands Police from escorting abnormal loads over the past five years; and what guidance her Department provides to police forces on charging haulage operators for such escorts.

West Midlands Police is responsible for how guidance on charging for abnormal roads is implemented in its area. Local variation in the management of abnormal loads may be necessary to account for factors such as geography and road infrastructure.NPCC guidance for police forces on managing abnormal loads, and the charging framework, were updated in March and May 2025 respectively. These seek to promote greater national alignment across forces, where possible, noting the need for variations. The NPCC has committed to review this guidance twelve months after publication to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

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.

What international case studies her Department has examined to establish best practice for the enhancement of key data and insight capabilities on the freight and logistics system.

The Department recognises the value of international comparisons when developing freight and logistics analytical projects. Recent examples include:Australia’s National Freight Data Hub, which provides a central platform for sharing freight data to improve supply‑chain visibility.The United States’ Bureau of Transportation Statistics national commodity flow survey to understand performance monitoring.Republic of Korea’s Transport Database to understand integration of multimodal transport data to support long‑term planning. The Department will continue to monitor international best practice as we strengthen the evidence base for the freight and logistics system.

What the staff costs are of each nationalised train operator company under the control of DfT Operator Limited.

Official statistics on train operator costs are published on the Office of Rail and Road portal. Rail industry finance (UK) | ORR Data Portal Rail industry finance (UK) – April 2024 to March 2025 Table 7223 – Franchised Passenger Train Operator Finances by Franchise(latest year) | ORR Data Portal

When she expects the DVLA Fee Strategy to be published.

While the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency keep its fees under constant review, there are currently no plans to publish a fees strategy.

What steps her Department is taking in 2025-26 to reduce the fee deficit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The MCA undertakes services, such as vessel surveys, seafarer certification and the registration of seamen and shipping for which it charges fees. These activities are pivotal to maritime safety, helping to prevent loss of life and pollution incidents at sea. For the year (2024/25), the Agency incurred costs of £14.1m and received income of £11.0m based on the charges for these services as set in the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018, resulting in a deficit of £3.1m. A public consultation on the replacement for the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 will be held in 2026. Following the public consultation, the Agency will aim to implement these regulations in a timely manner to ensure it can recover costs incurred in delivering its statutory services.

Communities and Local Government, what evidence his Department considered when determining whether to consult on the principle of introducing an overnight visitor levy.

Ahead of launching its consultation, the government considered a range of evidence on the case for a visitor levy power, including economic analysis and the success of international examples. Ministers engage regularly with Mayors on devolution-related issues, including through the quarterly Mayoral Council meetings. As the government set out in response to Question UIN 98784 answered on 22 December 2025, the government received representations from Mayors on a visitor levy power ahead of the announcement of the consultation on 25 November.

Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with metro mayors to discuss the devolution of powers to enable the implementation of an overnight visitor levy since the 2024 General Election; and how many such meetings took place (i) before the launch of the consultation on 26 November 2025 and (ii) since that date.

Ahead of launching its consultation, the government considered a range of evidence on the case for a visitor levy power, including economic analysis and the success of international examples. Ministers engage regularly with Mayors on devolution-related issues, including through the quarterly Mayoral Council meetings. As the government set out in response to Question UIN 98784 answered on 22 December 2025, the government received representations from Mayors on a visitor levy power ahead of the announcement of the consultation on 25 November.

Whether her Department has made recommendations to UK airports on increasing modal shift away from private car use.

My Department has introduced a range of measures to encourage and support UK airports in moving passengers and staff away from private car use. All major UK Airports have been required to have a Surface Access Strategy since 2000, with clear modal‑shift and sustainable transport objectives. Specific targets for airports to reduce private car modal share typically come from planning obligations linked to expansion proposals. In addition, my Department continues to invest in public transport networks to provide passengers with credible and convenient alternatives to car travel.

Whether Rule H1 was developed as part of the Government’s active travel or modal shift objectives; and what steps she took to consult motorcyclist and motorist organisations during drafting.

