Written questions by Hayes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74704 on Department for Transport: Social Media, how much her Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024 by influencer.

As part of a 2025 THINK! campaign to reduce speeding among young men, the Department ran a media partnership with youth platform LADBible which involved working with two content creators as part of a wider partnership.  However, we are unable to provide a cost breakdown on influencers specifically due to commercial sensitivities which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

How many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

At our main London headquarters building the Union Flag is flown every day. The only other main site where there is a flag pole is Spring Place in Southampton. The Red Ensign, and the Coastguard Flag, which have the Union Flag incorporated within it, are flown Monday to Friday every week at this site.

How much funding her Department has provided to Lincolnshire County Council to support (a) cycling and (b) walking in the last five years.

Since 2021/22 the Department has provided almost £5 million of funding to Lincolnshire County Council to support cycling and walking. This has been provided through the Active Travel Fund, Capability Fund and from 2025/26 the Consolidated Active Travel Fund.

What steps she plans to take to improve bus (a) reliability and (b) frequency in rural parts of Lincolnshire.

The government is committed to delivering the better, more reliable bus services that passengers deserve throughout the country, including in rural areas. We introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of our ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Lincolnshire County Council was allocated £11.9 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

How many potholes have been repaired in South Holland and the Deepings constituency since July 2024.

Local highway authorities must publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year. While data is not required to be provided at a constituency level, Lincolnshire County Council the highway authority responsible for the local road network in this constituency, have estimated that they have filled 72,421 potholes during the financial year of 2024-25. Reports are available on local highway authorities’ websites.

Whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

The Department for Transport has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

How many additional driving tests have been provided in Lincolnshire since July 2024.

Between 1 July 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 2164 additional practical driving tests provided at driving test centres in Lincolnshire. This is based on the number of overtime tests provided. Please note DVSA can currently only publish this data up to the 31 March 2025.

How much the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has issued a range of equipment to support staff in working from home. Based on available records covering the past three years:Monitors: 123 units issued at an approximate cost of £24,600 (£200 each).Printers: 8 units issued at an approximate cost of £1,600 (£200 each).

How much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) provides equipment that enables staff to work across multiple locations, including from home where appropriate. This includes meeting legal obligations to provide reasonable workplace adjustments for staff who require them.However, the DVSA does not record expenditure in a way that separately identifies costs specifically related to home working. Additionally, the Department for Transport’s hybrid working policy is non-contractual and does not entitle staff to additional equipment or to be reimbursed for items to facilitate home working.

How much the Vehicle Certification Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Vehicle Certification Agency’s (VCA’s) spend is shown below:- Financial Year2022/232023/242024/25Total Spend (£)3,675.003,750.002,700.00

How much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency staff were previously entitled to claim up to £100 to help purchase the equipment necessary to work from home due to the impact of the pandemic. This arrangement ended towards the end of the 2023-2024 financial year. The table below shows the information requested. Please note that while some equipment has been provided in the 2024/25 financial year, this has been provided as business as usual and not specifically to facilitate working from home: 2022 – 2023£5,811.062023 – 2024£3,028.232024 – 2025£0

How much Active Travel England has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Active Travel England (ATE) staff are provided equipment from the Department for Transport to enable them to work across multiple locations, including from home where appropriate. This includes meeting legal obligations to provide reasonable workplace adjustments for staff who require them. ATE does not record expenditure in a way that separately identifies costs specifically related to home working. Additionally, ATE’s hybrid working policy is non-contractual and does not entitle staff to additional equipment or to be reimbursed for items to facilitate home working.

How much the Office of Rail and Road has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Office of Rail and Road does not differentiate between equipment purchased for use in the office and for home use, so does not hold this information.

What estimate she has made of the (a) total cost to the public purse for, (b) proportion of her Department’s total expenditure that was spent on and (c) spend per head on transport infrastructure in (i) Lincolnshire and (ii) the East Midlands in the last ten years.

HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis: 2024 shows the following spend of public money on transport in the East Midlands region, for the five most recent years available. Historic data is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis. (a) Total cost to the public purse:The total identifiable expenditure on transport in the East Midlands for the five most recent years available (2019-20 to 2023-24) is as follows:2019-20: £1,449 million2020-21: £2,229 million2021-22: £1,799 million2022-23: £1,724 million2023-24: £1,838 million (b) Proportion of the Department’s total expenditure:The proportion of the Department for Transport’s total expenditure on transport in the East Midlands for the same period is as follows:2019-20: 5.3%2020-21: 5.4%2021-22: 4.9%2022-23: 4.6%2023-24: 4.6% (c) Spend per head:The expenditure per head on transport in the East Midlands for the same period is as follows:2019-20: £2992020-21: £4592021-22: £3682022-23: £3492023-24: £368 While the above statistics are only available at the regional level, examples of recent Government investment in the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) area include over £180 million from the Local Transport Grant, £73.5 million in local roads maintenance funding and £18.5 million in local authority bus funding.

If she will provide additional funding for pothole repair in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads. In 2025-26, we provided an additional £16 million to invest a total of £60 million in improving the condition of Lincolnshire County Council’s local highways. The Spending Review announced that the Government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve roads across the country. This funding increase will significantly improve the long-term condition of England’s road network. Future funding allocations for local authorities and their highways, including Lincolnshire, will be announced in due course.

What information her Department holds on the number of settlements that do not have a daily bus service in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Department for Transport does not readily hold this information, however local bus timetable data is available to download from the Bus Open Data Service: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-and-use-bus-open-data.The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December 2024 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of communities that rely on them, including in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and across Lincolnshire.In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Lincolnshire County Council has been allocated £11.9 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services and infrastructure to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming continued funding each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

How much her Department has spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Department for Transport provides equipment that enables staff to work across multiple locations, including from home where appropriate. This includes meeting legal obligations to provide reasonable workplace adjustments for staff who require them.However, the Department does not record expenditure in a way that separately identifies costs specifically related to home working. Additionally, the Department’s hybrid working policy is non-contractual and does not entitle staff to additional equipment or to be reimbursed for items to facilitate home working.

How many people are eligible for free travel under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme due to disability in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of people eligible for free travel under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme due to disability at any geographic level.

How many driving test examiners have been hired by the DVSA in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

The attached Excel document shows the number of driving examiners that have left and started at driving test centres in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

How many driving test examiners have left the DVSA in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

The attached Excel document shows the number of driving examiners that have left and started at driving test centres in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.