Written questions by Hayes.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the accessibility of pavements for (a) blind and (b) visually impaired people in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to manage their roads, including pavements, and to ensure this is done in a way which allows them to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Department provides good practice guidance on designing accessible pavements in Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure.This is available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility-making-transport-accessible-for-passengers-and-pedestrians.

What steps she is taking to support the road haulage industry in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

National support for the road haulage industry includes joint investment with industry in lorry parking and driver welfare facilities of up to £35.7m, including Lincolnshire. This is in addition to up to £30 million joint investment by National Highways and industry to improve lorry parking on the strategic road network. Further National Highways funding is planned for the third road investment strategy (RIS3) as part of the Customer and Community Designated Funds, subject to confirmation of National Highways’ RIS3 settlement. Support for the sector’s decarbonisation includes the Plug-in Truck Grant which provides a contribution to the upfront purchase costs of zero emission vehicles, the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which is now closed to new applicants, but is providing up to £200m to fund hundreds of ZE HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites and the Depot Charging Scheme which closes on the 28 November 2025, and will support HGV, van and coach fleet operators with the cost of installing charging infrastructure at depot sites. Qualifying Operators in Lincolnshire have had the opportunity to apply for national schemes.

How much the Vehicle Certification Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) has had no spend on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

How much Active Travel England has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

Since its establishment in 2020, Active Travel England has not incurred any expenditure on translation and interpretation services.

How much the Office of Rail and Road has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The information is provided in the table below. Most of these costs related to ORR’s role and duties in respect of the Channel Tunnel.Financial YearCost (£)2020-2155,2232021-2242,7132022-2327,7172023-2436,0332024-2526,081

How much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The table below shows how much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has spent on translation and interpretation services (including Welsh language and British Sign Language translations) in each of the last five years: 2020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25 Interpretation andTranslation Services£13,334£10,232£9,073£28,764£42,431 The increase over the last two financial years is due to the DVLA’s contact centre introducing a new video service for British Sign Language.

How much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The table below shows the amount the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in the last five financial years: Financial yearSpend on translation and interpretation service2020-2021£30,081.482021-2022£51,485.042022-2023£77,577.382023-2024£110,494.642024-2025£124,951.66

If she will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in her Department since 2017.

The Department for Transport is unable to answer on the grounds of disproportionate cost. This is due to the resource required to conduct searches across the time period requested.

If she will take steps to help tackle (a) violence and (b) verbal abuse towards public transport workers in (i) Lincolnshire and (ii) other rural areas.

The Department for Transport works with the transport industry to ensure that public transport is a safe environment for staff and passengers. Ensuring that staff feel safe at work is a priority. Following the horrific attack on the 18:25 LNER Doncaster to London service at Huntingdon on the 1st November, my Department are working with British Transport Police (BTP) and the rail industry to understand if any immediate interventions are required. The heroic efforts of rail staff meant that further harm was avoided and undoubtedly saved lives. Prior to the incident, this government introduced the Bus Services (no.2) Act which mandates training for staff working in the bus industry, including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public, on how to recognise and respond to incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour on public transport. This training will require a person to take steps to prevent crime or anti-social behaviour only where it is safe to do so. This will apply to all bus operators including those operating in Lincolnshire and servicing rural areas. BTP are responsible for policing the railway, and they deploy their officers across the network, including in Lincolnshire and rural areas, based on intelligence led briefings with daily taskings to provide reassurance to the public. They work closely with rail operators that serve those areas to conduct joint operations and have regular engagement with staff and safeguarding and security managers. In Lincoln, BTP maintains a local presence supported by officers from Nottingham to provide 24-hour response cover. BTP’s approach to rail staff assaults is intelligence led, focusing resources on areas and individuals identified through crime data and repeat offending patterns. Where repeat offenders are identified, BTP actively manages them through targeted patrol plans and, where appropriate, applications for Criminal Behaviour Orders to prevent further offences. BTP also work closely with Train Operating Companies to improve incident reporting, ensuring that all forms of abuse or threatening behaviour are recorded, strengthening intelligence and enabling more effective operational planning. In addition to this, BTP promotes the use of body worn video and engage directly with staff and safeguarding managers to encourage reporting and supporting prosecutions.

How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities her Department provides in its premises.

The Department for Transport’s main Whitehall building, Great Minster House, has 112 individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities. This is in addition to 20 wheelchair accessible toilets.

What information her Department holds on the number of approved driving instructors in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Lincolnshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data.

What measures her Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.

The Department has a range of alternative means of communication, including telephony, and manual processes to facilitate business critical work and maintain operational continuity in the event of loss of internet connection over cellular and/or fixed line networks. The citizen and business facing services provided by our executive agencies are available via telephone, mail or via the Post Office.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of available bus routes for people accessing hospital appointments in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to access vital services, such as local hospitals, and we are committed to delivering better bus services right across the country, including in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire. The Government’s Bus Services (No.2) Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including ensuring access to vital local services such as hospitals. 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. As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Lincolnshire County Council has been allocated £11.9 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including improving access to hospitals in South Holland and the Deepings constituency, and across Lincolnshire. The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review, confirming 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 serious vehicle accidents have resulted from potholes in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each year since 2015.

The Department’s reported road collision statistics do not identify the cause of collisions. However, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 road safety factors which they believe may have contributed to the collision occurring. There were no fatalities between 2015 and 2023 (the latest year for which figures are available) in collisions assigned the road safety factor “Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” in South Holland and the Deepings. Fatalities for Lincolnshire are shown in the table.Area201520162017201820192020202120222023Lincolnshire001000202 All fatalities were drivers or riders. The number of collisions, involving at least one seriously injured casualty, which were assigned road safety factor “poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” between 2015 and 2023 are shown in the table. Area201520162017201820192020202120222023South Holland and the Deepings constituency132515023Lincolnshire9191716181691413

How many serious vehicle accidents caused by potholes have resulted in (a) driver and (b) passenger deaths in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire in each year since 2015.

The Department’s reported road collision statistics do not identify the cause of collisions. However, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 road safety factors which they believe may have contributed to the collision occurring. There were no fatalities between 2015 and 2023 (the latest year for which figures are available) in collisions assigned the road safety factor “Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” in South Holland and the Deepings. Fatalities for Lincolnshire are shown in the table.Area201520162017201820192020202120222023Lincolnshire001000202 All fatalities were drivers or riders. The number of collisions, involving at least one seriously injured casualty, which were assigned road safety factor “poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” between 2015 and 2023 are shown in the table. Area201520162017201820192020202120222023South Holland and the Deepings constituency132515023Lincolnshire9191716181691413

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.

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.

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.