Written questions by Holden.

When she plans to publish the new Road Safety Strategy.

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Our Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish by the end of the year.

What assessment has been made of the decision to defer work on the Handsacre link on journey times between London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow; and what impact this will have on the overall economic case for HS2.

HS2 Ltd has extended the deferral of works between Birmingham and Handsacre, in place since spring 2023, to focus efforts on the cost-efficient delivery of the opening stage of HS2 between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street. Given the Department remains committed to delivering Phase 1 in full, including the Handsacre link to the West Coast Main Line, the deferral is not expected to have any impact on journey time improvements between London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow once delivery is complete.The deferral will enable the delivery of HS2’s opening stage as soon as possible and at the lowest reasonable cost to taxpayers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2025 to Question 76334 on Driving Licences: Moldova, if her Department will publish the technical evaluation undertaken by the (a) DVLA and (b) DVSA on Moldovan driving test standards; what the date was of that assessment; and whether any independent verification was sought.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) initially assessed the current driver testing standards in Moldova in December 2022. When DVSA receives an application from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency under the mutual exchange of driving licences, DVSA carries out an evaluation from its own panel of subject matter experts. This panel has the expertise in each of the categories of driving test and licence exchange being applied for. External evaluation is not sought as part of this process.

How many officers are currently assigned to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service; what that Service’s annual budget is for the 2025-26 financial year; and what discussions she has had with that Service on the adequacy of its capacity to tackle organised HGV and freight thefts.

We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. This Government is determined to crack down on it.The Government does not fund the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS). NaVCIS is funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement.My officials have regular discussions with key partners, including Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, and NaVCIS about tackling organised freight crime.

Whether her Department plans to allocate further funding for HGV driver welfare and parking infrastructure from (a) the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme and (b) other schemes.

Through the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme the Department and industry partners are projected to deliver up to £35.7m of joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. This significant investment is in addition to joint investment by National Highways and industry of up to a further £30 million, aimed at improving lorry parking facilities along the strategic road network. There are no plans for further windows of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme. Funding for further lorry parking improvements is planned for the third road investment strategy (RIS3) as part of the Customer and Community Designated Funds, subject to confirmation National Highways RIS3 settlement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78701 on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, what proportion of that £6.5 billion funding was spent specifically on pothole repairs; what the real-terms change in funding was for local highway maintenance between 2019-20 and 2025-26, and what share of that funding was allocated to authorities outside City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement areas.

I have since issued a written ministerial correction to clarify that the Department allocated approximately £8 billion for local highways maintenance in England over the period 2021/22 to 2025/26 alongside an explanation of what funds this figure takes into account. It is not possible to determine the proportion of this that was spent specifically on pothole repairs by local highway authorities as it is for these authorities to assess which parts of their network need repair and to determine and deliver their maintenance programmes. The Department has earlier this year introduced new reporting requirements which require each local highway authority to publish a transparency report on their maintenance programme on their website. In these reports, local highway authorities were also required to provide an estimate of the number of potholes that they filled in previous years. In real terms, highways maintenance funding in 2025/26 is around £300 million higher than in 2019/20. City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) payments began in 2022/23. Since 2022/23, approximately 85% of funding has been allocated to areas outside of areas eligible for CRSTS funding. This figure is exclusive of highways maintenance funding and Integrated Transport Block funding that has been consolidated into CRSTS funding for 2025/26. The Department has not split out how much of this funding is for highways maintenance as, by the nature of the funding, it is consolidated transport funding for local authorities to decide how best to use.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78714 on Railways: Tickets, whether her Department has undertaken research on reasons for participation levels in the Digital Pay As You Go trials in (a) Yorkshire and (b) the East Midlands; and what steps she is taking to increase take-up.

The Department is monitoring participation rates as trials go live, and the evaluation of the trial will consider participation amongst users over time. To increase take-up, there will be further press activity for the launch of the third trial, in addition to significant ongoing marketing activity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78706 on Motorcycles: Manufacturing Industries, how many (a) motorcycles, (b) British-built motorcycles, and (c) Maeving motorcycles have received support through the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant.

Since 2017, the Plug-in Motorcycle grant has supported 13,349 motorcycles. The Department does not collect data on the location of vehicle assembly. The Department cannot provide breakdown of support to an individual manufacturer due to commercial sensitivity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October to Question 82739 on Electric Vehicles: Grants, whether her Department holds provisional data on the country of manufacture of vehicles subsidised through the Electric Vehicle Grant Scheme during the 2025–26 financial year; what the average time lag is between an order and the payment of a grant; and when the Department expects to hold complete data for that period.

A completed order is defined as logged on the grant portal, registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and delivered to the customer within nine calendar months. The Department does hold provisional order data for the total 2025-26 scheme year. As of 23 October, a provisional total of over 27,800 Electric Car Grant orders have been placed since launch. The Department expects to hold completed data for the 2025-26 financial year in line with the definition of completion: nine months following the end of the 2025-26 financial year (January 2027).

What assessment her Department has made of (a) the average cost per new HGV parking space delivered through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Fund to date and (b) the total expenditure on that Fund since its launch.

No assessment has been made of the average cost per new HGV parking space delivered by the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme, as costs can vary significantly based on location and extent of work required. The total amount of funding contractually committed to improvement projects by this scheme, as of 23 October, is £13,849,303.45 of which £10,172,066.38 has been spent to date. Up to 1,500 parking spaces will be created alongside wider improvements including to security, welfare facilities such as showers, toilets and dining facilities and decarbonisation measures.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 82739 on Electric Vehicles: Grants, how many electric car grants were provided for vehicles (a) manufactured and (b) not manufactured in the UK by model in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Department cannot provide a per model breakdown due to commercial sensitivity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77643 on London Underground: Strikes, whether she plans to meet with other regional transport authorities impacted by industrial action.

