To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Heathrow Airport: Construction
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Heathrow Airport on expansion of the airport.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State has had no recent discussion with Heathrow Airport Ltd on proposals to expand the airport.


Written Question
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for fixing road surfaces.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In October, the Prime Minister announced an additional £8.3 billion of roads resurfacing funding over the period 2023/24 to 2033/34, with £150 million being made available in both this financial year and the next. This funding, made possible by reallocating funds from the HS2 programme, is enough to enable local highways authorities across England to resurface at least 5,000 miles of road.

As roads policy in the UK is devolved, provision of additional highways maintenance funding in Northern Ireland is a decision for the Northern Ireland Executive.


Written Question
Bus Services: Rural Areas
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to subsidise minimum rural bus services.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Bus service policy in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. It would therefore be for the Executive to determine whether to subsidise minimum rural bus services.

In England, the majority of bus services outside London and Manchester operate on a commercial basis. Decisions such as where to run services and the frequency of those services are in most places, mainly a matter for the operator. Where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right, Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) have powers to subsidise bus services. Responsibility for securing non-commercially provided bus services sits with LTAs who are best placed to determine what is socially and economically necessary, not central government. The Government provides LTAs in England outside of London with £42 million annually through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) for the purpose of subsidising socially necessary services that would otherwise be commercially unviable, helping to support rural routes. The Government also provides over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the BSOG to keep fares down and help them maintain an extensive network. Also, we are providing £20m through the Rural Mobility Fund in England to trial 16 innovative demand responsive minibus services to better understand the challenges associated with introducing bookable bus services in rural and suburban settings


Written Question
Speed Limits: Schools
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to impose 20mph speed limits on school roads; and if he will provide funding to devolved Administrations to purchase speed limit signs for each (a) primary and (b) high school.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In England, responsibility for setting local speed limits rests with the traffic authority. The Department for Transport advises that in specific and limited areas traffic authorities should consider the use of 20mph schemes, for example outside schools.

Speed limits in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department for Infrastructure.

There are no plans to provide specific funding to devolved Administrations for the purchase of speed limit signs.


Written Question
Taxis: Northern Ireland
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the transition to fully electric taxi fleets in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Taxi policy is a devolved matter in all UK nations. However, the UK Government provides Plug in Vehicle Grants to support the transition to zero emission vehicles across the UK. These include a number of harder to transition vehicles including taxis, wheelchair accessible vehicles and vans. The eligibility for these grants is based on the vehicle design and capability. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure the best value for taxpayer's money.

Some local authorities in the devolved administrations may have received money to support chargepoint installation through the Levelling Up Fund, such as in Northern Ireland, which received £3 million towards the upgrade of the electric vehicle charging network.


Written Question
Gatwick Airport
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of Gatwick Airport on the proposed use of its emergency runway for routine flights.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No recent discussions have been held with Gatwick Airport representatives on proposals for the regular use of its emergency runway. Due to the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in the planning system I am unable to comment further.


Written Question
Aviation: Standards
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with airline operators on improving (a) connectivity and (b) the reliability of air travel.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is in frequent contact with airlines to discuss a range of issues relating to air transport – this includes through the Aviation Council, which meets regularly in person to bring together senior industry leaders and Ministers to discuss the key issues affecting the sector.


Written Question
Public Transport: Rural Areas
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support public transport in rural areas.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Transport in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government provides Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in England outside of London with £42 million annually through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) for the purpose of subsidising socially necessary services that would otherwise be commercially unviable, helping to support rural routes. The Government also provides over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the BSOG to keep fares down and help them maintain an extensive network.

Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) in England is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.


Written Question
Public Transport: Strangford
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the adequacy of public transport in rural communities in Strangford constituency.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Public transport is a matter that is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. My officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure.

I would welcome a discussion once the Executive has reformed.


Written Question
Cars: Fuels
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The recent introduction of the world-leading zero emission vehicle mandate will support future supply of zero emission vehicles, by setting a minimum percentage of manufacturer’s new car and van sales to be zero emission each year from 2024.

To facilitate the transition to zero emission vehicles, the Government is also working with industry to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints. The Government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy sets out the steps being taken to support the deployment of these chargepoints across the country.