Written questions by Maskell.

Whether she is taking steps to change the licensing of taxis in the context of the Casey Review.

The Government response to Baroness Casey’s report committed to legislate to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing. The power was approved by the House of Commons, and the Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords. If passed, national minimum standards would enable government to set robust standards for licensing right across England, to keep vulnerable children and, indeed, all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel. This is an important first step and the Department continues to consider further options for reform. The Government is consulting on making all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and PHV licensing. Administering licensing across larger areas would further increase consistency in licensing and enable better resourced authorities to make better use of their enforcement powers.

Whether the upgrade of York Station will ensure that the East and West entrances are fully accessible.

As part of any future work to develop York Station, we will work closely with Network Rail to ensure that entrances adhere to accessibility standards.

Whether plans are being developed to upgrade York Station.

The government has announced as part of phase one of Northern Powerhouse Rail that it will deliver upgrades between Leeds and York Station in the 2030s. This will be aligned with work being undertaken by Network Rail to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line. We will ensure a coherent plan for the area, building on the work already in hand as part of York Central to maximise the growth opportunities through development and redesign of York Station.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protections against assaults at work for public transport workers.

There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts. The British Transport Police have a specific remit to protect all rail staff and passengers. Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We therefore do not believe that any further legal protections are necessary or would reduce assaults.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a standalone offence of assaulting a public transport worker.

There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts. The British Transport Police have a specific remit to protect all rail staff and passengers. Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We therefore do not believe that creating a specific offence would have the intended purpose of reducing assaults.

What discussions she has had with the Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail and British Transport Police on the potential merits of a standalone offence of assaulting a public transport worker.

There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts. The railway has its own dedicated police force in the British Transport Police (BTP), to protect rail staff and passengers. Officials from my Department engage regularly with Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail and BTP, and have highlighted that public transport workers already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We do not consider that a standalone offence is necessary, or will have the desired outcome of reducing assaults.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposed disapplication of Section 132 of the Highways Act 1980 on public safety.

My Department has made no such proposal. It is for local authorities to determine how to use the powers at their disposal, including those within the Highways Act 1980.

With reference to page 141 of the report entitled National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June 2025, what steps she plans to take to close the loophole that enables taxi drivers to apply for a license in one area and operate in another.

The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities, including combined authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

If she will take steps to ensure that only taxis regulated in a specific (a) combined authority or (b) local authority area will be able to pick up customers from that area.

The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities, including combined authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

If she will take steps to ensure that all taxi drivers undertake safeguarding training.

The Department for Transport’s statutory guidance, published in 2020, to licensing authorities on how they should use their powers to protect children and vulnerable adults recommends that they should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Licensing authorities must have regard to the statutory guidance, and we expect the recommendations to be implemented unless there is a compelling local reason not to. As of 1 April 2024, 96% of licensing authorities in England required the taxi and private hire vehicle drivers they license to undergo awareness training on child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing DfT guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account. In response to the recommendation made in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Report in respect of taxis and private hire vehicles, my department has committed to legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We are working quickly to consider all options, including national standards, seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety. It is highly likely that any national standards would be subject to consultation, with the existing statutory guidance recommendations, including safeguarding training for drivers, providing the starting point for any future national standards.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to create an offence of assaulting a transport worker.

There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker; everyone should be, and feel, safe whilst working. The Government values the commitment of everyone who works in the public transport sector ensuring the continued running of all the vital services which people rely on daily.Assault is already an offence, and when prosecuting assaults, the courts must already consider offences against public-facing workers such as transport staff as an aggravating factor when sentencing, in line with the provision in the Police, Crime and Sentencing 2022 Act.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing levels of funding for the British Transport Police.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.

What her plans are for future funding arrangements for British Transport Police (a) during and (b) after the transition to Great British Railways.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set currently set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. We anticipate that the level of funding for the BTP during the transition to and commencement of Great British Railways will similarly balance the needs of the industry and the force against public sector affordability.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43941 on Taxis: Licensing, when she plans to complete her consideration of options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.

The Department for Transport will consult shortly on whether to make all Local Transport Authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. We believe administering the regime at this higher level would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers. Greater economies of scale could also enable authorities to improve the efficiency of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. Addressing these issues should reduce the factors that induce people to license out of their usual working area.

If she will consider extending funding for disabled bus passes to include journeys made before 9:30am.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps. Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS. 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. York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £12.7 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

If she will make it her policy to ban price surging in the taxi trade.

The Government keeps all policies under review and is aware of stakeholder concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles. To increase consistency in standards, the Department for Transport issues guidance to all licensing authorities in England. The Government is considering how to improve the current regulatory position even further, whilst still enabling the sector to deliver safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.

If she will take steps to introduce (a) enhanced and (b) consistent standards for taxi licensing across all local authorities.

The Government keeps all policies under review and is aware of stakeholder concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles. To increase consistency in standards, the Department for Transport issues guidance to all licensing authorities in England. The Government is considering how to improve the current regulatory position even further, whilst still enabling the sector to deliver safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.

What steps she is taking to end cross-border hiring practices by licensed taxis.

The Government keeps all policies under review and is aware of stakeholder concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles. To increase consistency in standards, the Department for Transport issues guidance to all licensing authorities in England. The Government is considering how to improve the current regulatory position even further, whilst still enabling the sector to deliver safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.