Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 108013, whether the Department has identified any financial year in which the cumulative efficiency savings attributed to Network Rail are expected to exceed the cumulative costs of the major technology investments cited in support of those efficiencies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail's overall Control Period 7 (running from April 2024 to March 2029) efficiency target is £3.9 billion, which it remains on track to achieve. This will significantly exceed the cumulative cost in Control Period 7 of the major technology investments previously cited (Digital Signalling, Electrical Safety and Delivery, and Project Reach).
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of rail journeys used fully digital tickets in January 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The approximate proportion of tickets fulfilled as Digital Tickets for January 2026 are:
January 2026 | ||
Digital | 87% | 105m |
Non Digital | 13% | 15m |
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK ETS on lifeline ferry services outside Scotland, including routes serving the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An Impact Assessment was published alongside the main Authority Response in November 2025, which includes analysis of regional and distributional impacts. To mitigate risks of competitive impacts with routes between Great Britain and Ireland, we intend to introduce a 50% surrender deduction on voyages between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. All ferries serving the Isles of Scilly and most serving the Isle of Wight will not be in scope of the ETS under the planned rules. Potential or realised impacts on UK islands will be considered within our 2028 review and future decisions will be based on the evidence available at that time.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109216, what estimate she has made of the annual amount of UK Emissions Trading Scheme revenue generated from domestic maritime emissions allocated to maritime decarbonisation projects by programme.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Domestic maritime emissions will be subject to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from July this year. The OBR’s November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook states that the UK ETS overall raised £3.4bn in 2024-25. Revenues from the scheme are not hypothecated but accrue to the consolidated fund, and support spending on government priorities, which includes maritime decarbonisation.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of ringfencing UK ETS revenues generated from maritime emissions for investment in shore power, grid upgrades, vessel retrofits and alternative fuels.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to maintaining an ambitious carbon pricing scheme to ensure that polluters continue to pay for their emissions. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is our key lever to do so. This supports a cost-efficient transition toward net zero.
In July 2025, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority confirmed an expansion to emissions from domestic maritime regime, commencing on 1 July 2026.
The UK does not hypothecate revenue from the UK ETS. All receipts from the UK ETS accrue to the consolidated fund, and go to funding government priorities, which includes decarbonisation support for the maritime sector.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105895, what proportion of the £424 million efficiency saving attributed to regulated settlements in 2028–29 is expected to be delivered by Network Rail alone.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All of the £424 million efficiency saving attributed to regulated settlements in 2028–29 is forecasted to be delivered by Network Rail. Efficiencies for National Highways for the equivalent period will be determined through the Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) process, which is currently underway and not yet complete.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to prevent the UK ETS from operating as a pay-to-pollute scheme for maritime operators unable to access decarbonisation infrastructure.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Emissions Trading Scheme is a cap-and-trade system with a declining cap that ensures emissions from the traded sector, including the domestic maritime sector, fall in line with the United Kingdom’s statutory net zero commitments.
The scheme limits total emissions and enables reductions to occur where they are most cost effective, without prescribing specific technologies in any sector.
For maritime operators, the scheme provides a clear price signal that supports investment in cleaner vessels, operational efficiency and emerging low carbon fuels.
The Government will continue to work with industry to support the development of infrastructure and technologies needed to facilitate decarbonisation.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether revenues generated by the inclusion of domestic maritime within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme will be ringfenced for maritime decarbonisation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to maintaining an ambitious carbon pricing scheme to ensure that polluters continue to pay for their emissions. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is our key lever to do so. This supports a cost-efficient transition toward net zero.
In July 2025, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority confirmed an expansion to emissions from domestic maritime regime, commencing on 1 July 2026.
The UK does not hypothecate revenue from the UK ETS. All receipts from the UK ETS accrue to the consolidated fund, and go to funding government priorities, which includes decarbonisation support for the maritime sector.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105895, what the assumed payback period is for the major technology investments cited for Network Rail in delivering efficiency savings; and in which financial year cumulative efficiency savings are expected to exceed cumulative investment costs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail undertake numerous technology-related investments, including those cited as examples in the previous response on 19 January. The payback period for technology-related investments will vary in range and this will depend on the scope and business case associated with the type of technology investment. Interdependencies between the projects and payback is not limited to Network Rail or purely financial benefits.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90407 on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will include a breakdown of (a) forecast costs for each individual strategic road network enhancement scheme that is to be delivered during the 2026 to 2031 period and (b) the Department's planned expenditure on (i) operations, (ii) maintenance and renewals, (iii) disaggregating maintenance and (iv) staffing costs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will set out the Department’s planned capital and revenue expenditure over the 2026/27 to 2030/31 period, with breakdowns across key categories including operations, maintenance, renewals and enhancements.
In line with previous Road Investment Strategies, RIS3 will not include forecast costs for individual enhancement schemes. Scheme-level costs will continue to be developed and refined through the business case and investment decision-making process, ensuring value for money and appropriate assurance prior to commitment.
Further information on the delivery, governance and performance of the Strategic Road Network will be published through National Highways’ subsequent delivery plans and reporting arrangements.