Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures her Department is taking to review the adequacy of the exclusion of aircraft noise from the statutory nuisance regime, particularly in relation to communities affected by regular helicopter overflight.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s overall policy on aviation noise is to balance the economic and consumer benefits of aviation against its social and health implications.
The Air Navigation Guidance 2017 provided by the Department to the Civil Aviation Authority urges helicopter operators to fly with consideration for communities that may live under their flightpath. The Department has also sought to encourage pilots to follow other available guidance, such as that produced by the British Helicopter Association which encourages pilots to fly as high as possible within safety and operational limits.
Aircraft and traffic noise is not included as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Government believes it is not practical for local authorities to enforce noise from these sources, and that aviation noise is better managed through specific Government policies tailored to individual noise sources. Powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are devolved in Scotland.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures her Department is taking to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between helicopter operations and the impact of aviation noise on communities located beneath established helicopter routes.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s overall policy on aviation noise is to balance the economic and consumer benefits of aviation against its social and health implications.
The Air Navigation Guidance 2017 provided by the Department to the Civil Aviation Authority urges helicopter operators to fly with consideration for communities that may live under their flightpath. The Department has also sought to encourage pilots to follow other available guidance, such as that produced by the British Helicopter Association which encourages pilots to fly as high as possible within safety and operational limits.
Aircraft and traffic noise is not included as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Government believes it is not practical for local authorities to enforce noise from these sources, and that aviation noise is better managed through specific Government policies tailored to individual noise sources. Powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are devolved in Scotland.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing monitoring and data collection arrangements for helicopter movements in uncontrolled airspace, including over residential areas.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not monitor aircraft movements within uncontrolled airspace and therefore has not made any assessment of existing monitoring and data collection arrangements for helicopter movements in uncontrolled airspace.
The Civil Aviation Authority, as the UK's independent regulator for civil aviation, manages and regulates the use of UK airspace. Uncontrolled airspace enables aircraft to operate freely and without the need to follow set routes, whilst abiding by the Rules of the Air Regulation 2015.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of rescue helicopter operational capability.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Throughout the procurement and service delivery lifecycle of the UK’s contracted search and rescue helicopter provision, capability is continually assessed against demand, ensuring that it will always meet the needs of the public. Recent examples include demand analyses, audit programmes and reviews of technical requirements to support procurements.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework governing the operation of foreign-flagged passenger vessels within UK territorial waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to designated areas of UK territorial waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on managing cruise ship traffic in sensitive coastal and marine environments.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport Ministers have not discussed with the Scottish Government limiting cruise ship activity. Nor have they undertaken any assessment of the levels of such activity.
Cruise visits bring jobs and growth to coastal communities. That’s why the Government, in partnership with the industry, published the UK Cruise Growth Plan in September 2025.
That plan offers a blueprint for future collaboration on connected priorities, such as further progress towards net zero and increasing environmental protection. It sits alongside the UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which sets out our pathway and key policies to decarbonise the maritime sector.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the levels of cruise vessel activity in environmentally sensitive coastal areas of the west of Scotland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport Ministers have not discussed with the Scottish Government limiting cruise ship activity. Nor have they undertaken any assessment of the levels of such activity.
Cruise visits bring jobs and growth to coastal communities. That’s why the Government, in partnership with the industry, published the UK Cruise Growth Plan in September 2025.
That plan offers a blueprint for future collaboration on connected priorities, such as further progress towards net zero and increasing environmental protection. It sits alongside the UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which sets out our pathway and key policies to decarbonise the maritime sector.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential environmental impacts of restricting the use of heavy fuel oil within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to working through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the global environmental impact of the maritime sector. We are a leading voice in supporting the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework to reduce global shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, and remain committed to working with others to progress adoption of the Net-Zero Framework in 2026. Additional global measures, such as the introduction of stricter international sulphur regulations in 2020, have already reduced the use of traditional high sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil.
We are also taking action domestically through policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This presents a range of fuel scenarios, underpinned by our maritime emissions model, illustrating the varying ways in which the UK domestic maritime sector could transition from traditional fuels, such as heavy fuel oil, to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels. This is also informed by a wide range of other evidence including from industry, non-governmental organisations and academia.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the use of heavy fuel oil by vessels operating in UK waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to working through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the global environmental impact of the maritime sector. We are a leading voice in supporting the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework to reduce global shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, and remain committed to working with others to progress adoption of the Net-Zero Framework in 2026. Additional global measures, such as the introduction of stricter international sulphur regulations in 2020, have already reduced the use of traditional high sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil.
We are also taking action domestically through policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This presents a range of fuel scenarios, underpinned by our maritime emissions model, illustrating the varying ways in which the UK domestic maritime sector could transition from traditional fuels, such as heavy fuel oil, to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels. This is also informed by a wide range of other evidence including from industry, non-governmental organisations and academia.