Written questions by Aquarone.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 to apply to vehicles which have 16 or more seats, rather than carry 16 or more passengers.

The Accessible Information Regulations (AIR) 2023 were introduced to support disabled people in particular to make the journeys important to them, but accessible information is valued by a wide range of passengers. The Department considered the scope of the Regulations carefully during their development, including through a public consultation, seeking to balance the benefits of improved accessibility with the practical and financial implications for operators—particularly those using smaller vehicles. The wording selected, including the focus on total vehicle capacity was chosen for consistency with the well-established Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, albeit with a lower threshold in order to allow more passengers to benefit from audible and visible information. I recognise the costs involved in achieving AIR compliance and the impact on smaller operators in particular and that is why the Department has made a £4.65 million grant available to operators with fleets of 20 vehicles or fewer to help cover the cost of installing the necessary equipment.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities correctly implement national guidance on Blue Badge eligibility.

The Department for Transport sets the legislation governing the Blue Badge scheme in England and provides non-statutory guidance to local authorities to help share good practice in administering the scheme. However, it is the local authority who is responsible for determining and implementing the administrative, assessment, and enforcement procedures which they believe are in accordance with the governing legislation. The Government is committed to working with and supporting authorities to help them align with national guidance on Blue Badge eligibility and operates a continuous improvement programme to the online application process, utilising customer feedback to inform its research to help ensure the service is consistently applied and works in the best possible way for all who need to use it.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of visual field testing for driving license holders diagnosed with glaucoma in (a) North Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) vision testing supplier, Specsavers, currently has 360 stores across England that provide visual field testing for DVLA purposes. In Norfolk six stores offer this service with the closest stores to North Norfolk constituency in Norwich or Wisbech. Specsavers is contractually required to ensure that an optometrist is available within a 25-mile radius of a customer applying for a licence. Where this is not possible Specsavers engages with local independent stores to provide the necessary services (typically this has only been in the Highlands of Scotland)

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of the availability of glaucoma testing for driving license renewal in (a) North Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not require driving licence holders or applicants to be tested for glaucoma. However, drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have been diagnosed with glaucoma in both eyes, or if they have been advised by their optician or optometrist that they do not meet the eyesight standards for driving. When the DVLA is notified of a glaucoma diagnosis, the driver will be referred for a visual field test. The results of this test will be used to determine whether the individual concerned meets the required eyesight standards for driving.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues attending the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 on UK-EU rail interoperability.

Rail interoperability is not a focus area for the UK-EU Summit on 19 May and the Secretary of State has not had discussions on this topic with colleagues attending.

If she will widen the payment methods which can be used when making a payment to the DVLA.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) offers a range of payment options, including direct debits, cheques and debit and credit cards.The DVLA keeps its range of payment options under review, taking into account the associated costs and benefits of potential new options.