Written question asked by Jerome Mayhew (Conservative) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Simon Lightwood (Labour) on Monday, 6 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

National Highways: Public Relations

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department issues to National Highways on ensuring that expenditure on external affairs and public affairs activities complies with Cabinet Office guidance on the use of public funds for lobbying.

Answer: Accounting Officers of DfT public bodies, including National Highways, are bound by Managing Public Money and Cabinet Office guidance. The Department reminds individual bodies, as necessary, of these rules and the expectations set out in section 4.1 of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies (2019), which states, 'it will always be an improper use of public funds for public bodies to employ consultants or other companies to lobby Parliament, Government or political parties'.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 14931
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Lobbying: Finance
Friday, 17 July 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Public relations National Highways
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk