Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on (a) introducing regulations to ensure that customer funds cannot be withheld by airlines and (b) ensuring airlines comply with CAA's requirements when issuing refunds for cancelled flights.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority has been clear that airlines should not deny consumers their legal right to a refund, if it is requested.
On 1 July 2020 the Civil Aviation Authority provided an update on its website about its review into the refund policies of airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. They are reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department has also recently acted to ensure that if ATOL-protected holidaymakers who have package holidays including a flight accept refund credit notes rather than a cash refund for their cancelled holiday as a result of COVID-19, they will be protected by the ATOL scheme if necessary even if the company they have booked with later collapses.
By providing confidence to holidaymakers that their refund credit notes are protected if they choose them over refunds, this will mean customers are able to support the travel sector’s recovery from the pandemic by accepting a refund credit note.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that refunds for cancelled (a) flights and (b) holidays are more easily accessible.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
On 1 July 2020 the Civil Aviation Authority provided an update on its website about its review into the refund policies of airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. They are reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Competition Markets Authority launched its COVID-19 Taskforce in April to identify, monitor and respond to competition and consumer problems arising from coronavirus and the measures taken to contain it. Where there is evidence that businesses have breached competition or consumer protection law, the CMA will take enforcement action if warranted.
The Department has been clear that airlines should not deny consumers their legal right to a refund, if it is requested and this should be done in a timely manner.
The Department has also recently acted to ensure that if ATOL-protected holidaymakers who have package holidays including a flight accept refund credit notes rather than a cash refund for their cancelled holiday as a result of COVID-19, they will be protected by the ATOL scheme if necessary even if the company they have booked with later collapses.
By providing confidence to holidaymakers that their refund credit notes are protected if they choose them over refunds, this will mean customers are able to support the travel sector’s recovery from the pandemic by accepting a refund credit note.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that online travel agents are able to access customer refunds from airlines to ensure they meet their legal obligation to refund customers within seven days.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
On 1 July 2020 the Civil Aviation Authority provided an update on its website about its review into the refund policies of airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. They are reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Competition Markets Authority launched its COVID-19 Taskforce in April to identify, monitor and respond to competition and consumer problems arising from coronavirus and the measures taken to contain it. Where there is evidence that businesses have breached competition or consumer protection law, the CMA will take enforcement action if warranted.
The Department has been clear that airlines should not deny consumers their legal right to a refund, if it is requested and this should be done in a timely manner.
The Department has also recently acted to ensure that if ATOL-protected holidaymakers who have package holidays including a flight accept refund credit notes rather than a cash refund for their cancelled holiday as a result of COVID-19, they will be protected by the ATOL scheme if necessary even if the company they have booked with later collapses.
By providing confidence to holidaymakers that their refund credit notes are protected if they choose them over refunds, this will mean customers are able to support the travel sector’s recovery from the pandemic by accepting a refund credit note.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefit of extending the Renewal Transport Fuel Obligation to incentivise the production of green hydrogen.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Renewable hydrogen supplied in the UK is eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), a certificate trading scheme. It is categorised as a development fuel, which potentially benefits from a higher tradeable certificate value.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) production and (b) use of hydrogen buses.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government has supported the use of a range of low carbon bus technologies, including hydrogen buses and supporting infrastructure, through funds including the Low Emission and Ultra-Low Emission Bus Schemes.
In February, the Government announced a £5 billion funding package for buses and cycling, which includes support for the purchase of at least 4,000 zero-emission buses. The details of these programmes, including technology options and how funding will be distributed, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees have been felled by Network Rail as part its lineside tree felling programme to date.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail does not have a lineside tree felling programme, however Network Rail does have a statutory duty to ensure that the railways remain safe and reliable for the millions of people who use the network every day. In the last year, there were more than a thousand incidents where trees caused disruption to the network, which in some cases resulted in injuries among train drivers and members of the public.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees Network Rail plans to fell as part of its lineside tree felling programme up to the expected conclusion of that programme in 2024.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail does not have a dedicated lineside tree felling programme.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees Network Rail are planning to replant to replace the loss of biodiversity resulting from its lineside tree felling programme.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail does not have a lineside tree felling programme. While Network Rail has carried out replanting, where appropriate, on individual projects, it does not hold central data on the number of trees replanted across its estate.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments Network Rail carry out to classify a lineside tree as safety critical.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail’s lineside engineers and surveyors consider a range of factors as part of their routine assessment of lineside trees, and whether these are considered safety critical or not. In the last year, there were more than a thousand incidents where trees caused disruption to the network, which in some cases resulted in injuries among train drivers and members of the public. Factors include the condition of the trees themselves, any identifiable hazards to oncoming trains and the safety risks associated with leaves on the line. This is in accordance with Network Rail’s own standards for vegetation management, which is based on existing forestry and environmental legislation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the independent review of Network Rail’s lineside vegetation management, published in November 2018, for what reasons Network Rail has felled trees during the nesting season.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Network Rail has a statutory duty to ensure that the railways remain safe throughout the year, and are therefore expected to intervene to address imminent safety risks or hazards that present themselves at the lineside, whenever this may be the case. As part of fulfilling this duty, Network Rail work with independent ecologists and arborists to identify nesting birds and protected species before commissioning any devegetation work, so that appropriate mitigation can be put in place to protect them and minimise disturbance.