Communiqué from the Interministerial Group for Transport Matters: 5 November 2025
Published 28 January 2026
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The Interministerial Group for Transport Matters met virtually on 5 November 2025. The meeting was chaired by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Scottish Government.
The attending ministers were from the:
- UK government: Keir Mather MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation)
- Northern Ireland Executive: Liz Kimmins MLA, Minister for Infrastructure
- Welsh Government: Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales
The chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting.
The agenda focused on matters surrounding road safety, Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) decarbonisation and the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS).
Ministers also acknowledged the work undertaken by officials across the 4 nations in developing a template-based memorandum of understanding (TbMoU) for data sharing.
Ministers discussed a broad range of road safety issues:
- progressive licensing reform
- national speed limits
- older drivers
- medical fitness to drive
- the implications of EU general safety regulations
There was agreement to share updates on the graduated driver licensing scheme in Northern Ireland and Department for Transport’s development of the Road Safety Strategy. It was also agreed that DfT officials would clarify the UK government’s position on the adoption of EU general safety regulations.
Under the agenda item on HGV and HDV decarbonisation, ministers discussed the associated operational challenges and opportunities. They emphasised the need for a coordinated UK-wide approach and agreed to share insights and lessons learned from ongoing work in this area.
Ministers recognised the importance of developing charging infrastructure that supports cross-border and rural travel and agreed to share relevant modelling data to inform planning for en route charging needs. The discussion also highlighted the need to increase electricity grid capacity to support vehicle movement both between and within nations, underscoring the value of collaborative working across the UK.
Finally, ministers endorsed the VETS memorandum of understanding (MoU) as a major step in supporting transport decarbonisation, agreeing the need for collaborative governance and coordinated delivery across the 4 nations. It was agreed that views raised by devolved governments on the relationship between transport and taxation will be shared with HM Treasury.
In closing, Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop thanked all ministers for their attendance and noted the next meeting will be chaired by UK government with a date to be confirmed.