Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on (a) productivity and (b) commercial business of the UK's withdrawal from EGNOS.
Answered by Robert Courts
We are monitoring the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EGNOS programme following the end of the EGNOS Working Agreements on 25 June 2021.
The UK is exploring options to fulfil its needs for secure and resilient position, navigation and timing information. This is considering the aviation sector’s long-term needs and requirements.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timeframe is for implementing a new system in place of EGNOS which has the same functions.
Answered by Robert Courts
We are monitoring the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EGNOS programme following the end of the EGNOS Working Agreements on 25 June 2021.
The UK is exploring options to fulfil its needs for secure and resilient position, navigation and timing information. This is considering the aviation sector’s long-term needs and requirements.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of commercial flights that have not been completed as a result of withdrawal of the UK from EGNOS.
Answered by Robert Courts
We are monitoring the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EGNOS programme following the end of the EGNOS Working Agreements on 25 June 2021.
The UK is exploring options to fulfil its needs for secure and resilient position, navigation and timing information. This is considering the aviation sector’s long-term needs and requirements.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the environmental standards will be for fuels in aviation in the (a) UK and (b) EU; and whether his Department has plans to harmonise those rules.
Answered by Robert Courts
Between July and September, the Department consulted on proposals for a UK sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) mandate requiring jet fuel suppliers to blend an increasing proportion of SAF into aviation fuel from 2025.
The consultation sought views on the eligibility criteria SAF will need to meet, the interactions between SAF and other domestic and international policy, and the compliance, reporting and verification principles of the proposed SAF mandate scheme. The consultation proposes strong sustainability criteria that SAF will need to meet to receive support. Our proposed criteria would restrict support to SAF produced from feedstocks and process inputs that deliver significant GHG emissions savings, when considering their supply chains and direct and indirect sustainability and land use impacts.
The Department is carefully considering responses received to the consultation and will publish a summary of responses including next steps in due course. This will formalise our position on the GHG emissions savings and other sustainability criteria that SAF would have to meet under a UK mandate.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to mandate controlled airspace at air traffic control airports.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government has no such plans. Any proposal to amend the specific classification of UK airspace must follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP1616 airspace change process. This requires active engagement and consultation with stakeholders and the airspace change sponsor must be able to demonstrate that its proposal is safe and consistent with relevant UK aviation policy such as the Airspace Modernisation Strategy.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Specialised Committee on Road Transport is planned to meet.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishes a standard set of committees to oversee its operation. This includes a Partnership Council, providing political strategic oversight across the relationship. The Government is currently considering carefully the process around the establishment of the Partnership Council.
Once the Partnership Council has been established, a series of specialised committees will be established including the Specialised Committee on Road Transport.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the DVLA are returning personal identification items to their owner in a timely fashion.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Paper applications which include identification documents are taking longer to process as they must be dealt with in person. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a reduced number of staff on-site to comply with social distancing requirements and ensure staff safety. Where possible, the DVLA is prioritising the return of identification documents that have been sent to them by customers.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which UK produce and products, by value, comprise the main freighted items transported by air to international markets; and what the primary destinations are of those products.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Information on the value of goods by mode of transport is only available for goods exported to non-EU countries that are cleared for customs purposes at UK airports from HMRC. Table 1 displays the top five product categories exported by air by value in 2018, and the associated top five export partner countries for these goods.
Table 1: Main UK good exports by air to non-EU countries by value, 2018
Goods category exported by air, and top 5 export countries | Exports, £ billions |
Precious metals, stones and jewellery | 30.18 |
Switzerland | 14.75 |
China | 4.58 |
Turkey | 2.47 |
Hong Kong | 2.22 |
United Arab Emirates | 1.64 |
Machinery and mechanical appliances | 19.96 |
United States | 5.12 |
United Arab Emirates | 2.18 |
Singapore | 1.98 |
Hong Kong | 1.69 |
Japan | 1.01 |
Pharmaceutical products | 8.41 |
United States | 3.81 |
China | 1.02 |
Japan | 0.63 |
Australia | 0.24 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.23 |
Electrical machinery and equipment | 7.28 |
United States | 2.01 |
China | 0.60 |
Hong Kong | 0.49 |
Singapore | 0.34 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.40 |
Optical, measuring, medical or surgical instruments | 6.79 |
United States | 2.45 |
China | 0.65 |
Japan | 0.52 |
Hong Kong | 0.29 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.23 |