Written questions by Hayes.

What the average wait for a practical driving test has been at (a) Boston, (b) Grantham and (c) Peterborough test centres in each of the past three years.

Awaiting answer.

How many practical driving tests have been completed in Lincolnshire in each of the past three years.

Awaiting answer.

If she will take steps to introduce a nationwide licensing regime for dockless e-bikes.

Awaiting answer.

What recent steps her Department has taken to improve public transport connections in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Awaiting answer.

How many political appointees have been made by her Department since July 2024.

We have taken ‘political appointees’ to mean special advisers. A list of special advisers by department is published each year in the Annual Report on Special Advisers which is laid in Parliament. The Annual Report on Special Advisers 2026 will be publish...

Whether her Department has hired external public relations consultants since July 2024.

Since July 2024, the Department for Transport has hired external public relations consultants to support the Department’s marketing campaigns.

Whether her Department has hired external public relations consultants since July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

What recent steps she has taken to help improve road safety in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. This aims to improve road safety at a national level, with benefits seen across the country, including South Holland and the Deepi...

Whether her Department permits civil servants employed in the UK to work from overseas on a regular basis.

There is no contractual right for DfT staff to work from a location outside the UK. In some circumstances, DfT may post employees overseas for official business purposes. Employees may also be required to travel overseas for business purposes, for example...

What sums her Department has spent on advertising on podcasts in each of the last three years.

The Department for Transport’s spend on podcast advertising in each of the last three financial years is as follows:Financial yearPodcast activity spend2023–2024This information is not held in the requested format for this year.2024–2025£90,466.272025–202...

Whether her department permits (1) Ministers, (2) Special advisers and (3) officials to use (a) Chat GPT, (b) Google Gemini, (c) Claude, (d) Deepseek and (e) Grok as part of their official duties.

The Government is committed to harnessing the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve the productivity of the Civil Service and the quality of public services. The Department for Transport published the Transport Action Plan in June 2025 which sets...

How many additional driving examiners have been recruited to test centres in Lincolnshire since January 2025.

The table below shows how many driving examiners (DE) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency employed in driving test centres (DTC) serving Lincolnshire since January 2025. DTCNumber of DEs employed as at end of December 2025Number of DEs employed as at ...

What recent steps she has taken to support local councils to support timely road repairs in Lincolnshire.

Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities themselves are responsible for maintaining their networks and for the delivery of maintenance works. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individ...

What steps she has taken to help support Lincolnshire County Council to maintain roads and highways in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and shift from short-term fix...

What recent steps she has taken to improve rural transport links in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government knows the importance of reliable bus services in enabling people to stay connected and access education, work and vital services, particularly in rural areas where buses may be the only form of public transport. We are committed to deliveri...

What steps she is taking to support the road haulage industry with fuel costs in Lincolnshire.

The Department for Transport is aware of growing concerns around rising fuel and transport costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The department fully recognises the need to maintain the continuity of critical supply chains and is actively monit...

If she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2020.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of UIN 880.

If she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Lincolnshire.

As of 1 January 2026, there were 889 public electric vehicle (EV) chargers in Lincolnshire.Lincolnshire County Council were awarded almost £6.4 million funding through the Government’s LEVI Fund to increase the number of local chargepoints across the area. LEVI funding and private investment will significantly scale the number of public charge points near to homes, giving residents confidence to switch to an EV. Under LEVI, Lincolnshire and other collaborating local authorities are currently procuring a supplier.Lincolnshire will also benefit from over £400,000 awarded to the Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority through the £25 million EV Pavement Channels grant, which will support residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home, accessing cheaper tariffs through their domestic energy supplies.

Whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

The Department for Transport published the Transport AI Action Plan in June 2025 which sets out the Department’s approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The action plan represents the start of a step-change for AI in our transport system, recognising its power to increase resilience, productivity and turbo-charge innovation across the private and public sectors. Over the last 12 months, the Department for Transport has continued to use AI for operational purposes and has taken part in a pilot of the Microsoft Copilot AI product with approximately 1,300 staff, to assess its potential benefits. However, the Department does not centrally use AI in legislative or policy decision‑making. Where such tools have been used, this has been on an assistive basis only (for example, summarising information or improving readability), and not to generate policy or legislative content. Responsibility for the substance, accuracy and final drafting of all departmental policy and legislation remains with civil servants.