Written questions by Smart.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in Hazel Grove constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month. Hazel Grove is served by Bredbury, West Didsbury and Sale cluster of driving test centres. At Bredbury DTC one driving examiner (DE) has now returned from a long absence, this will help to increase the number of tests available at this centre. From a recent recruitment campaign, one new DE has joined West Didsbury DTC. A further two new entrant DEs will be starting training this month, following successful completion, they will join Sale DTC. Some customers from this area choose to travel to Macclesfield and Buxton DTCs, where since July, three new entrant DEs have started testing at these centres, with a further two due to start in October.

What assessment she has made of the impact of (a) dynamic pricing and (a) general payments on the (i) working conditions and (ii) pay of private hire drivers.

Subject to any requirements under relevant legislation, pay and working conditions in the private hire vehicle sector are commercial matters between drivers and operators.

Whether her department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory minimum expiry dates on refund vouchers issued by airlines.

Regulation 261/2004 sets out passengers' rights in the event of certain flight disruptions, including rights to refunds and compensation. The Regulation states that refunds or compensation must be offered as payment in cash, by bank transfer, or by cheque. Airlines may only provide vouchers with the explicit and signed agreement of the passenger. No assessment has been made regarding the potential merits of mandatory expiry dates on refund vouchers issued by airlines.

If she will provide a response to Early Day Motion 1222 on Speed camera guidance, tabled on 8 May 2025.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Responsibility for making decisions about the roads under its care rests with the traffic authority, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and circumstances.  This includes setting local speed limits and introducing traffic calming measures such as speed cameras and speed activated warning signs. The Department for Transport’s guidance on the Use of Speed and Red Light Cameras for Traffic Enforcement clearly recommends that locally agreed deployment criteria are developed. The guidance acknowledges that the primary objective of camera deployment is to reduce KSIs at known collision locations; however, it also states that cameras can be beneficial where there is community concern.

If she will take steps to expand public campaigns to improve driving safety awareness.

THINK! is the Government’s flagship road safety campaign. The campaign prioritises budget where it can have most impact, targeting priority issues such as drink driving and speeding and focusing on young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over.We continue to adapt and evolve our campaign strategy and will consider any requirements aligned to the future Road Safety Strategy. Campaign scope and priorities will also be set in line with wider departmental budget decisions.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the capacity of rail services to meet levels of demand during (a) parades, (b) football matches and (c) other events.

The Department requires its train operating companies to use all reasonable endeavours to operate adequate railway passenger services to or from any special events which are not already provided for in the base timetable, including providing an appropriate amount of passenger carrying capacity to meet the demand that is likely to arise, subject to the availability of staff, rolling stock and train paths on the network.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46010 on Speed limits, what her planned (a) timetable and (b) scope is for the forthcoming road safety strategy.

I would like to make clear that improving road safety is one of my key priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why we are developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.At the Transport Select Committee in April 2025, the Secretary of State set out that we hope to publish the Strategy later this year.

If she will take steps with (a) Stockport Council and (b) the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to provide Metrolink services to Stockport.

This Government is investing in transport improvements across our city regions, including Greater Manchester which is receiving over £1 billion through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. In line with the Government’s commitment to devolution, decisions on where to invest this funding, including whether to extend the Metrolink network, rest with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in partnership with its constituent local authorities. The Greater Manchester CRSTS programme includes a number of schemes which will transform public transport and active travel in Stockport, including initiatives focused on bus priority.

What steps her Department is taking to improve public transport services to industrial estates.

Good local bus services, including to industrial estates, are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The 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. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including 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. Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been allocated £66.3 million of this funding.Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Whether her Department has conducted feasibility studies on extending (a) Metrolink and (b) tram-train services to (i) towns and (ii) villages in Hazel Grove constituency.

This Government is investing in transport improvements across our city regions, including Greater Manchester which is receiving over £1 billion through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. In line with the Government’s commitment to devolution, decisions on where to invest this funding, including whether to conduct feasibility studies for extending Metrolink and tram-train services to towns and villages in the Hazel Grove constituency, rest with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in partnership with its constituent local authorities.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the (a) frequency and (b) reliability of rail services on the Rose Hill to Manchester Piccadilly line.

