Written questions by Holden.

What expenditure National Highways has undertaken on i) public affairs and ii) lobbying companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.

From July 2024 to 18 May 2026, National Highways spent £280,921 on its technical professional services’ public affairs contract. This contract supports National Highways’ duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of national and regional representatives and stakeholders are informed and engaged with its work to operate and improve the Strategic Road Network.

What progress Network Rail has made on improving passenger mobile connectivity through the upgrade from GSM-R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System; and what the planned timeline is for that upgrade.

Awaiting answer.

What the evidential basis was for not exempting large islands such as the Isle of Wight from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks affecting the rail sector.

The Department for Transport (DfT) views the cyber security of the rail sector as a priority, working across Government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policy to ensure the cyber security and resilience of our essential services.DfT uses both policy and regulatory levers to support the rail sector to effectively manage cyber risk and assist the sector to secure its networks and systems. We work closely with partners across UK government and law enforcement, the rail industry, and others to continuously assess and mitigate emerging cyber threats to the sector.As Competent Authority under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, DfT is committed to working with rail operators to strengthen protection against cyber threats and improve preparedness. We will use the implementation of the Cyber Security and Resilience (NIS) Bill to further strengthen our regulatory powers, improve incident reporting, and expand the type of entities in scope.

With reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for the Haughley Junction upgrades.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

If she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in a) February 2026; b) March 2026; c) April 2026 and d) May 2026.

The answer to questions 122397 (31 March 2026) and 127873 (24 April 2026) provide the monthly average car practical driving test waiting time data (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for each driving test centre in February and March 2026 respectively. The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00068472) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for April 2026. Data for May 2026 will be available in June 2026. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also records national median waiting time data (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for practical car driving tests. The national median waiting time for a practical car driving test in February, March and April 2026 is shown in the table below. MonthNational median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken)February 202610.6 weeksMarch 20269.0 weeksApril 20269.1 weeks This data, broken down by driving test centre, is currently not available for February, March and April 2026.

With reference to her Department's press release published on 25 March 2026 entitled £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads, how much of the £1 billion announced funding package is allocated to (a) zero emission vehicle purchase grants and (b) charging infrastructure support.

Of the £1 billion out to 2030 announced on 25 March 2026, £877 million is for zero emission vehicle purchase grants through the Zero Emission Truck Grant and Zero Emission Van Grant. £171 million is for infrastructure support through the Depot Charging Scheme.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing formal trigger mechanisms or objective thresholds for future slot alleviation measures relating to aviation fuel disruption.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 128563 on Avanti West Coast: Internet, what timetable has been set for (a) the upgrade of onboard Wi-Fi systems across Avanti West Coast services and (b) the rollout of laser window etching technology across the Class 390 fleet; what minimum performance standards for (i) speed, (b) reliability and (iii) other elements of onboard Wi-Fi operators are required to meet under the Service Quality Regime; on how many occasions Avanti West Coast has failed to meet those standards in the last 12 months; what financial penalties have been applied as a result; what the expected timetable is for the procurement and deployment of low earth orbit satellite connectivity on services on the West Coast Main Line; and whether improvements delivered through Project Reach will include the full route between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston.

The work to upgrade Avanti West Coast (AWC) Wi-Fi systems is expected to be complete by Spring 2027 but this is subject to contractual agreement with suppliers. The AWC window etching project is due to complete testing by the end of March 2027, with full fleet fitment commencing in Financial Year 2027/2028. In the Service Quality Regime (SQR), independent auditors test Wi‑Fi availability by attempting to connect to the internet using onboard Wi-Fi when inspecting a carriage. SQR does not assess against minimum standards for connection speed. The results represent a sample of the service rather than a continuous assessment of Wi-Fi performance. Onboard Wi‑Fi forms one element of a broader “Trains: Information” area, within which performance is assessed against a benchmark. Over the last 13 periods, AWC have averaged a score of 99.37% for the SQR Wi-Fi measure. AWC can earn a fee based on their overall performance across all train measures, which includes Wi-Fi. Performance payments for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years are currently being calculated and independently verified and will be published in due course. The Department secured funding as part of the Spending Review to use low earth orbit satellite connectivity to improve on train Wi-Fi for our passengers on main line trains, including across the West Coast Main Line. As part of Project Reach, we will also improve the mobile signal in tunnels along the West Coast Main Line.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125015 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of immobilisation devices unlawfully removed from vehicles.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with its national wheel clamping contractor to monitor where wheel clamps have been forcibly removed and to identify patterns of concern.When a vehicle is clamped, the registered keeper can secure the vehicle’s release by paying the required fee within 24 hours. In areas where the unlawful removal of immobilisation devices is a known issue the contractor will, where possible, immediately remove vehicles to reduce the risk of the clamp being removed unlawfully.Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems alert enforcement officers where there is a previous history of the clamp being removed so that immediate removal of the vehicle can be arranged.Measures to strengthen the securing chains on wheel clamps are also being considered to increase resistance to tampering. While this will not completely prevent deliberate damage, it is expected to significantly increase the time required to remove a clamp and so increase the likelihood of the offender being detected.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125029 on Department for Transport: Annual Reports, in respect of the £398 million Capital DEL expenditure attributed to the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group in 2024-25, if she will publish (a) a breakdown of the projects and programmes funded, (b) the amount allocated to each project, (c) a description of the purpose and remit of that Group, including its organisational structure, and (d) the planned Capital DEL and Resource DEL budget for that Group in 2025-26.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Netherlands Antilles; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What the average number of days taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reach a licensing decision was in cases where a medical condition required investigation, in each month from January 2024 to April 2026.

The table below shows the average number of days to make a licensing decision for driving licence applications where a medical condition required investigation before a licence could be issued in each month from January 2024 to March 2026. The final figures for April 2026 are not yet available. 2024Group 1 (car and motorcycle)Group 2 (lorry and bus)January50.950.6February46.349.3March43.348.9April41.935.0May37.534.1June51.146.9July45.749.4August43.340.1September43.341.0October46.147.3November43.440.0December45.346.72025 January46.146.3February42.740.6March45.540.6April41.643.5May42.341.5June48.137.9July54.439.1August49.341.7September52.549.0October78.455.8November80.347.7December73.247.02026 January59.742.5February71.446.3March55.956.2 Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer than applications where there is no medical condition as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued. The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal, so most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Lebanon; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

What the monthly average waiting time was for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre and zone for a) March and b) April 2026.

The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066787) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre, and zone, for March 2026. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available. Data for April 2026 will be available in May 2026. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also records national median waiting time data (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for practical car driving tests. In March 2026 this was 9 weeks. This data, broken down by test centre and zone, is currently not available for March and April 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 126073, when the forthcoming guidance from Active Travel England will be published.

On 25 March, Active Travel England set out the intention to publish guidance during 2026 to help authorities design safer streets for women and girls.

Pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 118274 on M1: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the roadworks on the M1 northbound between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed.

Repairs to the central reservation drainage on the M1 (Northbound) between junctions 12 and 13 have been completed. All traffic management was removed on 30 March 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117050 on A34: Safety, whether the road marking renewal works on the A34 from Chieveley to the M40 have now been completed; and if she will provide an updated timetable for completion if those works remain ongoing.

The programme of road marking renewal works on the A34 between Chieveley and the M40 is largely complete. One remaining closure is still required to complete the final element of the works, and National Highways is working with the local highway authority to minimise disruption. All remaining works should be complete by the summer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.

There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund these through the budgets agreed.