Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to Northern Ireland elements of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Many of the ambitions of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review support the vision for UK transport connectivity that Lord Hendy set out in his 2021 review report.
That is why the UK Government provided financial support to Translink to undertake four Northern Ireland rail feasibility studies linked to the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
My department continues to engage positively with the Department for Infrastructure and remains willing to explore ways in which we can collaborate and share best practice in support of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
However, the development and implementation of rail schemes in Northern Ireland - including how they are financed - are devolved matters and therefore responsibility for them rests with the Northern Ireland Executive and Translink.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the increase in haulage costs for transporting goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Hauliers play a very important role in supporting trade within the UK. The Government meets regularly with stakeholders involved in trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, such as representatives of the road haulage and wider logistics industry, including to understand cost pressures.
Hauliers transporting goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are supported by measures such as the extension of the 5 pence cut in fuel duty until the end of August 2026 and for Great Britain, discounts of up to £120,000 on new electric trucks are available thanks to an additional £18m to increase the Plug-in Truck Grant until the end of March 2026. Existing rates apply to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help tackle the cost of ferry journeys between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ferry services between Great Britain and Northern Ireland operate in a commercial and competitive market without intervention from the Government. The Department for Transport has no plans to subsidise ferry services between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53771 on Railways: Finance, what recent progress she has made on the Union Connectivity Development Fund.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Union Connectivity Development Fund (UCDF) has provided financial support for a range of transport connectivity projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This includes funding to support four rail feasibility studies in Northern Ireland, the conclusions of which have just been published in a Translink report.
While there are no plans for further UCDF-supported projects once those already underway are concluded, the Department remains committed to its strong partnerships with the Devolved Governments, focusing on collaboration, capacity building and the sharing of best practice, where appropriate.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the regulatory oversight of (a) private and (b) unlicensed airfields in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mike Kane
Airports and aerodromes in Northern Ireland are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. However, overarching aviation policy, most Civil Aviation issues, safety and security are reserved to the UK government. As the specialist UK aviation regulator, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advises the UK Government on aviation policy and regulation and regularly reviews safety across the UK.
The CAA takes a proportionate and risk-based approach to regulation. Any aerodrome conducting scheduled public transport, or transporting fare-paying passengers must be licenced, as must aerodromes operating heavier aircraft. Aerodromes that do not meet these criteria can choose to be unlicenced. In addition, the storage of Aviation fuel is also regulated at all aerodromes, whether licenced or not.
The CAA provides guidance for safe operations at unlicenced aerodromes in the Civil Aviation Publication (CAP) 793, which outlines best practices for obstacle clearance, runway layout, and operational safety. Unlicenced aerodromes must also abide by general aviation safety standards and planning regulations.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote collaboration between the (a) Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, (b) Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee in Northern Ireland and (c) Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee in Northern Ireland, Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and the Welsh Government meet twice a year as the Accessibility 4 Nations Group, to engage and collaborate on accessibility matters. These meetings are co-ordinated and chaired on a rotational basis by the respective secretariats, including the DPTAC secretariat within the Department for Transport. The latest meeting took place in April 2025 with the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland chairing.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with public transport bodies on (a) partnering with AccessAble and (b) providing equivalent information to improve accessibility for disabled passengers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Innovative approaches to providing accessible information has an important role to play in delivering transport networks which allows disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. Improving accessibility is a collaborative effort, with operators, industry, and entrepreneurs all having key parts to play – alongside disabled passengers. Initiatives such as those developed by AccessAble provide an example of how this can be achieved. As detailed in the Department’s response to the Transport Committee inquiry into accessible travel, the Department for Transport is undertaking discovery work to capture bus and rail accessibility assets within the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) which is a national dataset of all public transport ‘stops’ in England, Scotland and Wales. This discovery work is the starting point for accessibility journey planning.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Motor Insurance Taskforce's final report; and whether it will include regional breakdowns of findings and recommendations.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.
The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.
We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.
We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) consumer representatives and (b) regional insurers in Northern Ireland have been consulted by the Motor Insurance Taskforce.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.
The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.
We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.
We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Motor Insurance Taskforce has considered the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce remains a priority, with active policy development underway. Further details, including the Taskforce’s conclusions, will be set out in due course.
The Taskforce is comprised of Ministers from relevant government departments, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. It is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sectors.
We continue to engage with interested parties, including consumer groups. A meeting of the stakeholder panel was held on 2 July.
We are also aware of the unique features of the motor insurance market in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Minister for the Economy and officials from the Department for Infrastructure on 6 May, to hear their perspective on the market and relevant policy options. I met with the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure on 8 July to discuss motor insurance.