Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to monitor the outcomes of the Third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy for disabled people.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Progress on the delivery of the targets and objectives outlined in the Third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be provided through statutory reports to Parliament including for disabled people.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they hold data on the proportion of children aged between five and 16 who usually walk or cycle to school in England.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Estimates of the proportion of children who usually walk or cycle to school in England are obtained from the National Travel Survey. In 2024, 43% of children aged between five and 16 usually walked to school, and 3% usually cycled to school.
Further statistics on travel to school are available in table NTS0615, which can be accessed on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 13 May (HL6754), when they intend to accede to the IMO Cape Town Agreement for the Safety of Fishing Vessels and thereby achieve Principle 8 of the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I am pleased to confirm that the United Kingdom formally acceded to the IMO Cape Town Agreement for the Safety of Fishing Vessels on 14 May 2026.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 28 July 2025 (HL9720) and following the completion of parliamentary scrutiny of the Cape Town Agreement in December 2025, whether they intend to finalise its ratification process by the 113th session of the International Maritime Organization Legal Committee in April 2026.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following conclusion of Parliamentary scrutiny of the Cape Town Agreement of 2012 on the Implementation of the Provisions of the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993 relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels 1977 on 17 December 2025, it is the Government’s intention to deposit the UK’s Instrument of Ratification with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) before the 113th session of the IMO Legal Committee on 13-17 April 2026.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 28 July (HL9720), how many fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over operating on the high seas they intend to declare following the United Kingdom's ratification of the International Maritime Organization 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The United Kingdom currently intends to declare 105 vessels upon accession of the International Maritime Organization 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 13 May (HL6754), and following their announcement at the United Nations Ocean Conference in June of the UK's "impending ratification" of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels, whether it is their intention to finalise the ratification process before the 34th session of the IMO Assembly in November.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government is committed to supporting the Cape Town Agreement. It is the first global agreement on fishing safety, to ensure mandatory minimum standards to safeguard fishers working at sea and deter vessels engaged in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing from operating by making poor working conditions subject to detention and inspection globally.
The Explanatory Memorandum on the Cape Town Agreement will be laid as a Command Paper before Parliament upon their return from recess on 1 September for 21 sitting days. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be asked to commence accession procedures once Parliament has resolved it is content to accede.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of a voucher scheme for people on low incomes to buy a cycle, proposed in Sustrans' report The Cycling Opportunity, published on 11 September.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has not made a detailed assessment of the costs and benefits of such a scheme but will consider it carefully as it develops its future plans for active travel.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with industry and other sector bodies about the role that decarbonising the maritime sector can play in achieving the UK's target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The domestic maritime sector falls under the UK’s national net zero target, and in common with the wider economy will need to be decarbonised by 2050 in order to achieve net zero.
The Department has regular meetings with industry and civil society representatives on the issue of decarbonisation, to discuss both domestic Net Zero and the international work to address greenhouse gas emissions being undertaken at the International Maritime Organization.
The Department has also established the Clean Maritime Council, a grouping of senior UK stakeholders who engage on environmental issues. This forms part of the Department’s Clean Maritime Plan.
Council members have provided input to the Departments plans on green recovery and decarbonisation and hope to be able to meet again soon.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for sustainable aviation fuels to decarbonise aviation.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), biofuels reported as being made from waste have risen from 12% of total biofuel supply in the first year of the obligation (2008/09) to 66% in 2017/18. Building on that success the Government introduced changes to the RTFO last year which will almost double the use of renewable fuels from 2018 to 2020, and set targets out to 2032 providing industry with long term certainty.
In addition, as part of a fifteen year strategy for low carbon fuels the Government extended eligibility for rewards under the RTFO to aviation fuels last year, and is making available up to £20 million of matched capital funding to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries through the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition. The department is also engaging with industry on whether fuels produced from non-biogenic wastes, including those that are difficult to recycle, should be supported under the RTFO.
Through the Aviation Strategy the Government will consider policies it can put in place to further assist the long-term uptake of sustainable alternative fuels in this sector.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will take to ensure that the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation supports the sustainable fuels industry.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), biofuels reported as being made from waste have risen from 12% of total biofuel supply in the first year of the obligation (2008/09) to 66% in 2017/18. Building on that success the Government introduced changes to the RTFO last year which will almost double the use of renewable fuels from 2018 to 2020, and set targets out to 2032 providing industry with long term certainty.
In addition, as part of a fifteen year strategy for low carbon fuels the Government extended eligibility for rewards under the RTFO to aviation fuels last year, and is making available up to £20 million of matched capital funding to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries through the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition. The department is also engaging with industry on whether fuels produced from non-biogenic wastes, including those that are difficult to recycle, should be supported under the RTFO.
Through the Aviation Strategy the Government will consider policies it can put in place to further assist the long-term uptake of sustainable alternative fuels in this sector.