Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government provides £1,000 to both employers, of all sizes, and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been, or are, in care.

Additionally, we are transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.

We are providing considerable financial support to employers, particularly smaller employers who play such a vital role in creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people.

We are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months are also eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant since June 2026.

These payments can be added together where the employer and/or apprentice are eligible. Employers can choose how they spend these payments, including to offset any additional insurance costs associated with training apprentices.

The government also now fully funds apprenticeship training for all eligible under 25s at employers of all sizes, as we prioritise funding toward young people.

Furthermore, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).

The Secretary of State will know that e-bikes do not require insurance, but we are seeing some pedestrians suffer catastrophic injuries due to the additional weight of these bikes compared with a normal bike. Is she giving any consideration to reviewing the rules on this issue?

The Road Safety Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain by 65% and by 70% for children under 16, by 2035. Although an assessment has not specifically been made of the impact of measures on the Surrey Heath constituency there are commitments related to commercial driving and learner riders that are intended to improve road safety outcomes for everyone.

The Government expects those driving or riding for work to keep both themselves and other road users safe. As such we have committed to piloting a new voluntary Work-Related Road Safety Charter that is being developed in partnership with industry. The Charter will be informed by existing schemes such as Driving for Better Business and encourage everyone involved in driving or riding for work to improve road safety.

The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) consultation on improving moped and motorcycle training, testing and licensing closed on 11 May. The consultation was launched with a range of measures designed to support a targeted review of the training, testing and licensing framework for motorcyclists, and the aim of improving safety and modernising and simplifying access to motorcycling. In part, reforms aim to encourage progression to full licences, particularly for those riding for work. We are now analysing the responses and will publish the outcome of the consultation on GOV.UK.

There has been no recent assessment of the cost of insurance premiums for e-cargo bikes in the urban freight sector.

Everyone who drives, rides or cycles, including delivery drivers and riders, has a duty to behave in a safe and responsible manner, and to follow the rules set out in The Highway Code. They must also hold the necessary registration, tax, licence and appropriate insurance for driving or riding the vehicle they are using: if they do not, they may be liable for prosecution. Enforcement of these rules is a matter for the police.

More broadly, employers have a duty to manage the safety of their employees, and their employees in turn have a responsibility to drive, ride or cycle appropriately and to comply with relevant laws.

Ministers and officials regularly engage with representatives from the insurance industry and regulatory bodies.

Furthermore, in order to fulfil the government’s commitment to tackling the soaring cost of motor insurance in the UK, the cross-government taskforce on motor insurance was formed in October 2024. The taskforce’s final report was published on 10 December 2025 and though the taskforce has now concluded, the government will continue its work to deliver against the actions set out in the report.

The annual average cost of cover in 2025 was £564, 9% (£58) lower than the average annual cost in 2024.

The Department for Transport has not made an estimate of the number of uninsured drivers in Stockport and Greater Manchester.

Across the country, the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) estimates that about 300,000 cars are being driven every day without insurance.

The Government recognises that motor insurance premiums have increased, while the fines for driving uninsured have remained the same.

We want to ensure that there are the right incentives in place, and that is why, as part of our new Road Safety Strategy we are consulting on changes to the motoring offences including consideration of whether the minimum penalties for the offence of driving uninsured should be increased.

The cross-government taskforce’s final report highlights the wider range of areas in which government is taking action; including taking steps to address vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. The government will continue to deliver against the actions set out in this report.

The FCA will continue to call for more action to be taken by social media companies to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms. Where the FCA identifies unlawful content, including ghost broking, ad-spoofing and material posted by finfluencers, it will seek to get the content removed and work with other partner agencies, including law enforcement, working to combat these activities.

The taskforce encourages the motor insurance industry to work closely with vehicle manufacturers to review the vehicle risk rating system.

The cross-government taskforce’s final report highlights the wider range of areas in which government is taking action; including taking steps to address vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. The government will continue to deliver against the actions set out in this report.

The FCA will continue to call for more action to be taken by social media companies to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms. Where the FCA identifies unlawful content, including ghost broking, ad-spoofing and material posted by finfluencers, it will seek to get the content removed and work with other partner agencies, including law enforcement, working to combat these activities.

The taskforce encourages the motor insurance industry to work closely with vehicle manufacturers to review the vehicle risk rating system.

The taskforce secretariat met regularly with interested parties, including consumer groups and industry representatives. However, the taskforce did not meet with motorcyclist stakeholders specifically.

The taskforce worked across government, bringing together departments and independent regulators to understand the complexities of the market and to agree a set of actions. Government departments and regulators are acting to address the broader factors that contribute to the cost of claims, such as vehicle theft and the cost of repairs.

With regards to the work of my Department, on 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of the Road Safety Strategy, we have launched a consultation on reforms to motoring offences, including lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales and introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance or without a licence.

Furthermore, the Government has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years, bringing annual funding for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes to over £2 billion annually by 2029/30.

In addition to increasing the available funding, the Department has confirmed allocations for the next four years, providing greater funding certainty to local authorities. This enables them to better plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and to instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance so that roads can be fixed properly and kept in good condition for longer, preventing potholes from forming in the first place.

The cross-government taskforce on motor insurance was formed in October 2024, to fulfil the government’s commitment to tackling the soaring cost of motor insurance in the UK.

The taskforce worked across government, bringing together departments and independent regulators to understand the complexities of the market and to agree a set of actions.

Government departments and regulators are acting to address the broader factors that contribute to the cost of claims, such as vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. Though the taskforce has now concluded, the government will continue its work to deliver against the actions set out in the report.

I am aware that bike theft is a major problem and that the fear of having a bike stolen can act as a serious deterrent to those who might otherwise want to take up cycling. Active Travel England is providing funding for local authorities to introduce secure cycle parking. Ultimately, enforcement of offences concerning cycle theft and advice on preventative measures is a matter for the police.

The previous government did not initiate any assessment of the impact of Rule H1 following their introduction of the rule in 2022.

Rule H1 of the Highway Code is an advisory rule. Although failure to comply with the advisory rules of the Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, contraventions of these rules may be used as evidence in court to establish liability for a road traffic offence. Advisory rules include those which begin ‘should/should not’ and ‘do/do not’.

All road users are required to comply with road traffic law, in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users. If road users do not adopt a responsible attitude or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, or causes nuisance, they may be committing a number of offences that can make them liable for prosecution.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.

The work of the motor insurance taskforce focused on issues and concerns associated with the cost of insurance premiums and claims that are shared across the UK.

The taskforce heard representations that some of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland have led to increasing costs there. Some of those, such as road safety and costs associated with taking claims through the judicial system, are devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider. The government will continue to work constructively with the Executive on relevant areas of policy.

The taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024 and subsequently met on 28 April 2025 and 21 July 2025, which was the final meeting of the taskforce. Taskforce members were the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, who were the co-chairs.

We do not plan to publish the minutes or summaries of meetings as they cover the formulation and development of ‘live’ government policy and to do so would hinder future policy development as it could inhibit a free exchange of views.