Written questions by Wilkinson.

Whether her Department (a) is undertaking research projects and (b) has issued recent guidance on best practice on pothole repairs.

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew the local highway network. As well as providing highway maintenance capital funding allocations to local highway authorities in England, it also funds the Transport Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG) programme, run jointly with the Connected Places Catapult, and is funding the £30 million “Live Labs” Decarbonising Roads programme, which enables local authorities to trial innovative low-carbon ways of maintaining their highway networks. In addition to the funding that the Department provides to local highway authorities, it endorses guidance such as the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure. This recommends that local highway authorities take an integrated, risk-based approach to managing their highway infrastructure, and offers advice on all aspects of highway maintenance, including the frequency of inspections recommended for various types of structures. The Department has committed to updating this guidance and has begun scoping changes with the UKRLG.

Whether she plans to take steps to improve the regulation of electrically assisted pedal cycles to (a) assist police with enforcement and (b) clarify the law for the public.

There are no immediate plans to amend the regulations on electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs). The previous administration consulted on potential changes to regulations, including increasing the maximum power of an EAPC from 250 to 500 Watts, but the Government has decided against this. More broadly, the Government’s White Paper on English Devolution, published in December 2024, included proposals for greater powers for Local Transport Authorities to manage EAPC rental schemes and to tackle the scourge of badly parked cycles and e-cycles. In addition, the Government will be bringing forward new legislation to enable the police to take vehicles, including EAPCs, off the road more quickly where they are being ridden in an anti-social manner, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them. Finally, the Department published updated information for the public in December 2024 on the legal use of EAPCs, which is available on gov.uk. It is for the police to take enforcement action where these rules are not followed.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential economic impact of the disruption to rail services between Cheltenham and London during the construction of Old Oak Common station on affected (a) consumers and (b) businesses.

Old Oak Common is essential to support the Government’s growth mission. We recognise the potential economic impact that disruption could have, and my department continues to work with Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies to align works and minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line during the construction of the new station. We are also using standard industry precedents to manage enhancements on the network including compensating industry bodies.

What steps her Department is taking to mitigate (a) cancellations and (b) delays to rail between Cheltenham and London during the construction period for Old Oak Common station.

The department continues to work closely with HS2, Network Rail, GWR, TfL and Heathrow Express to mitigate the impacts of Old Oak Common construction. This aims to minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line during the construction of the new station and during its operation, including through investing £30m to ensure that passenger services can continue to operate.

Whether she plans to implement the policies in her Department's policy paper entitled The plan for drivers, published on 2 October 2023.

“The Plan for Drivers” was published by the previous government. The Department is considering the measures within it in the light of this Government’s priorities.

What assessment she has made of the impact of train cancellations by Great Western Railway on passengers travelling to and from Cheltenham Spa station on (a) weekdays and (b) weekends.

The Rail Minister recently met with Great Western Railway and Network Rail Western route to review recent performance and made it clear that both organisations must address issues contributing to cancellations. Officials continue to monitor both organisations’ performance against targets and when performance falls below these, appropriate action will be taken to address this.