Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110885 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of public funding provided per chargepoint under schemes administered by her Department.

Most public charge points have not received any public subsidy. The average amount of public funding per charge point under the closed On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), is currently approximately £3,500 for completed projects. This is subject to change as some projects have not yet completed. The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Capital Fund allocated £343m to local authorities in England and is expected to deliver at least 100,000 charge points by leveraging significant private investment alongside public funds. Information on the amount of public funding and number of charge points supported is published quarterly and available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69245447ba812a67cb6a5673/electric-vehicle-charging-device-grant-scheme-statistics-october-2025.ods

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training on the (a) quality assurance of registered driving instructor trainers and (b) ability of prospective trainer providers to establish accredited training provision.

The Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) scheme was suspended by the previous Government in November 2023. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency recognises the importance of ORBIT and will engage with the industry and discuss how and when the scheme should resume.

What methodology she uses to assess the effectiveness of pothole funding.

The Department for Transport published local road maintenance ratings on 11 January, measuring how well each local highway authority is maintaining its local roads and making use of its increased government funding. The methodology used to calculate the ratings is available online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/methodology-used-to-calculate-ratings-for-local-road-maintenanceThe Department will also be evaluating the effectiveness of its local highways maintenance funding in line with the methodologies set out in its Transport Analysis Guidance and the Treasury's Magenta Book.

What proportion of tickets sold on services operated by London North Eastern Railway in July 2024 excluding railcard discounts were at a) the fully flexible fare price, b) between 90 per cent and 100 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, c) between 80 per cent and 89.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, d) between 70 per cent and 79.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, e) between 60 per cent and 69.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, f) between 50 per cent and 59.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price, g) between 40 per cent and 49.99 per cent of the fully flexible fare price and h) below 40 per cent of the fully flexible fare price.

The Department does not hold information on the proportion of tickets sold at these price points.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116553 on the Highway Code, whether she plans to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of Rule H1.

As I set out in response to Question 116553, when the previous government introduced Highway Code rule H1 in 2022, they did not initiate or plan for any assessment of their introduction of the rule. Like the previous government, this government does not see the need to undertake any assessment of this common-sense rule on road safety.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887 on Heathrow: Expansion, when she plans to consult on proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement.

As set out in my answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 110887, the Government expects to consult on any proposed amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement by the summer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 111450, whether her Department holds information on the (a) grant funding awarded and (b) number of buses supported under each bus procurement and zero-emission bus support scheme funded in each of the last five years; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements in those schemes on tendered bus prices.

Within the last five years there has been two zero emission bus programmes funded by the Government, ZEBRA and ZEBRA 2. The following tables present information on the amount of grant funding awarded and the number of zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes, by local transport authority. The numbers in this table are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore indicative and subject to change. In relation to social value considerations, community benefit factors formed a component of assessment in ZEBRA 2. The procurement decisions and tender evaluations were then undertaken by the authorities and operators themselves, so the Department has made no further assessment of the potential impact of social value weighting requirements on tendered bus prices.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111459 on Motorways: Accidents, whether her Department plans to amend the STATS19 road traffic collision reporting system so that the type of central reservation barrier involved in collisions is recorded where relevant.

There are no plans to amend the STATS19 collection in this way.The STATS19 collection is reviewed every 5 to 10 years. The last such review commenced in 2018, with the agreed recommendations being rolled out to police force collection systems from the start of 2024, and expected to be complete during 2026.These reviews seek to balance the need for information with the burdens placed on police, bearing in mind that STATS19 is based on information available to the reporting officer at the scene of the collision rather than a detailed investigation.The date for the next STATS19 review has not yet been set. The timing is agreed by the Standing Committee for Road Injury Collision Statistics (SCRICS), which meets annually to consider whether there is sufficient need for a review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 111447 on Railways: Repairs and Maintenance, what the benefit-cost ratio is for each rail infrastructure project under construction on the Network Rail network; and what the most recent benefit-cost ratio assessments are for (i) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement scheme and (ii) the Horley Junction improvement scheme (iii) dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

Business case documents and the benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) for major schemes, including relevant schemes in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, will be published on gov.uk when the full business case is approved. BCRs are not always published until the final approval. It should be noted that BCRs are only one element of decision-making on proposed rail infrastructure projects and should be considered within the context of the five-case business model (Strategic, Economic, Financial, Commercial and Management) used in Government. The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) scheme’s Outline Business Case (OBC) had a BCR of 4.89 when the scheme was paused by the previous government in 2022. The 2019 Outline Business Case for Haughley Junction upgrades indicated a BCR of 0.5. No BCR assessment has been made of the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line at this point.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115453 on Railways: Government Assistance, what the decrease in support is expected to be in each year of the spending review period.

The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £8.47 per journey in 2024/25. It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to just over £7 per journey in 2028/29. This means an average year on year reduction of 4.3%.

When she expects the roadworks on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 to be completed.

National Highways currently anticipate completion of works on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 by the end of March 2026, subject to the findings of National Highways' own investigation into whether the drainage issues identified extend beyond the current locations.

How many driving examiner vacancies existed in (a) January 2026 and (b) February 2026.

As stated in the answer to Question 113159 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) keeps its recruitment activity under regular review to ensure it attracts applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background.The use of the GOV.UK instructor page is primarily intended to provide information and services for approved driving instructors, however, all driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs on the GOV.UK website and DVSA also publishes information about available career opportunities through its “Working for DVSA” pages on GOV.UK. DVSA does not hold centrally a snapshot of the total number of driving examiner vacancies by calendar month but continually reviews its workforce requirements in response to customer demand and operational need. Recruitment is managed through ongoing and periodic national and regional campaigns rather than fixed monthly vacancy totals.As part of this approach, DVSA has continued to run national recruitment campaigns for driving examiners, including a campaign launched in February 2026 advertising multiple driving examiner posts across the country. These campaigns are intended to address recruitment pressures and improve driving test capacity, particularly in areas with the greatest demand.

