Written questions by Franklin.

Whether he has made an assessment of the impact of directional differences in rail fares on (a) part-time workers, (b) hybrid workers and (c) self-employed commuters on the Portsmouth Direct Line.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she plans to take steps to ensure that fares set by Great British Railways are priced consistently regardless of direction of travel where there is no operational justification for differential pricing.

Awaiting answer.

Whether Great British Railways will be required to publish the justification for directional differences in rail fares on the same route.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department has held discussions with optical providers on participation in a scheme for eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over renewing their licence; and whether she is taking steps to ensure that any such scheme allows certification by any suitably qualified optician rather than a single provider.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers. We welcome responses from optometrists and optometrist organisations to the consultations. On 24 February, I chaired a roundtable meeting on eyesight and older drivers which involved representatives from the optical sector and optometrist organisations to discuss mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers. Department officials have also met with various optometrist organisations (including the College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers. We will continue to engage with optometrist organisations as our policies develop further.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on safety from overcrowding on Great Western Railway services, including where planned rolling stock capacity is reduced due to engineering works overrunning; and what steps her Department is taking to address those risks before Great Western Railway enters public ownership, including through its contractual and oversight arrangements.

Great Western Railway (GWR) is responsible for the safe operation of its train services at all times, including during times of disruption or following engineering overrun. GWR is also responsible for ensuring deployment of its train fleet to best match demand, but despite this trains can still become very busy at certain peak times or during disruption. Whilst crowded trains can be uncomfortable, they are not necessarily unsafe. The Department monitors train loadings carefully and continues to hold GWR to account against its contractual obligations as the Public Ownership Programme continues. This includes ensuring GWR is appropriately deploying its train fleet and working collaboratively with Network Rail to develop robust plans to support engineering work including mitigations plans for restoring service in the event of an overrun. GWR has experienced an increase in short formations on services across its intercity train fleet in recent periods due to issues with diesel engines. These issues have now stabilised, with a noticeable reduction in recent weeks, and the department continues to monitor this closely.

What assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level of regional disparities in the location of electric vehicle charging points and (b) the potential impact of those trends on the Government’s environmental objectives.

The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) transition is crucial to the UK meeting its climate change obligations, as well as improving air quality and supporting growth. The Government closely monitors regional deployment and the disparities in the location of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints, as detailed in statistics released in October 2025. Chargepoint availability is increasing across the country. The Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund has been allocated to all highest tier local authorities in England to ensure equitable chargepoint rollout across the country. In total, it is expected to support the rollout of at least 100,000 EV chargepoints.

Whether her Department plans to publish an assessment of the potential impact of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the Government’s environmental improvement goals.

The zero emission vehicle transition is crucial to the UK meeting its climate change obligations – and to delivering wider environmental benefits, including improvements to air quality. It will drive economic growth and help make Britain a clean energy superpower. The ZEV transition is a major component of our Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, which was published in October 2025. There are therefore no plans at present to publish a specific assessment.

Whether she plans to introduce alternative payment methods for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency trade plate applications.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods. The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential environmental and administrative implications of relying on paper-based postal order payments for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods. The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

For what reason the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency requires postal orders as the sole means of payment for trade plate applications.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods. The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.

Whether her Department plans to introduce measures to (a) restrict practical driving test bookings to a candidate’s local area and (b) prevent fraudulent activity on third-party platforms offering driving test swaps.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country. DVSA is working hard to reduce the average waiting times, using the responses gathered from its public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. On 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced the outcome of the consultation to improve car driving test booking rules. In the coming months, DVSA will:Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their testsIntroduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times. DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 275 warnings, 404 suspensions, and closed 894 business accounts.

Whether she plans to introduce a ban on kerosene-powered private jets as part of the Government’s net zero strategy.

The government has no plans to ban kerosene-powered private jets. The Chancellor announced changes to the Air Passenger Duty (APD) in the last Budget, which included a 13% increase in APD rates for 2026/27 and a further 50% increase for larger private and business jets. The government is committed to meeting our climate obligations to reach net zero by 2050 and will set out detail on plans for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to issue compensation for denied boarding automatically.

An assessment of the merits of automatic compensation for denied boarding has not been made. Provision of automatic compensation to passengers for denied boarding would present some practical challenges that would need to be fully considered through a full public consultation ahead of any potential legislative reforms.

What recent discussions she has had with airlines on the (a) accessibility and (b) clarity of compensation claim processes; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of claims procedures on passengers.

Under UK law, airlines are required to provide written information to passengers affected by flight disruptions, setting out the rules for compensation and assistance.  This information must be clear, easy to understand, and available in accessible formats. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers. The EU conducted an assessment of the potential impact of the claims procedure on passengers as part of its proposed 2013 reform to Regulation 261, finding that some passengers were being discouraged from claiming their rights even when entitled. The UK has not carried out any further assessments on this issue since then.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) increase capacity and (b) ensure more passengers are able to be seated on services into London on South Western Railway.

The Department is working closely with South Western Railway on the introduction of the Arterio fleet which will add the much needed additional capacity and seats on services into London. In the meantime, South Western Railway is managing the rest of its train fleet to ensure that capacity is prioritised where it is most needed.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the practical driving test backlog on the (a) availability and (b) scheduling of theory test appointments.

Theory test availability is monitored by both the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the external service providers. Candidates wait on average no more than 28 calendar days from booking to their theory test appointment date, as per the contractual performance measures.Capacity in the theory test centre network is managed using demand forecasting, and ongoing monitoring of tests booked into the 210 test centres in the network across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the validity period of theory test pass certificates for learner drivers who are unable to book a practical driving test within the current two-year period due to delays in test availability.

It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time.The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the railcard scheme to all working-age people.

There are no current plans to extend the railcard scheme to all working-age people, but following the establishment of Great British Railways, it will have the opportunity to review the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of some railcards. Any long-term changes or concessions made to railcard schemes require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

Whether she has had discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) private companies that own electrical infrastructure that delivers public services on using existing (i) electric infrastructure and (ii) lamp posts to create additional EV charging points.

The Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to enable decarbonisation and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment. In the current distribution price control, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades to support low-carbon technologies, including infrastructure to support EV charging. The Government regularly engages with the electricity network companies, which are responsible for maintaining and upgrading electrical infrastructure.The Government also meets regularly with chargepoint operators and local authorities that plan and deliver on-street chargepoints. The £381m LEVI Fund supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. This includes lamp post chargepoints.

Whether she plans to extend free bus passes for over 60s across England.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources. The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.