Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information she holds on the recent progress of the International Green Corridor Fund feasibility studies to decarbonise merchant shipping routes between (a) the ports of Holyhead and Dublin and (b) the ports of Tyne and Ijmuiden.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Green Corridors have the potential to be effective mechanisms to deliver first mover activity and accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector globally, as demonstrated in the published findings of the International Green Corridor Fund. These bilaterally-funded studies, with Ireland and the Netherlands, demonstrated the economic feasibility of industry delivering Green Corridors on these routes. The Government is focussed on delivering change through the policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy alongside international action at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This will support industry to deliver Green Corridors and widespread decarbonisation of the maritime sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether trains carrying Greater Manchester Bee Network branding or livery will remain rail assets of Great British Railways or the Secretary of State, rather than assets of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Livery reflects who is responsible for the service, not who owns the trains. Aside from some devolved services, where there are instances of ownership by the devolved authority, rolling stock is leased from rolling stock companies and managed day-to-day by the train operator. There is currently one Northern unit in temporary promotional Bee Network livery operating on Manchester‑area services, highlighting the forthcoming tap‑and‑go contactless integration on local rail; this is a branding exercise only and does not change ownership or leasing arrangements. As there are currently no rail services devolved to Greater Manchester, any trains operating on the GBR network would carry GBR livery rather than Bee Network branding. Through partnerships with GBR, there could be opportunities for external co-branding of rolling stock where Mayoral Strategic Authorities take a financial stake in service provision.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she made of the affordability of train tickets for travel in the South East of England.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in enabling people to get to education, work, access vital services, and keep communities connected. We are freezing rail fares, from March, for the first time in 30 years, putting money back in passengers’ pockets and easing the cost of living for hard working people.
In the South East, our expansion of Pay As You Go with contactless ticketing has already simplified the complicated web of tickets to Peak and one Off-Peak price. This will allow passengers greater flexibility in their choice of tickets, with some seeing a reduction in their ticket price.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) provision and (b) take up of seafarer apprenticeships in the North West.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An industry round-table, chaired by the then Maritime Minister, was held in Blackpool in May 2025. The round-table brought key stakeholders from across the maritime industry together to discuss the promotion of maritime careers in the North West. The Department is engaging with Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions on the provision of maritime apprenticeships and will continue to advocate for growing maritime careers and apprenticeships with employers in the North West.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the proposed expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to international maritime voyages is not in addition to the International Maritime Organisation’s expected rules.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Addressing international emissions from shipping is critical and it is important action is taken globally through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Government firmly supported adoption of a global market-based measure, the IMO Net-Zero Framework, last autumn and is disappointed the decision has been postponed. We continue to work with other IMO Member States to secure adoption.
The Government also wants to ensure decarbonisation continues here in the UK and has proposed to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to emissions from international voyages from 2028. If the IMO Net-Zero Framework is adopted, the Government will review the scope of the UK ETS to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system for operators as set out in the consultation on the proposed expansion of UK ETS to emissions from international voyages from 2028 published in November 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how paragraph 3.9.2 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports will be applied by decision-makers when considering development consent for port infrastructure.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are currently considering the views received from consultation on, and Parliamentary scrutiny of, the draft revised National Policy Statement for Ports, and will lay a final text in Parliament in due course.
In line with the recommendation of the Transport Select Committee, we are considering further guidance on how developers assess carbon emissions as part of Environmental Impact Assessments.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of the Wheels to Work scheme on youth unemployment; and what steps she is taking to support that scheme.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I refer the Rt Honourable Gentleman to the answer given on 3 February 2026 to question number 108310.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will fund and deliver a public awareness campaign in rural Somerset to promote the updated Highway Code as part of the new Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran THINK! advertising campaigns nationally to raise awareness of the changes.
Local authorities are responsible for delivering road safety education and have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions. THINK! Highway Code campaign resources are available for local authorities to download from the THINK! website and are free to use for educational purposes: https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts across England and Wales encouraging compliance with the Highway Code.
Guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
In addition to the Highway Code activity, THINK! also runs paid advertising campaigns focused on the priority issues of speed, drink driving and drug driving. The primary audience for these campaigns is young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. All THINK! campaigns are run nationally, therefore rural Somerset is included.
As set out in the Road Safety Strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 108309, in which month the upcoming national strategy for integrated transport is expected to be published.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is committed to publishing the integrated national transport strategy shortly, which will set the long‑term vision for domestic transport across England.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Dft 1-985, what progress she has made towards implementation of targets for Road Safety and the methods for monitoring of these targets in the long-term.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In November 2025, we published research and analysis on “Effectiveness of targets for road safety” which can be found here: Effectiveness of targets for road safety - GOV.UK. The evidence suggests that targets play a role in reducing fatalities, but their impact cannot be separated from wider road safety strategies.
On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
The Strategy sets ambitious targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65%, and 70% for children, by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences.
The Strategy also includes a set of Safety Performance Indicators to provide an understanding of performance against the commitments made in the strategy, including the targets.
All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board which I will chair.