Written questions by Lowe.

What information her Department holds on the number of licensed (a) taxi and (b) private hire drivers who are foreign nationals, broken down by their country of origin.

The Department for Transport does not collect that data. Licensing authorities may hold this information as part of the application processes to prevent illegal working as taxi or private hire vehicle drivers.

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) unlicensed and (b) illegal taxi drivers operating in major cities.

The Department for Transport does not hold this data, as such vehicles are not operating within a legal framework.

What information her Department holds on the number of councils that do not require enhanced DBS checks for (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicle drivers.

As at 1 April 2024, all authorities in England reported that they required an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) security check for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.

How much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Over the last 12 months, the Department for Transport has spent £830,731.27 on social media advertising and £1,488,420.01 on online advertising through the THINK! Road safety campaign. This has been done to reach and influence the behaviours of our target audience of 17-24 males, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. Campaigns have tackled priority issues such as drink driving and speeding to reduce casualties and fatalities. All budgets have been scrutinised to ensure value for money, with behaviour change communications often a cost-effective way to support policy interventions, as well as being a core part of the safe-systems approach to road safety. As part of the THINK! campaign to reduce speeding among young men, the department ran a media partnership with youth platform LadBible which involved working with two content creators as part of a wider partnership. However, we are unable to provide a cost breakdown on influencers specifically due to commercial sensitivities which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

How much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

The Department and its agencies have spent £298,446.92 on translation and interpretation costs in 2025 (this covers the period from 1st January 2025 to 31st May 2025). The table below outlines the split of costs between the Department and each Agency. It should be noted that information is not held at the level requested.AreaTranslation and Interpretation costsDfTc£196,794.16DVSA£86,581DVLA£12,218.31MCA£2,853.45VCA£0ATE£0Total£298,446.92

What the average time was to obtain a UK driving test in each region in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of applicants were foreign nationals.

The table below shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test by driving test centre regions, for the financial year 2024/25. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not collect any data regarding the customer's nationality when they book, or attend, their car practical driving test. RegionAverage Waiting Time In WeeksZone A (Scotland and North-East England)17.1Zone B (Wales and North-West England)17.5Zone C (Midlands and South-West England)21.6Zone D (London and South-East England)22.4National19.5

If they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.

Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of population changes due to immigration on public transport (a) capacity and (b) congestion levels in urban centres.

The Department models future demand for transport based on the Common Analytical Scenarios (CAS), which are a wide range of plausible scenarios related to population, the economy, behavioural change and decarbonisation. DfT publish the National Road Traffic Projections (NRTP) which are a set of estimates of road traffic using the CAS, these include estimates of urban congestion. Rail analysis also accounts for population and demographic change when estimating future capacity impacts. The population forecasts used at the DfT are published by the Office of National Statistics and include changes in population arising from births, deaths and immigration and other demographic changes.

Whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling. It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling. The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.

What (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.

The UK Civil Service only formally observes the government-set bank holidays.

What information her Department holds on the number of people impacted by train delays in 2024.

The Department does not hold information on the number of people affected by train delays. Rail industry data measures train delays. The Office of Rail and Road publishes quarterly and periodic (four-weekly) statistics on punctuality, reliability and causes of delay for passenger trains operating on the mainline network in Great Britain. This data set includes the percentage of recorded station stops that were arrived at ‘On Time’ (early or less than one minute after the scheduled time). In the year ending 4 January 2025, the proportion of station stops that were arrived at ‘On Time’ was 67.1%. These statistics can be found on the passenger rail performance data portal at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ .

What the total number of minutes was by which trains were delayed in 2024.

The ORR publish statistics on delay minutes on their website at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ (Table 3184). In the year ending 4 January 2025, a total of 15,897,997 delay minutes (15.9 million) were recorded in Great Britain. For context, there were a total of 7,335,930 (7.3 million) trains planned in the calendar year January 2024 to December 2024 (Table 3123).Of these trains, 85.2% were measured as either arriving within 5 minutes at the scheduled final destination time (for London, South-East, Regional and Scotland operators) or within 10 minutes of the final scheduled destination time (for long distance operators) (Table 3113, Public Performance Measure). Ministers have been clear that rail services have been failing passengers, we need to improve services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer.The Rail Minister is meeting with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the powers of train conductors to tackle disruptive levels of noise on trains.

Train operating companies including their conductors can already use the Railway Byelaws to address disruptive levels of noise, and we have no plans to make changes to this currently. To ensure ease of travel and safety for everyone using the railway, the rules set out in Byelaws must be adhered to and enforcement action can be taken against those who do not comply with them.

If she will publish the total cost to the public purse for the provision of diversity, equality and inclusion courses for staff in her Department in 2024.

The Department for Transport provides an online training course entitled “Civil Service Expectations”. The course focuses on diversity and inclusion, The Equality Act 2010, Civil Service code, and Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. This course is provided by Government Campus and is free at the point of delivery.

If she will make an estimate of revenue lost to train companies from fare avoidance in 2024.

The Rail Delivery Group estimated in 2014 that, £240 million a year is lost due to fare evasion on Great Britain’s railways. The Department is working with its industry partners to provide an updated figure and recognises the importance of reducing fraud.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the powers of train conductors to tackle avoidable disruptive behaviour on trains.

Train Operating Companies are already able to seek additional powers for their staff, to tackle incidents such as anti-social behaviour, via the Rail Safety Accreditation Scheme operated by the British Transport Police. The Department does not have any plans to increase the powers available through the existing scheme. Information on the scheme can be found here: Railway Safety Accreditation Scheme | British Transport Police.

How much was spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for people contacting the DVLA in 2024.

In the financial year 2023-24 the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency spent a total of £28,403 on translation and interpretation services, including Welsh language and sign language translations.

What the (a) average waiting time for people phoning and (b) time people spent on hold for the DVLA was in 2024.

In the calendar year 2024, the average waiting time for someone telephoning the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to be connected to an advisor was 12 minutes 8 seconds.

What estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating funding to the Vauxhall roundabout project in the context of the potential impact of that project on other infrastructure projects in Great Yarmouth constituency.

The A47 Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Junction scheme was cancelled due to a combination of cost increases and poor value for money. Great Yarmouth is benefiting from the Third River Crossing, a Norfolk Council scheme funded by DfT, and the National Highways scheme to improve Harfrey’s Roundabout. Given the poor value for money for the Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Roundabout scheme, there are no immediate plans for any funding allocation. Where areas are still experiencing issues with congestion, safety and the environment, we will continue to consider these issues in the context of other pressures and priorities for investment as part of future Road Investment Strategies.