Where transport matters are devolved, it is for the devolved authority to deal with any industrial action which may arise. The government would always encourage all sides to work together to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, in the interests of keeping Britain moving.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 82745 on Roads: Freight, on what dates her Department has met representatives of the road haulage industry to discuss cost pressures since July 2024.

Department for Transport officials regularly meet representatives of the road haulage industry to discuss a wide range of issues impacting the industry. Meetings of industry forums at which road freight representatives were present include: Meetings of the Freight Council on 7 April, 24 June and 6 October 2025 The Freight Workforce Group meetings on 23 October 2024 (as the People and Skills Group) and on 30 April, 5 June and 17 September 2025. The Road Freight Industry Engagement Group meetings on 25 July 2024, and on 27 February, 29 April, 26 June and 23 September 2025. In addition, officials hold ad hoc meetings with road haulage businesses and trade associations to discuss issues raised by the sector, including those relating to costs.

How much her Department has spent on drug-driving (a) enforcement and (b) communications campaigns in each year since 2023; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those campaigns.

The Department for Transport does not hold responsibility for enforcement, this is a matter for police forces. The last paid THINK! drug driving campaign ran in 2015, to coincide with a change in drug driving legislation. To address an increase in drug driving casualties over the last decade, THINK! are finalising a new drug driving campaign to launch later this year. Please find drug driving campaign expenditure since 2023 below: Total spend to dateFinancial year 2024/25£35,000Financial year 2025/26£339,719.71 All campaigns are rooted in insight and will use pre and post campaign tracking to measure effectiveness, including immediate impact on recognition, recall, engagement and planned or considered behaviour change. These learnings are used to adapt and evolve future strategy.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Government (a) incentives and (b) grant schemes for (i) fleet and (ii) company vehicles on the wider retail market for new low-emission cars.

Favourable tax rates for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including the lowest first year rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and preferential Benefit in Kind rates, have been a key driver of ZEV adoption for both fleet operators and companies. Likewise, Plug-in Vehicle Grants have boosted the market share of ZEVs since they were introduced in 2011. Grants remain available for vans, trucks, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles. The recently announced Electric Car Grant (ECG) is encouraging purchases of low cost zero emission cars in the wider retail market by providing discounts of up to £3,750. We are committed to working with industry to deliver a successful transition to ZEVs, and we will be engaging industry on the grant as it evolves – as we do with all Government grants.

With reference to Clauses 6, 12 and 13 of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, what estimate she has made of the total cost to (a) passengers, (b) taxpayers, and (c) fuel suppliers arising from revenue certainty contracts and associated levy payments; and what steps she is taking to ensure that this support does not (i) create long-term subsidy dependence and (ii) disproportionately benefit overseas producers.

The Government set out the potential costs and benefits arising from the RCM scheme in the Cost-Benefit Analysis, published in May 2025, including potential costs for passengers and fuel suppliers. The scheme will be funded via a variable levy placed on aviation fuel suppliers, not by the taxpayer. The RCM contracts will only be signed with UK-based SAF producers. These contracts will have a defined term length to ensure a clear end date to the subsidy and also sets a cap on the support for the sales of SAF to control the scale of the scheme. In addition, clause 1 (7) of the SAF Bill provides an end date, 10 years from the day on which the Act is passed, to new contracts being entered into. We expect UK SAF production to be internationally competitive, with the RCM playing a key role to attracting investment for UK producers in a nascent market that is using innovative technologies. Whilst we are designing contracts, there is careful consideration towards how the volumes are sold under the RCM, including who are the offtakers and the end user’s location.

Whether she has (a) undertaken work, (b) commissioned research and (c) had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on (i) revenue modelling and (ii) impact assessments on potential options for replacing Fuel Duty with (A) distance-based and (B) pay-per-mile road pricing since July 2024.

Fuel duty is projected to raise £24.4bn in 2025/26 and will remain in place. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The Chancellor meets with her Ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events.

What estimate she has made of the total cost of electric vehicle (a) incentives and (b) tax reliefs for fleet and company car (i) leasing and (ii) purchases to the exchequer; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of those schemes.

The Government publishes annual statistics on HMRC’s taxable benefits in kind for company cars and company car fuel. These reports document the number of benefit in kind recipients, the CO2 emissions of company cars and their total taxable value. The latest statistics for the tax year 2023-24 were published in June 2025, and are accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefits-in-kind-statistics-june-2025/benefit-in-kind-statistics-commentary-june-2025 The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether local authorities are required to obtain a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 when (a) keeping and (b) exhibiting animals in public parks.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that kept animals, including those accommodated or exhibited in public parks, are cared for in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.Local authorities are subject to the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. These regulations require anyone in the business of keeping or training animals for exhibition to hold a valid licence and to comply with strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including requirements relating to the animal's environment, diet, health, and provision of appropriate care and supervision.

With reference to her Department's consultation outcome on Street Works: Fines and Lane Rental Surplus Funds, why the implementation timeline was changed.

The date for laying the statutory instrument was adjusted slightly to allow time to ensure the legislative changes would fully deliver the intended outcomes and this included further engagement with stakeholders. The statutory instrument was laid in Parliament on 13 October. A 12-week notice period following this was always intended to give industry stakeholders and highway authorities sufficient time to understand and prepare for the new regulatory requirements.