Written questions by Blackman.

Whether her Department undertook cost-benefit analysis before launching a new digital medical licensing service on 31 March 2026; and what projected annual savings to the public purse are expected from that system.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) Universal Credit and (b) other welfare payments made to people who became unable to work as a direct result of delays in DVLA medical licence processing.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department has conducted an economic impact assessment of the potential impact of DVLA medical licence delays on workforce productivity.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate her Department has made of the total income lost by self-employed drivers as a result of delays in processing medical driving licence applications in each of the last three years.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of DVLA medical licence delays on costs to the NHS of (a) repeat specialist consultations and (b) administrative work since 2020.

Awaiting answer.

What the administrative cost to the DVLA has been of processing the backlog of medical driving licence applications, including the cost of additional caseworkers recruited since 2023.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the length of delays in the DVLA medical licensing process, particularly the time taken for applications to be reviewed by medical caseworkers after receipt; what steps her Department is taking to improve capacity and processing times; and whether (a) service standards and (b) target timeframes are in place for medical licence decisions.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. However, driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer as they vary widely in complexity and the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.The DVLA is currently rolling out a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions. This will be fully implemented by March 2026 and will provide improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication. The DVLA is also increasing the number of staff to help reduce application processing and call waiting times. The DVLA’s most recent annual report and accounts for 2024/25 showed that the DVLA achieved 85 per cent against its customer service measure to make a licensing decision in 90 days in 90 per cent of medical driving licence cases.

How many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in her Department; and what the salary band is for each post.

In the central Department for Transport communications team, there are a total of 91.01 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.Of this total, 31.82 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.This is the latest available data from June 2024.

Whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill on safety on trains.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. As such, there is no reason to expect any adverse impacts. The Government expects publicly owned train operators to focus relentlessly on the interests of passengers rather than shareholders, resulting in better outcomes for passengers across a range of areas, which will include personal security on trains.

Whether her Department will have responsibility for safety on trains following passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership Bill).

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. Tackling crime is the responsibility of the British Transport Police, who will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership. Safety regulation will remain the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of lighting on trains on the levels of violence against women and girls travelling on the network.

The National Travel Attitudes Survey on perceptions of safety when walking, cycling and using public transport, found that a ‘poorly lit vehicle or carriage’ was the joint seventh most popular reason for feeling unsafe when travelling on a public transport vehicle. The Rail Safety and Standards Board sets requirements around lighting for new rolling stock. We continue to work with the rail industry including the Rail Delivery Group and the British Transport Police to ensure the rail network remains a safe environment for the travelling public.

Whether her Department has a strategy for tackling violence against women and girls on trains after the passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the Government. We have set the ambitious target to halve this figure in the next decade using every lever available to us. The Department is working closely with the central mission delivery unit in the Cabinet Office to achieve the aims set out in the Government’s Safer Streets mission. The British Transport Police will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership to prevent and investigate crime, and in particular to tackle violence against women and girls.