Written questions by Leadbeater.

Whether she plans to review the level of Penalty Charge Notices for parking offences outside London.

The Department for Transport recognises that there is a published report from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, following its August 2025 trial of higher PCN levels, as well as research carried out by the British Parking Association, the Local Government Association and other key stakeholders. The Department is looking into the issue and these findings and recommendations will be carefully considered before any decisions are taken.

What steps she is taking to help tackle potential barriers to the provision of lighting on (a) walking, (b) wheeling and (c) cycling paths.

Active Travel England (ATE) recognises that good lighting is essential for enabling safe and inclusive walking, wheeling and cycling, particularly during winter months and after dark.The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over 2024/25-25/26, which can be used by authorities to reduce barriers to the provision of lighting.In addition, to address potential barriers to providing lighting, ATE Supports local authorities in relation to designing active travel schemes through guidance and our tools ensure that lighting is integrated into street design. Guidance is available such as in LTN 1/20 - Cycle Infrastructure Design (LTN 1/20), Manual for Streets, and Inclusive Mobility. In addition, the ATE Route Check Tool includes metrics for lighting coverage, visibility, and light pollution.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing commuted sums for maintenance within active travel capital funding.

In the Spending Review we announced that we are allocating £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to support local authorities to both build and maintain cycling and walking infrastructure. This is in addition to almost £300 million for active travel between 2024/25 and 2025/26, which we announced in February. It is for local authorities to determine how best to use the funding available to them, including what amount to set aside for maintenance purposes.