Department for Transport
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of pot holes that were reported in each of the last 25 years.
Lilian Greenwood:
It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to manage and maintain their local highway networks, including understanding what parts of the network require maintenance, based on local needs and priorities.
Local authorities are required to provide road condition information to the Department as part of the data obligations set out in the Single Data List. The Department publishes this information on gov.uk, and the data goes back to March 2007.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) AI and (b) automation for rail reforms; and if she will have discussions with (i) Network Rail and (ii) train operators on the potential impact of those bodies using (A) AI on (B) automation on costs (1) for rail passengers and (2) to the public purse
Mike Kane:
The Department recognises the potentially transformative role that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can play across all transport modes, including rail.
Within rail, these technologies have the potential to deliver step-change improvements in several areas, including to the passenger experience, train positioning and control, infrastructure and asset management, safety management, energy management and emissions control.
My officials continue to work closely with Shadow Great British Railways and other rail industry bodies including Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to ensure that the benefits of these technologies are fully recognised and realised.
Question: How many driving licences were issued to people born outside of the UK by nationality in each of the last five years.
Lilian Greenwood:
The information requested is not available, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the nationality of driving licence holders.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving access to wifi on trains for (a) the economy and (b) productivity.
Mike Kane:
I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.
Question: How much has been spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for people contacting her Department in each of the last five years.
Mike Kane:
Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested.
Question: How much funding her Department has provided for the repair of potholes (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in each of the last ten years.
Lilian Greenwood:
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Norfolk County Council is the local highway authority for the Great Yarmouth constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network.
This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.
The funding the Department has provided for local highway maintenance, including but not limited to the repair of potholes, in Norfolk and nationally in each of the last ten years is in the table below:
Year | Highways Maintenance funding – Norfolk County Council (£m) | Total Highways Maintenance funding – England (£m) |
2015/16 | 28.637 | 1,156 |
2016/17 | 29.474 | 1,026 |
2017/18 | 33.812 | 1,222 |
2018/19 | 42.338 | 1,346 |
2019/20 | 29.592 | 1,051 |
2020/21 | 50.073 | 1,626 |
2021/22* | 35.757 | 1,125* |
2022/23* | 35.757 | 1,125* |
2023/24* | 46.623 | 1,475* |
2024/25* | 40.267 | 1,275* |
*Includes equivalent funding within areas in England receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.
Question: What the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for the DVLA was in each of the last five years.
Lilian Greenwood:
The table below provides the average waiting time, over the last five years, for someone who calls the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to be connected to an advisor. Please note that the figures for the various years are not directly comparable as the DVLA has moved to a new telephony platform which allows them to manage customer demand in different ways.
Fiscal Year | Average waiting time in minutes |
2020-2021 | 07:16 |
2021-2022 | 10:12 |
2022-2023 | 09:18 |
2023-2024 | 12:55 |
2024-24 Oct 24 | 13:22 |
Question: What the average waiting time was per driving test centre in (a) the UK and (b) Great Yarmouth constituency.
Lilian Greenwood:
Standards for the fitment and use of bicycle lights are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.
Front and rear flashing lights are only permitted on bicycles provided they do not cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users, have a constant flashing frequency of 1 to 4 hertz and, if they are the only lights fitted, an intensity of not less than four candelas.
Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual police forces and their officers can issue verbal warnings or fixed penalty notices, or report riders for formal prosecution.
Question: What steps is the Minister taking to reduce the impact from cyclists using (a) strobe and (b) flashing lights on (i) motorists and (ii) other road users.
Lilian Greenwood:
Standards for the fitment and use of bicycle lights are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.
Front and rear flashing lights are only permitted on bicycles provided they do not cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users, have a constant flashing frequency of 1 to 4 hertz and, if they are the only lights fitted, an intensity of not less than four candelas.
Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual police forces and their officers can issue verbal warnings or fixed penalty notices, or report riders for formal prosecution.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to support local bus services in Great Yarmouth Constituency.
Simon Lightwood:
Improving local bus services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.
As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in Great Yarmouth, to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will seek to increase the powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership.
In addition, the government has confirmed an additional £925 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, bringing total bus investment at the Budget to over £1 billion. Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The government will continue working closely with local transport authorities including Norfolk County Council, and others, to deliver better bus and public transport services throughout England.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow independent lifeboat services to use (a) blue lights and (b) sirens on public highways.
Lilian Greenwood:
Ministers are giving consideration to this matter. An update will be provided in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow independent lifeboat services to use (a) blue lights and (b) sirens on public highways.
Lilian Greenwood:
Ministers are giving consideration to this matter. An update will be provided in due course.
Question: What the average waiting time was per driving test centre in (a) the UK and (b) Great Yarmouth constituency.
Ministerial Correction:
Lilian Greenwood:
The average waiting time data per driving test centre (DTC) in the UK for September 2024 is contained within the attached document. The table below shows the national average waiting time, and those DTCs that serve the Great Yarmouth constituency.
Driving test centre | Average Waiting time (September 2024) |
Lowestoft (Mobbs Way) | 9 |
Norwich (Peachman Way) | 22.2 |
Norwich (Jupiter Road) | 9.4 |
National | 19 |
The following documents were submitted as part of the answer and are appended to this email:
- File name: Copy of WPQ-00025614 September 2024 average waiting time data – non part time DTCs (002).xlsx
Description: Waiting times – Driving Test Centres
Question: What information his Department holds on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false for each year since 2018.
Mike Kane:
HM Coastguard does not hold information on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false.
Question: How many positions in her Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
The Department for Transport does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department’s annual report and accounts.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will meet the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth to discuss (a) safety concerns about and (b) dualling of the Acle Straight on the A47.
Lilian Greenwood:
In the first instance, I would encourage the honourable member to meet with colleagues from National Highways to discuss their work to improve safety on the Acle Straight section of the A47 in Suffolk. There are currently no plans to dual the Acle Straight.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the (a) costs and (b) benefits of smart motorways.
Lilian Greenwood:
National Highways publish reviews on major road schemes which measure their impact against anticipated benefits.
National Highways also report on safety data annually, with the latest published data showing, overall, all three types of smart motorway are safer than conventional motorways for those safety metrics which consider the most significant impacts, such as deaths or serious injuries. However, we recognise that the risk of a collision between a moving and a stopped vehicle is greater on smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder. We will not be rolling out any new smart motorways.