The previous Government updated the Highway Code in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. This review of the Highway Code was announced as part of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Safety Review in September 2017. When undertaking the review of The Highway Code the Department for Transport worked closely with representative organisations to seek their views and experiences, including motoring groups. The consultation on the proposed changes ran for 3 months and generated a huge response with nearly 21,000 replies received from a wide range of road users.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113161, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency collects data on traffic, click-through rates and referral sources for driving examiner applications.

As with any customer who uses the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) services, their data will be retained on record for a period of time. There are, however, Data Protection rules regulating how this data can be used. As stated in the answer to Question 113159, DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. DVSA are aware, however, that driving examiner (DE) vacancies likely attract a significant proportion of approved driving instructors (ADI) via our regular advertising. All DE vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs on GOV.UK. DVSA also uses online jobsites and places posters in driving test centres to publicise roles. DVSA uses the Government Recruitment Service hosted applicant tracking system, through a contract with the Department for Transport. DVSA cannot get details of applicant referral sources from this service. DVSA can collect click-through rates for some areas, such as some forms of advertising.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113159, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency holds contact details for individuals who have previously failed the Approved Driving Instructor Part 3 test; and whether it has assessed the potential merits of using that cohort as a potential recruitment pool for driving examiner vacancies.

As with any customer who uses the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) services, their data will be retained on record for a period of time. There are, however, Data Protection rules regulating how this data can be used. As stated in the answer to Question 113159, DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. DVSA are aware, however, that driving examiner (DE) vacancies likely attract a significant proportion of approved driving instructors (ADI) via our regular advertising. All DE vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs on GOV.UK. DVSA also uses online jobsites and places posters in driving test centres to publicise roles. DVSA uses the Government Recruitment Service hosted applicant tracking system, through a contract with the Department for Transport. DVSA cannot get details of applicant referral sources from this service. DVSA can collect click-through rates for some areas, such as some forms of advertising.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of novel treatments on the unpaid care costs associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. In developing its recommendations, NICE takes into account all health-related costs and benefits, including health-related benefits to carers, but does not consider wider costs and benefits.NICE is currently developing recommendations for the NHS on whether two new licensed medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease should be routinely funded by the NHS and has not yet published final guidance. NICE’s recommendations on the use of the treatments have been appealed and the appeals are being considered through the established process.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the suitability of the EQ-5D model for assessing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on carer quality of life.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. In developing its recommendations, NICE takes into account all health-related costs and benefits, including health-related benefits to carers, but does not consider wider costs and benefits.NICE is currently developing recommendations for the NHS on whether two new licensed medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease should be routinely funded by the NHS and has not yet published final guidance. NICE’s recommendations on the use of the treatments have been appealed and the appeals are being considered through the established process.

With reference to paragraph 4.3.17 in his Department's manual entitled National Institute for Health and Care Excellence health technology evaluations: the manual, what would constitute a substantial effect on a carer’s health-related quality of life.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. In developing its recommendations, NICE takes into account all health-related costs and benefits, including health-related benefits to carers, but does not consider wider costs and benefits.NICE is currently developing recommendations for the NHS on whether two new licensed medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease should be routinely funded by the NHS and has not yet published final guidance. NICE’s recommendations on the use of the treatments have been appealed and the appeals are being considered through the established process.

Whether local highway authorities are eligible for central government funding for bus stop schemes that do not incorporate floating bus stop designs.

The Department is providing all local transport authorities (LTAs) with multi-year consolidated funding settlements, delivering our commitment in the English Devolution White Paper to simplify funding. These consolidated local transport settlements will give LTAs greater freedom and flexibility to make the investment decisions that best impact their local areas. LTAs can therefore use this funding to introduce or upgrade bus stops in their areas if they wish to do so.On 20 November 2025 the Department wrote to local authorities requesting they put on hold certain designs of floating bus stop which require people to board or alight directly from or into a cycle track. This applies to new schemes at the design stage. Local authorities must have regard to the statutory guidance on floating bus stop provision and design published on 26 January and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design/floating-bus-stops-provision-and-design.