The department expects operators to match capacity and frequency of their services to demand, which can mean increased service frequency where that is the right response - although these must also be operationally sustainable and deliver value for taxpayers. Ministers have made very clear to Northern’s management that its current performance, including between Rose Hill and Manchester, is not acceptable, and that is why the Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern’s contract, issued it with a notice of breach of contract. This required Northern to produce a detailed plan to improve its services.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of irregular rail timetables on (a) employment and (b) education access in Greater Manchester.

The department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to respond to expected passenger demand, which includes understanding local demand factors such as access to employment and education. These timetables should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand.

Whether her Department plans to review speed limits on non-residential roads.

Traffic authorities (including National Highways for the Strategic Road Network) have the power to set local speed limits on the roads for which they are responsible where they consider that the national speed limit is not right for the road. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance on setting local speed limits designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.Measures to address speeding will be considered for inclusion within the forthcoming road safety strategy.

Whether her Department plans to increase the £2.50 fee charged by private parking companies for each V888/3 application to access vehicle keeper data from the DVLA to use in issuing parking charge notices.

The £2.50 fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the taxpayer. In line with Managing Public Money, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency reviews its fees regularly to ensure that fees are set to recover the costs of providing the service.

If he will support the development of a new bypass to link the A6 at Hazel Grove with the M60 at Bredbury.

This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for this country, as stated within the manifesto. Decisions on funding more generally beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review. Any assessment of the adequacy of the current or projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge is a matter for the local highway authority.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) current and (b) projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge.

This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for this country, as stated within the manifesto. Decisions on funding more generally beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review. Any assessment of the adequacy of the current or projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge is a matter for the local highway authority.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent third-party websites from misleading members of the public by imitating the DVLA online services.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses its external communication channels, including social media, to publish advice and to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the only website for government motoring services.The DVLA investigates reports of organisations which act illegally or are actively misleading users about their services. Where appropriate such sites can be and are taken down promptly.DVLA officials have regular discussions and briefings, with the National Cyber Security Centre, to assess and prevent a range of risks. The DVLA is also a longstanding user of the National Cyber Security Centre active cyber defence services and regularly uses the Netcraft takedown service for removing malicious websites.

What recent discussions she has had with the National Cyber Security Centre on (a) preventing and (b) removing scam or impersonation websites that mimic (a) the DVLA and (b) government services.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses its external communication channels, including social media, to publish advice and to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the only website for government motoring services.The DVLA investigates reports of organisations which act illegally or are actively misleading users about their services. Where appropriate such sites can be and are taken down promptly.DVLA officials have regular discussions and briefings, with the National Cyber Security Centre, to assess and prevent a range of risks. The DVLA is also a longstanding user of the National Cyber Security Centre active cyber defence services and regularly uses the Netcraft takedown service for removing malicious websites.

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing, published on 31 January 2007, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the criteria for the placement of fixed speed cameras in reducing (a) speeding and (b) road accidents.

The Department for Transport has not made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the criteria for the placement of fixed speed cameras in reducing (a) speeding and (b) road collisions. While the speed camera guidance does include criteria for placement which the police and traffic authorities may consider using, it invites authorities to set their own criteria, depending on local needs and priorities.The guidance notes that while the primary objective for camera deployment is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries, cameras can also be beneficial where there is community concern. The guidance is not mandatory; there are no Department for Transport rules preventing traffic authorities from installing speed cameras.To note, my Department uses the terms 'collision' or 'crash' rather than 'accident'.

Whether she plans to update guidance on the deployment of fixed speed cameras to allow their proactive use.

Measures to address speeding will be considered for inclusion within the forthcoming road safety strategy. The Department for Transport guidance on ‘Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing’ notes that while the primary objective for camera deployment is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries, cameras can also be beneficial where there is community concern. The authority can set its own criteria, depending on the local needs and priorities. There are no Department for Transport rules preventing traffic authorities from installing speed cameras. The Departmental guidance is not mandatory, and non-compliance does not provide any mitigation of, or defence against, any alleged offence under UK law.