Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to hold airlines to account on (i) passenger rights and (ii) compensation for (1) delays and (2) cancellations on (A) intercontinental flights (B) flights between the UK and Ghana.
Answered by Mike Kane
Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.
Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.
Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with British Airways on (a) passenger rights and (b) compensation for (i) delays and (ii) cancellations on UK-Ghana flights.
Answered by Mike Kane
Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.
Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.
Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with British Airways on (a) the scheduling, (b) route changes and (c) operational decisions impacting UK-Ghana flights.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on (a) the management of its UK-Ghana route, (b) service standards and (c) passenger experience.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Airways' operational decisions on UK-Ghana business and tourism links.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the flights on those routes, are a commercial decision made by airlines. As this is a commercial decision, the DfT has not undertaken any assessment on British Airways' operational decisions on its UK-Ghana service. The UK-Ghana Air Services Agreement provides opportunity for growth in UK-Ghana market.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of flights between the UK and Ghana.
Answered by Mike Kane
The UK aviation industry operates in the private sector, and each airline is responsible for setting its own fare structures, within a competitive market. However, they must be transparent about what the ticket price includes, helping passengers to make informed decisions about booking flights that meet their needs.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with her Ghanaian counterparts on bilateral aviation agreements to improve connectivity and competition on the UK-Ghana route.
Answered by Mike Kane
DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging increased airline competition on the UK-Ghana route.
Answered by Mike Kane
DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the emissions reductions required in transport to deliver the sixth carbon budget.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As the UK’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonising transport will play an important role in meeting economy-wide carbon budgets. Transport emissions reduced by 10% between 2019 to 2023, but emissions must fall faster to achieve our legal targets. The Government will deliver an updated delivery plan for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year, with policy detail for all sectors provided up to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has completed an equality impact assessment on its consultation proposals entitled A railway fit for Britain's future, published on 18 February 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Equality impacts are being considered throughout the policy development process and as we prepare the required legislation. Feedback from the consultation will also inform our assessments.
An Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the broader Impact Assessment when the legislation is introduced, in line with standard practice and requirements.