Written questions by Timothy.

What fiscal steps her Department is taking to encourage careers in aviation.

The Department for Transport encourages careers in the aviation industry through its Generation Aviation programme. The Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund, a part of the Generation Aviation programme, administered by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), funds outreach activity with the aim of showcasing career paths, boosting skills and futureproofing the aviation sector. The Department also funds the CAA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme. The STEM programme is aimed at growing interest in aviation careers through identifying and addressing barriers and growing and diversifying the talent pool. Since the inception of both programmes, the Department has committed close to £6 million in funding, reaching over one million young people.

If she will publish the responses to the 2025 consultation on the driving test booking system.

The response has been published and can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/outcome/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules-response-to-consultation.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance of East Cambridgeshire District Council with her Department's guidance on the provision of restricted private hire vehicle licences.

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards for restricted private hire vehicle licences issued by local authorities.

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on whether to undertake a (a) consultation and (b) safeguarding assessment in the context of the application of vehicle plate-exemption powers.

The best practice guidance issued by the Department to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England advises that private hire vehicles should only exempt the display of a licence plate by a private hire vehicle in exceptional circumstances. This might include vehicles used for ‘executive hire’ services which are services licensed as private hire vehicles and licensing authorities should assure themselves that there is sufficient justification to exempt these vehicles from a requirement to display a plate or disc and that there is an effective means to prevent the vehicle being used for ‘normal’ private hire work.In relation to the requirement to consult, the guidance sets out that licensing authorities should consult on proposed changes in licensing rules that may have significant impacts on passengers and/or the trade. Such consultation should include not only all taxi and private hire vehicle licensees but also groups likely to be the trades’ customers.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of passengers with a London Freedom Pass being able to travel for free in areas where the eligibility for free travel is set at an older age.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently 66. In London, the Older Person's Freedom Pass is eligible to all London residents over the age of 66, which is the statutory eligibility for the ENCTS as set out in legislation. This therefore means that there would be no instance where a passholder of London's Older Person Freedom Pass would be using their pass in an area where the eligibility for free travel is set at a higher age. Residents who live in a London borough and are aged 60 or over are eligible for the 60+ London Oyster photocard. This concession enables passholders to travel for free on Transport for London (TfL) services and cannot be used to board services outside of London, with the exception of a small number of National Rail services connecting into London. This is an additional concession, funded and delivered at the discretion of TfL.

If her Department will take steps to raise awareness of road safety for drivers when overtaking cyclists.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK!social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders, and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.

What information her Department holds on the number of charging points scheduled to be built in each year from 2025 to 2035.

As of 1 May 2025, there are 79,326 publicly available charging devices, up 30% on this time last year. We expect the majority of public chargepoints to be delivered by the private sector, with industry announcing over £6bn in charging infrastructure investment before 2030.While the Government does not hold data on the number of chargepoints scheduled to be built annually, Government investment will continue to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure. Over 100,000 local chargepoints are expected to be delivered through the £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund alone, alongside grants to support the installation of chargepoints in certain residential and commercial properties as well as businesses, charities and public sector organisations.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) businesses and (b) public services of building charging points for electric vehicles in each year between 2025 and 2035.

As of May 2025, there are 79,326 publicly available charging devices, up 30% on this time last year. We expect the majority of public chargepoints to be delivered by the private sector, with industry announcing over £6bn in charging infrastructure investment before 2030. Government investment will continue to address market failures and accelerate the rollout of public charging infrastructure. Government confirmed in the Autumn Budget further investment of over £200 million in 2025-26 to accelerate EV chargepoint rollout across the country.

What information her Department holds on the number of charging points for electric vehicles that have been built in each year since 2015, broken down by local authority.

The information requested is not available. The Department does hold and publish the number of public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK by local authority as of the first day of the month each quarter from 2019 onwards. This information can be found in the attached table.

What discussions (a) ministers, (b), special advisors and (c) officials in her Department have had with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on the implementation of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate.

Ministers from across Government regularly meet to discuss the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including policies to increase levels of ZEV ownership and the ZEV Mandate. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles is a joint office between the Department for Transport and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and reports to Ministers in both departments in relation to the transition to zero emission vehicles.

What discussions (a) ministers, (b) special advisors and (c) officials in her Department have had with (i) Distribution Network Operators and (ii) National Grid on the power capacity of grid infrastructure to support charging points for electric vehicles.

In line with our ambitions for a zero emission car, van, and HGV fleet, the Government is working with industry to make all charging easy, fast and reliable. The Department for Transport regularly engages with Distribution Network Operators, and with National Grid on work related to accelerating the delivery of chargepoint infrastructure. This includes discussions on power capacity and grid infrastructure required to meet growing demand for EV charging. In March, I met with Distribution Network Operators, along with other industry groups, such as motorway service area operators and chargepoint operators, to understand industry’s perspective on improving charging on the Strategic Road Network (England’s motorways and major A roads).

