Written questions by Law.

If she will take steps to consolidate online train ticket providers as part of her plans to bring train operating companies into public ownership.

Once Great British Railways is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. This will take place alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail. The Railways Bill consultation took place in the Spring. As part of this process, the government consulted closely with industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders including in relation to the future of the rail retail market. A formal update will be provided in due course and we will work closely with stakeholders to ensure transition plans are as smooth as possible.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that accessibility improvements at railway stations can still be delivered in cases where applications to the Access for All scheme are unsuccessful because that scheme is over-subscribed.

Accessibility improvements at stations are delivered in a variety of ways, in addition to those funded via the Access for All programme. Whenever the industry installs, replaces or renews station infrastructure, this must meet current accessibility standards. In addition, accessibility improvements can be developed and funded locally, in partnership with Network Rail and train operators. If there are any sources of funding that can be identified locally, for example from s106 monies, that would also be a way of bringing accessibility at stations further forward.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increased funding for transport infrastructure on economic growth.

Growth is this government’s top priority and formed a fundamental part of the analysis informing the Spending Review. Our significant investment in transport infrastructure will deliver a step-change in transport connectivity across the country, which is vital for economic growth. It boosts productivity by reducing travel time for businesses; widening access to markets and supporting trade; better matching workers’ skills to high quality jobs; and increasing the economic density of the country.

What steps she is taking to (a) support the development of battery-electrified trains and (b) ensure that those trains are made using British critical minerals.

The Government is supporting the development of battery-electric trains as they are an integral part of the plan to decarbonise the railway network by 2050. This includes innovative projects such as the Greenford fast-charge battery train trial, a recent battery trial on a TransPennine Express unit, as well as the full deployment of multi-mode trains with batteries by Transport for Wales and Merseyrail. We are progressing work on a whole systems approach to decarbonisation, ensuring both track and train are considered.The Government published a Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, which sets out its approach for ensuring the secure supply of critical minerals for key technologies including batteries.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum sentence for (a) failing to stop at and (b) report a road accident, known as hit and run accidents, from six months to ten years.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options, including possible changes to motoring offences.