Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service will have on the ability of light aviation to make precision approaches to UK airports.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s assessment is that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) means that as of 25 June 2021, airspace users will not be able to benefit from “localizer performance with vertical guidance” (LPV) procedures which offer 3-dimensional precision approaches. Where promulgated, airspace users will continue to be able to use lateral navigation (LNAV) procedures which offer 2-dimensional non-precision approaches.
The Government continues to explore options for mitigating the loss of the LPV capability.
The UK Government did seek to retain the use of EGNOS, but it was not possible to reach a satisfactory settlement with the EU in the 24 December 2020 agreement.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they plan to give large airports which are forced to remain open as key national infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that airports are critical in enabling essential air services across the country and overseas, including getting Britons home from abroad, delivering essential supplies, and connecting isolated communities. We are working to make sure that a network of infrastructure remains in place across the UK to continue to deliver these services.
Measures announced by the Chancellor in recent days, including a scheme for firms to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills and financial support for employees, are available to the sector to draw upon during this period.
Ministers and officials at the DfT will continue to stay in close contact with the aviation sector, so that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments and understands where additional policy measures could address specific industry issues, and can therefore ensure UK nationals overseas are able to return home and that freight continues to flow in and out of the country
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to give to flying schools and clubs whose operations have been disrupted by measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The aviation industry, including General Aviation, is in an increasingly difficult financial position with significantly reduced demand.
A number of measures to support the industry have already been announced, including Time to Pay support with taxes, financial support for employees. and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF). The Government is working urgently to develop further measures, as necessary
HMRC is ready to provide guidance and support as appropriate to all businesses and self-employed individuals who are experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to Coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to temporarily defer the regulatory deadlines and charges on (1) airports, and (2) airlines, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working with airlines and airports to consider the use of established flexibility within the regulatory framework to help manage and mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. It has also decided to delay the implementation of its recently proposed charge increases for three months to assist the UK aviation industry.
More widely, the Government is urgently considering additional options to provide support to the UK aviation industry. A number of measures which could support the sector have already been announced, including Time to Pay, financial support for employees, and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).
We recognise that the current situation is increasingly difficult for the transport sector and, across Government, we are engaging with the sector’s leadership to support workers, businesses and passengers
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many occurrences of denied access to controlled airspace have been reported using form FCS1521 in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) received 16 reports of denied airspace access using its Form FCS 1521 during the 12-month period from 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2020.
The government is aware of the genuine concerns of the general aviation community around access to controlled airspace.
In October 2019 the government amended the Air Navigation Directions 2017. This requires the CAA to carry out a review of the classification of airspace to ensure the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum necessary to maintain a high standard of air safety and reflects the needs of all airspace users on an equitable basis.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the steps it is taking to increase the number of rapid charging points for electric vehicles in Wales.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise that Government collaboration with the devolved administrations (DAs) and local authorities is crucial to facilitating the transition to zero emission vehicles and addressing local air quality issues. Regular discussions about rapid chargepoints, as well as other measures to support electric vehicles, are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) had a roundtable in November 2019 with officials from all DAs, where we discussed progress and shared lessons, including around rapid chargepoint rollout. OLEV are working with Welsh officials to organise a workshop in Wales, where local authorities can hear about and discuss best practice to supporting zero emission vehicle uptake in their areas
As of 1st January 2020, there were 569 publicly available charging devices in Wales. Of these, 61 were rapid and a further 10 were ultra-rapid.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the development of hybrid electric aircraft in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has a proud history of leading innovation in aviation and the Department for Transport is working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ensure this continues.
The Government recognises that new forms of aircraft such as hybrid and all electric have the potential to create new air services and decarbonise some existing routes.
We are supporting the development and integration of this challenging technology through the Aerospace Sector Deal and the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.
Government and industry are jointly investing £300m in Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge. Through the Future Flight Challenge, consortia of industry and researchers will be supported to demonstrate the safe integration of electric and autonomous aircraft into UK airspace.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the development of battery-powered electric aircraft in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has a proud history of leading innovation in aviation and the Department for Transport is working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ensure this continues.
The Government recognises that new forms of aircraft such as hybrid and all electric have the potential to create new air services and decarbonise some existing routes.
We are supporting the development and integration of this challenging technology through the Aerospace Sector Deal and the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.
Government and industry are jointly investing £300m in Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge. Through the Future Flight Challenge, consortia of industry and researchers will be supported to demonstrate the safe integration of electric and autonomous aircraft into UK airspace.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on plans to develop a West Wales Parkway rail station near Swansea.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
My department, in collaboration with relevant parties in Wales, is progressing plans to boost connectivity and capacity for passengers across the south and west of Wales including a new West Wales Parkway station near Swansea. In December last year we received a study undertaken on behalf of the regional local authorities. We are currently assessing this, alongside previous work we have undertaken, to finalise proposals for a value-for-money railway enhancement scheme including a new station.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to incentivise the use of quieter aircraft in the general aviation sector.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government acknowledges that the general aviation sector’s economic impact on the UK economy is around £3.0 billion of Gross Value Added. However, we also recognise that annoyance from aviation noise can be caused by aircraft in the general aviation sector.
The Government is working on a new strategy for UK aviation, which will explore how we can maximise the positive role of our world class aviation sector.