If she will make an assessment of the impact of her policies on electric vehicle charging companies’ (a) pricing and (b) subscription models.

The Government is committed to ensuring public charging is affordable for all. Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, chargepoint operators are required to clearly provide the price of charging at public chargepoints in pence per kilowatt hour. While this does not cap the cost of charging or require chargepoint operators to use a specific pricing model, it does ensure consistency in the way prices are displayed, making it easy for drivers to compare public chargepoints and choose the best rate.

How many (a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) hydrogen, (d) hybrid, (e) plug-in hybrid and (f) fully electric vehicles were purchased by National Highways in each year since 2014.

The number of vehicles purchased by National Highways since 2014, broken down by engine type, is as follows: No. Vehicles Purchased by Engine TypeYearPetrolDieselHydrogenHybridPlug-In HybridFully Electric201401000020150240000201605400002017010000201801950000201902280036020200104003802021012000128120220131001751920230200195182024012007574

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26900 on Highways England: Vehicles, whether her Department plans to sell National Highway’s (a) diesel and (b) plug-in hybrid vehicles before 2027; and when those vehicles were purchased.

Operational decisions on its vehicle fleet are made by National Highways; the fleet replacement strategy is to retain vehicles for an operational period of around 3 to 4 years, subject to factors such as mileage, general condition, and suitability for ongoing operational use. National Highways contracts with vehicle disposal agents that use auction services to repurpose and sell its vehicles at the end of their operational life. The table below details the current number of diesel and plug-in hybrid vehicles which were added to National Highways’ fleet (by year, since 2018) to align with the governments’ Road to Zero Strategy for vehicle replacements. On fleet dateNumber of VehiclesFuel Type20181Diesel0PHEV20195Diesel2PHEV20205Diesel15PHEV20210Diesel128PHEV20220Diesel174PHEV20230Diesel195PHEV20240Diesel75PHEV

How many vehicles were purchased by National Highways by car manufacturer in each year since 2014.

The number of vehicles purchased, per year since 2014 and by car manufacturer, by National Highways is on the attached table.

If she will make an estimate of what the level of carbon emissions from National Highways will be in each year between 2025 and 2040.

National Highways set-out its ambitions for putting roads at the heart of Britain’s net zero future within its ‘Net zero highways: our 2030 / 2040 / 2050 plan’ published in 2021. This includes details on emissions reductions goals and the steps that National Highways will take within the period 2025 to 2040. Additionally, the ‘Strategic road network initial report: 2025-2030’, published in 2023, proposes how National Highways in the next five years will specifically support the third road investment strategy (RIS3) development objective of improved environmental outcomes, set out in the ‘Planning Ahead for the Strategic Road Network’ document. The contribution of RIS3 to National Highways’ carbon emissions will be considered as part of the underpinning analysis when RIS3 is set later in 2025.

How many vehicles in the National Highways fleet are aged (a) up to one year, (b) between one and two years, (c) between three and five years and (d) older than five years.

The National Highways fleet consists of:147 vehicles aged up to one year;195 vehicles aged between one and two years;708 vehicles aged between three and five years; and108 vehicles older than five years. National Highways continues to manage its fleet efficiently to ensure operational effectiveness and value for money.

What the value was of vehicles (a) purchased and (b) sold by National Highways in each year since 2014.

The value of vehicles purchased and sold by National Highways since 2014 is broken down as follows: YearTotal Vehicle SpendTotal Revenue from Vehicle Sales2014£34,640.3002015£773,767.3002016£2,145,237.4802017£48,811.5002018£11,556,927.8802019£17,113,959.8902020£17,576,940.21£150,802.732021£25,525,278.82£823,805.282022£29,611,298.66£3,303,299.372023£12,515,348.93£2,195,094.382024£11,352,979.81£1,603,758.81

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27405 on Highways England: Carbon Emissions, what the carbon emissions were by (a) source and (b) activity in each year since 2014.

Below is a breakdown of National Highways’ (NH) Carbon Emissions, covering the period 2021/22 to 2023/24.Carbon emissions prior to this were not reported to this level and are not available.YearBreakdown by activity/source2021-22 Activity/emission sourcetCO2eElectricity (kWh used)39,797Building heating (kWh used)4,584Fleet (miles travelled)4,159Business travel (miles travelled)1,848Total50,3882022-23 Activity/emission sourcetCO2eElectricity (kWh used)35,165Building heating (kWh used)4,770Fleet (miles travelled)2,887Business travel (miles travelled)1,987Total44,8092023-24 Activity/emission sourcetCO2eElectricity (kWh used)35,840Building heating (kWh used)5,029Fleet (miles travelled)2,212Business travel (miles travelled)2,185Total45,266