Whether DVSA has considered using the GOV.UK instructor page as a recruitment channel.

As stated in the answer to Question 113159 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) keeps its recruitment activity under regular review to ensure it attracts applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background.The use of the GOV.UK instructor page is primarily intended to provide information and services for approved driving instructors, however, all driving examiner vacancies are publicly advertised on Civil Service Jobs on the GOV.UK website and DVSA also publishes information about available career opportunities through its “Working for DVSA” pages on GOV.UK. DVSA does not hold centrally a snapshot of the total number of driving examiner vacancies by calendar month but continually reviews its workforce requirements in response to customer demand and operational need. Recruitment is managed through ongoing and periodic national and regional campaigns rather than fixed monthly vacancy totals.As part of this approach, DVSA has continued to run national recruitment campaigns for driving examiners, including a campaign launched in February 2026 advertising multiple driving examiner posts across the country. These campaigns are intended to address recruitment pressures and improve driving test capacity, particularly in areas with the greatest demand.

How much funding has been allocated to railways in Wales for Welsh Rail Enhancements for (a) UK Government Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) - or equivalent and (b) Core Valley Lines enhancement funding paid to the Welsh Government, in each of the past 5 years.

Rail enhancement investment in Wales is detailed below. UKG Enhancements comprise funding from the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline and the Levelling Up Fund. YearUKG EnhancementsCVL Enhancement Funding paid to Welsh Goverment2020/21£16 million£141 million2021/22£10 millionnil2022/23£12 millionnil2023/24£21 millionnil2024/25£32 millionnilThe Funding and Outputs Agreement (2018), between the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers, committed the UK Government to contribute £125m in 2014 prices to the costs of the Core Valley Lines infrastructure enhancement scheme. An agreed inflated figure of £141.25 million was implemented as a budget transfer to the Welsh Government in financial year 2020/21. UKG Enhancement spend for 2023/24 comprised £19 million from RNEP and £2 million from LUF. UKG Enhancement spend for 2024/25 comprised £30.5 million from RNEP and £1.5 million from LUF.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115060, what examples her Department has identified of (a) decarbonisation of road maintenance operations and (b) preventative lower-carbon treatments referred to in Metric 9 of the Methodology used to calculate ratings for local road maintenance; and if she will publish the evidential basis for their inclusion in that metric.

Examples of activities relevant under this metric include the more efficient management of vehicle movements to both increase operational efficiency and cut carbon emissions. They also include the greater adoption of preventative road surface treatments, such as preservation, rejuvenation or surface dressing. These techniques keep roads in good condition for longer and prevent potholes, while also reducing carbon emissions and costs. The Local Government Association published guidance for local highway authorities last year, which provides an overview of different road resurfacing techniques and sets out the benefits of preventative techniques in terms of higher value for money, reduced disruption to residents, and lower carbon emissions. The guidance is available online, at: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/improving-highways-maintenance-productivity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113833, what consideration her Department has given to introducing a national standard definition of a pothole, including minimum size and safety thresholds.

The Well‑managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, which is in the process of being updated, advises that local highway authorities should use a risk‑based approach when assessing and repairing defects. The Code does not define a national pothole size or threshold; instead, it recommends that each authority determine its own intervention criteria based on local circumstances, usage and risk. This reflects the fact that local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115554 on Great British Railways: Finance, whether she plans to publish the (a) internal modelling, (b) business case documentation and (c) analytical assessments which informed the forecast that corporate initiatives under the Department’s Efficiency Plan will deliver net savings in 2028–29.

The Department has no plans to publish the internal modelling or initial business case development which informed the savings from corporate initiatives in the Department’s Efficiency Plan.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of remote access and deactivation capability in Chinese-manufactured electric buses on (a) cybersecurity and (b) publicly funded zero-emission bus procurement.

The Government takes national security extremely seriously and recognises the systemic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including electric buses. The Department works closely with the transport sector and other government department to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities for all transport modes. The department introduced two new regulations in November 2025: one to strengthen vehicle cybersecurity and one on software updates (UN Reg 155 and UN Reg 156). The cybersecurity regulation sets out requirements to mitigate potential threats in vehicle construction, to monitor emerging threats and to respond to cyber-attacks. The software updating regulation sets out requirements for upgrading software in a safe and secure manner, that is documented and the vehicle's user is fully informed throughout the process. As part of the National Security Strategy the government is also bolstering our cyber and economic security defences. For example, the national security powers in the Procurement Act 2023 allow the Government to exclude suppliers from public sector procurement, terminate their contracts and debar them from future ones. These powers target risk from individual suppliers – not specific countries – and will be used proportionately based on the threat posed. We are aware of recent reports from Norway concerning an electric bus manufacturer. Officials are investigating these, and the Transport Secretary will update the Transport Committee once the work is complete.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115062, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in business rates on planned private sector investment in Channel Tunnel rail services.

The 2026 business rates revaluation, which is a continuing process, is a matter for the operationally independent Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The VOA is due to publish its final ratings list this Spring.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115052, whether permitting (a) contractors to issue fixed penalty notices under bus byelaws for profit and (b) payment structures linked to the number of fines issued are being considered for the guidance for local transport authorities under the Bus Services Act 2025.

The guidance for local transport authorities on the byelaws provisions in the Bus Services Act 2025 is still being developed and will be published in due course.