Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by his Department in each of the last two years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
It has not been possible to find out this information. The Department for Transport is an inclusive department and we work with a diverse range of communities and stakeholders. When planning events we work closely with local authorities and other organisations to ensure that representatives of communities that may be interested in attending, including the Jain community and the Zoroastrian community, receive invitations.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will invite representatives of the Jain community to national events organised by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department for Transport is an inclusive department and we work with a diverse range of communities and stakeholders. When planning events we work closely with local authorities and other organisations to ensure that representatives of communities that may be interested in attending, including the Jain community, receive invitations.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will set targets for the proportion of aviation fuel required to be sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK. Recent changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) mean that renewable aviation fuels are eligible for reward, in the form of tradeable certificates.
Additionally, the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (the F4C) makes up to £20 million of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries.
The Government welcomes the aviation sector’s positive progress in responding to the challenge of addressing its impact on climate change, including through new and innovative projects to convert waste to jet fuel. As the new Minister of State for the Future of Transport, I am actively considering further policies that the Government can put in place to assist the long-term uptake of sustainable alternative fuels in this sector.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271332, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps
I can confirm my department currently does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit. The department does offer employees a wide range of benefits which are paid for through deductions from payroll.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what proportion, compared to current figures, will carbon emissions from aviation at Heathrow change following the completion of a third runway.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The ‘UK aviation forecasts 2017’ provides a forecast of UK air passenger demand and aviation carbon dioxide emissions to 2050. This analysis includes aviation emissions at Heathrow Airport in 2016 and a forecast of emissions, including the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme, across a range of years. The data you have requested can be found in Tables 69 and 70 of the ‘UK aviation forecasts 2017 data’ spreadsheet, accessible via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-aviation-forecasts-2017
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to include emissions from international aviation in the Government's climate targets.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Government is clear about the need for action to tackle emissions across the whole economy – including emissions from international aviation. Emissions from domestic flights are already covered by our existing domestic legislation and the Committee on Climate Change account for emissions from international aviation in their advice on setting our carbon budgets. This will continue to be the case for the new net zero target.
Action to tackle emissions from international aviation must be done globally to be effective. That is why we are working closely with the International Civil Aviation Organization, to ensure we and the rest of the world are taking ambitious action.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to offset the carbon emissions from increased aviation into and out of Heathrow following its proposed expansion.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The UK takes a leading role in tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and on 27 June 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to set a 2050 net zero target to end its contribution to climate change.
Whilst international aviation emissions currently only represent 2% of international emissions, aviation must play its part in achieving net zero carbon emissions. The Government will propose a long-term vision for UK aviation carbon and a pathway to achieve this in the Aviation 2050 white paper due to be published later this year. Any expansion at UK airports, including Heathrow, will need to demonstrate it is consistent with this vision.
The UK will continue to play a key leadership role in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The UK has already played a crucial role in successfully negotiating and securing the first ever global measure to reduce emissions in a single sector in the form of the carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation (CORSIA). We will also negotiate for a long-term goal for international aviation that is consistent with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement, ideally by ICAO’s 41st Assembly in 2022.
To better understand the role offsetting emissions can play in achieving future carbon goals, the Government launched a call for evidence on offsetting carbon emissions produced by transport on 18 July 2019. The call for evidence invites views on whether transport operators should have to offer offsetting to passengers. It also explores the public understanding of carbon emissions from the journeys they make and the options to offset them.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of deploying sustainable alternative aviation fuels.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Sustainable alternative aviation fuels are an important means of reducing aviation emissions.
The Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK. Recent changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) mean that renewable aviation fuels are eligible for reward, in the form of tradeable certificates. Additionally, the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (the F4C) makes up to £20 million of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries. Research commissioned by the Department in support of the competition considered the feasibility of technologies that could produce advanced renewable fuels for use in aviation. The research is published here at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/637662/dft_f4c-feasibility_final_report.pdf.
The Government’s new aviation strategy, Aviation 2050 – The future of UK aviation, will be published later this year. Through consultation on that Strategy the Government is also considering further policies it can put in place to assist the long-term uptake of sustainable alternative fuels in this sector.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on taking steps to adopt the International Maritime Organization’s interim goal of reducing shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2050.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department for Transport is working closely with other Government departments, international partners and industry to develop measures to meet the IMO’s ambition of reducing shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2050
I regularly meet with Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss a wide range of issues including the maritime environment.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to create incentives for shipping companies to reduce (a) nitrogen dioxide, (b) nitric oxide and (c) carbon dioxide emissions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
In January 2019 the Government published Maritime 2050, which set out strategic ambitions for the future of the maritime sector, including a vision for zero emission shipping. In Maritime 2050, we committed to assess how economic instruments could support the transition to zero emission shipping in the medium to long term. We also committed to consider whether and how the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) could be used to encourage the uptake of low carbon fuels in maritime.
Government will this week publish the Clean Maritime Plan, which will set out further detail on our plans to create incentives for shipping companies to reduce both air quality pollutant emissions and carbon dioxide. I will make a further statement to the House on the measures included within the plan on the day of publication.