Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Sheffield and Rotherham steel in the construction of HS2.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
HS2 Ltd has engaged extensively with the British steel industry over the last five years, including organisations with facilities in Sheffield and Rotherham. HS2 Ltd hold 'Meet the Contractor' events for potential suppliers regularly and I would encourage businesses across Sheffield and Rotherham to sign-up to one of these events.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason steel sourced from outside the UK is being used in the construction of HS2.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across the HS2 project, all procurement is conducted fairly, equally and transparently and does not discriminate on the basis of location, in line with UK public procurement law.
Procurement of steel is generally undertaken by Tier 3 or 4 suppliers to HS2, rather than by HS2 Ltd directly. On occasion, it may be necessary to procure non-UK steel either to ensure value for money for UK taxpayers or to maintain the agreed HS2 programme.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the national provenance of the steel used in the construction of HS2.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
HS2 Ltd’s steel procurement data are published yearly by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
HS2 Ltd. works extensively with the British steel industry to ensure it is in the best position to compete for contracts to build Britain’s new high speed rail network. For example, 28 of the 29 reinforcement fabrication contracts have been awarded to UK-based companies.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) disruption of (i) phase 2b of HS2, (ii) the revival of the Great Central Main Line and (iii) other alternatives to phase 2b of HS2 in the north of England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most recent cost estimate for HS2 Phase 2b, which includes the cost of disruption, is set out in the HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament: March 2021. The Government expects to set out more fully the costs of Phase 2b in the IRP and when it brings forward a hybrid Bill for the Western Leg of Phase 2b. Whist recent work has not considered the revival of the Great Central Main Line as an alternative to HS2 Phase 2b, we have assessed a range of alternatives to the scheme throughout its development, with the most recent assessment by Atkins published in 2016. The government intends to update the strategic alternatives to phase 2b when it brings forward a hybrid Bill for the Western Leg of Phase 2b.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of waiving grid fees for electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen, as has been implemented in Germany, as part of planned reform of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact on the development of our green hydrogen policies. This includes the matter of grid fees, or more specifically the network charges relevant to the production of green hydrogen.
The Department has consulted on options to reward renewable hydrogen more flexibly under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). These include extending eligibility to renewable hydrogen production from energy supplied over the grid. A Government Response including final proposals will be published before the end of the year. However, the RTFO scheme does not offer a means of providing exemptions from network charges. The RTFO is a separate renewables support scheme to those run by Ofgem, and the RTFO applies no charges in respect of the electricity used to produce renewable hydrogen. Consequently, there have been no ministerial discussions on waiving grid fees in the context of RTFO reform.
The Government’s hydrogen strategy includes measures to develop and scale up hydrogen in transport over the 2020s, building on UK expertise and assets in both electrolytic (green) and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) enabled (blue) hydrogen. It is our ambition to become a world leader in the production and use of green hydrogen. We are ensuring that transport trials use green hydrogen to help drive the development of the hydrogen vehicle and the green hydrogen production supply chains. To support hydrogen production the strategy also includes a consultation on Net zero hydrogen fund (£240m), low carbon hydrogen standard and the hydrogen business model, offering support beyond just transport.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the potential merits of waiving grid fees for electrolysers to incentivise the production of green hydrogen as part of wider reforms to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact on the development of our green hydrogen policies. This includes the matter of grid fees, or more specifically the network charges relevant to the production of green hydrogen.
The Department has consulted on options to reward renewable hydrogen more flexibly under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). These include extending eligibility to renewable hydrogen production from energy supplied over the grid. A Government Response including final proposals will be published before the end of the year. However, the RTFO scheme does not offer a means of providing exemptions from network charges. The RTFO is a separate renewables support scheme to those run by Ofgem, and the RTFO applies no charges in respect of the electricity used to produce renewable hydrogen. Consequently, there have been no ministerial discussions on waiving grid fees in the context of RTFO reform.
The Government’s hydrogen strategy includes measures to develop and scale up hydrogen in transport over the 2020s, building on UK expertise and assets in both electrolytic (green) and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) enabled (blue) hydrogen. It is our ambition to become a world leader in the production and use of green hydrogen. We are ensuring that transport trials use green hydrogen to help drive the development of the hydrogen vehicle and the green hydrogen production supply chains. To support hydrogen production the strategy also includes a consultation on Net zero hydrogen fund (£240m), low carbon hydrogen standard and the hydrogen business model, offering support beyond just transport.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many traffic accidents have occurred in Rother Valley constituency in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The number of personal injury road accidents reported by police for the Rother Valley constituency in each year since 2010 is shown in the table.
Year | Number of accidents |
2010 | 250 |
2011 | 226 |
2012 | 212 |
2013 | 229 |
2014 | 224 |
2015 | 203 |
2016 | 207 |
2017 | 191 |
2018 | 163 |
2019 | 162 |
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ascertain where ride-hailing service DiDi stores data from UK riders and drivers.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
It is for the company themselves to ensure that they comply with relevant data protection legislation and, if necessary, to satisfy the Information Commissioner’s Office, as regulator, that they are doing so.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to decarbonise aviation.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
It is critical that the aviation sector plays its part in delivering the UK’s net zero commitment and the Government is already supporting a variety of technology, fuel and market-based measures to address aviation emissions. We have also established the Jet Zero Council, a partnership between industry and government, to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
The Government is clear that international action on aviation emissions is essential given the global nature of the sector, and so the UK remains fully committed to action through international processes and takes a leading role in the work of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce emissions from international aviation.
We will be consulting on our strategy to achieve net zero aviation shortly, setting out the steps to reach net zero aviation emissions by 2050.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a zero emissions vehicles mandate.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published in November 2020 announced that a Green Paper would be published later this year to consider the regulatory options available to deliver our 2030/35 phase out dates for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles and support supply of electric vehicles to the UK market.