Written questions by Martin.

What her expected timeline is for (a) hedgegrow maintenance and (b) vegetation clearance along the A21 in the Lamberhurst area.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning. Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21. The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users. Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

Whether the A21 Safety Package will address visibility issues.

National Highways’ South Central Route Strategy recognises the current pressures and future needs of the A21 in Kent particularly around journey time reliability and safety. National Highways will consider the case and priority for further improvements to the route as part of its future investment planning. Regarding hedgerow maintenance, National Highways regularly inspects the A21 to ensure safety and maintain vegetation. Hedge maintenance and clearance are carried out on a schedule to balance safety and environmental needs. For hedgerows, work is typically done outside the bird nesting season, from October to February. Shrubs are maintained every three years, and woodland is managed every seven years. Where responsibilities for maintenance falls to landowners, National Highways intends to raise awareness about vegetation clearance with residents living along the A21. The A21 Safety Package is a series of schemes to improve safety along the route which includes among others junction improvements, changes to speed limits, improved signage and road markings, and improvements to road visibility. On the issue of visibility, where this was identified as a risk during the design stage, the interventions being delivered will address that. For example, work has been undertaken to improve visibility at Vinehall School, where visibility was identified as a factor to the conflicting movement at the exit/entrance of the school. National Highways undertook clearance works to improve the visibility splay, which was completed in the last financial year. In November 2024 National Highways undertook vegetation clearance at Riverhill lay-bay to help make the lay-bay more visible to the users. Finally, as with all the safety measures, National Highways will carry out a post implementation analysis to evaluate the safety interventions undertaken on the A21. Post analysis normally includes a road safety audit which provides an effective, independent review of the road safety implications of the interventions for all road users. Evaluation usually happens 12-18 months after the intervention and the metrics measured will vary depending on the type of intervention.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 15980 on Gatwick Airport, whether the previous Secretary of State for Transport met with groups opposing Gatwick Airport expansion.

The previous Secretary of State for Transport did not meet with groups opposing Gatwick Airport expansion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 15981 on Gatwick Airport, whether the previous Secretary of State for Transport met with representatives of Gatwick Airport to discuss the proposed expansion.

The previous Secretary of State did not meet with representatives of Gatwick Airport to discuss the proposed expansion.

If her Department will take steps to help local authorities speed-up the processing of blue badges.

The Department for Transport sets the legislation that governs the Blue Badge scheme and provides guidance for local authorities who are solely responsible for administering the scheme, including issuing the badges. There are no timescales set for administering applications other than a suggested guideline that issuing authorities should aim to complete end to end applications within 12 weeks. 80% of citizens apply for a badge from their local authority using the Blue Badge Digital Service (BBDS) operated by the Department for Transport. The Department has a programme of continuous improvement of the digital service with the aim of making online badge applications quicker and easier for applicants and local authorities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2024 to Question 15348 on Gatwick Airport: Noise, what measures the Aviation Night Noise Effects study will use to investigate the potential impact of flight noise on children's (a) sleep quality and (b) health and development.

The Aviation Night Noise Effects study has been developed to examine the relationship between exposure to night-time aviation noise and sleep disturbance and annoyance in adults and has not been designed to investigate effects on children.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact on public safety of proposals to expand use of the emergency runway at Gatwick airport for commercial flights.

A proposal to expand use of the northern runway at Gatwick Airport is currently subject to a live application for a Development Consent Order, which will be determined by my Department. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment but all relevant matters, including safety and noise, will be thoroughly considered before a decision is issued, the statutory deadline for which is 27 February 2025.

How many times she has met with representatives of Gatwick Airport to discuss the proposed expansion.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not met with representatives of Gatwick Airport to discuss the proposed expansion at the airport.

What recent discussions she has had with campaign groups opposing the expansion of Gatwick airport.

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with campaign groups opposing the expansion of Gatwick Airport.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of night-time flight noise on wildlife living in Gatwick Airport's flight path.

A proposal to expand use of the northern runway at Gatwick Airport is currently subject to a live application for a Development Consent Order, which will be determined by my Department. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment but all relevant matters, including safety and noise, will be thoroughly considered before a decision is issued, the statutory deadline for which is 27 February 2025.

What discussions she has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on steps to ensure that airspace modernisation around Gatwick airport leads to a reduction in noise levels for residents.

The department has regular engagement with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to monitor the effective delivery of airspace modernisation and drive forward the environmental benefits of the programme.In its role as independent regulator, the CAA ensures that all airspace change proposals (ACPs) adhere to the CAP1616 process. CAP1616 sets out how sponsors of airspace change, such as Gatwick Airport, must consider the impacts of noise on the local communities, ensuring sufficient consultation takes place with those potentially affected.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of night-time flight noise on the health of residents living in Gatwick airport's flight path.

The Government sets noise-related restrictions at Gatwick, including a limit on the number of night flights. The noise impacts of the airport are assessed annually. The Department for Transport has commissioned the Aviation Night Noise Effects study to explore how annoyance and sleep disturbance impacts vary at different times of the night. The final results are expected to be published in Autumn 2026.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce emissions by increasing the use of public transport.

This Government is committed to delivering greener transport and supporting the missions to kickstart economic growth and to make Britain a clean energy superpower. The Department is working across government and the transport sector to turn this vision to reality. This includes beginning the overhaul of public transport services and accelerating active travel infrastructure deployment. Changes that will make lower-carbon options an attractive choice for most people.