Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential role of synthetic fuels in meeting net zero targets.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Whilst synthetic fuels can be expensive and energy intensive to manufacture, they have the potential to contribute to the decarbonisation of transport sectors where there are limited alternatives, such as in aviation. In recognition of the potential benefits of synthetic fuels produced using renewable power, these fuels are eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificate trading scheme.
Power-to-liquid (PtL) synthetic fuels will benefit from a specific target in the Department’s forthcoming Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate scheme to accelerate their commercial advancement.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Growth Plan 2022 on the delivery of road upgrades.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
My officials are already engaging with the delivery agencies whose schemes were identified for acceleration in the growth plan, including local authorities and National Highways, with the intent of removing barriers and delivering the schemes faster.
Government is committed to deliver the £24billion Roads Investment Strategy, including 58 major improvement schemes. Ten of these were included on the list of schemes to prioritise for acceleration and we are working with NH to speed up delivery of these to boost growth across all areas of the country.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Government reduced the road maintenance grant for Lincolnshire in 2021-22; and if he will increase the grant to 2019-20 levels for 2022-23.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for deciding funding levels for departmental spending, including local highway maintenance. Spending Review 2020 (SR20) prioritised funding in 2021-22 to support the government’s response to Covid-19, invest in the UK’s recovery, and deliver on promises to the British people.
As announced in the Spending Review on 28 October 2021, the Department is providing local highway authorities with a three year funding settlement for highway maintenance and is investing over £5 billion over this Parliament (2020/21-2024/25). This is enough to fill in millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges, and help resurface roads throughout the country, and provide funding certainty until 2024/25.
Funding for local roads maintenance is subsequently allocated based on a fair and proportionate funding formula agreed by the sector.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of renewing or extending the leases at state-owned motorway service areas to leverage private sector investment in (a) electric vehicle charging infrastructure, (b) HGV parking and (c) site improvements.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Ministers are considering which approach, as the current leases begin to expire from 2030, would secure best value for the taxpayer and enhance the experience for future road users. Following initial discussions with the operators, Ministers have requested that the operators work with officials to help understand how the timelines for each option could affect the timing and opportunities for any investment in the sites.
At the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced the Rapid Charging Fund was announced as part of a £500 million commitment for EV charging infrastructure.
It will be available to fund a portion of costs at strategic sites across the strategic road network where upgrading connections to meet future demand for high powered chargepoints would be prohibitively expensive and uncommercial. Timing and process for delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course.
The Government will be working with the operators of MSAs to ensure that charging provision is in place ahead of customer demand. The aim is to help support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journeys.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with operators of state-owned motorway service areas on renewing their leases.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In November 2018 and March 2019 ministers met all three operators who directly hold leasehold interests, MOTO, Welcome Break, and Roadchef, to seek their general views about the options on expiry of the current lease for the state-owned Motorway Service Area (MSA) sites. There has also been frequent engagement between the operators and officials regarding site improvements.
In September this year, Baroness Vere met Roadchef, to hear their current proposals for lease renewal. Topics discussed included the option of agreeing an extension to the lease well in advance of the earliest lease expiry dates in 2030, which would provide a longer tenure in which the operators could invest to modernise the ageing sites, including the upgrades to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, provision of additional HGV parking.
Ministers are considering which approach will secure best value for the taxpayer and enhance the experience for future road users and have requested that the operators work with officials to help understand how the timelines for each option could affect the timing of any investment.
In the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced the Rapid Charging Fund was announced as part of a £500 million commitment for EV charging infrastructure.
It will be available to fund a portion of costs at strategic sites across the strategic road network where upgrading connections to meet future demand for high powered chargepoints would be prohibitively expensive and uncommercial. Timing and process for delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course.
The Government will be working with the operators of MSAs to ensure that charging provision is in place ahead of customer demand. The aim is to help support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journeys.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with operators of state-owned motorway service areas on their ability to access investment for (a) site improvements, (b) HGV parking facilities and (c) electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In November 2018 and March 2019 ministers met all three operators who directly hold leasehold interests, MOTO, Welcome Break, and Roadchef, to seek their general views about the options on expiry of the current lease for the state-owned Motorway Service Area (MSA) sites. There has also been frequent engagement between the operators and officials regarding site improvements.
In September this year, Baroness Vere met Roadchef, to hear their current proposals for lease renewal. Topics discussed included the option of agreeing an extension to the lease well in advance of the earliest lease expiry dates in 2030, which would provide a longer tenure in which the operators could invest to modernise the ageing sites, including the upgrades to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, provision of additional HGV parking.
Ministers are considering which approach will secure best value for the taxpayer and enhance the experience for future road users and have requested that the operators work with officials to help understand how the timelines for each option could affect the timing of any investment.
In the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced the Rapid Charging Fund was announced as part of a £500 million commitment for EV charging infrastructure.
It will be available to fund a portion of costs at strategic sites across the strategic road network where upgrading connections to meet future demand for high powered chargepoints would be prohibitively expensive and uncommercial. Timing and process for delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course.
The Government will be working with the operators of MSAs to ensure that charging provision is in place ahead of customer demand. The aim is to help support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journeys.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make a decision on whether to renew or extend the leases at state-owned motorway service areas with leases expiring in 2020-32.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In November 2018 and March 2019 ministers met all three operators who directly hold leasehold interests, MOTO, Welcome Break, and Roadchef, to seek their general views about the options on expiry of the current lease for the state-owned Motorway Service Area (MSA) sites. There has also been frequent engagement between the operators and officials regarding site improvements.
In September this year, Baroness Vere met Roadchef, to hear their current proposals for lease renewal. Topics discussed included the option of agreeing an extension to the lease well in advance of the earliest lease expiry dates in 2030, which would provide a longer tenure in which the operators could invest to modernise the ageing sites, including the upgrades to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, provision of additional HGV parking.
Ministers are considering which approach will secure best value for the taxpayer and enhance the experience for future road users and have requested that the operators work with officials to help understand how the timelines for each option could affect the timing of any investment.
In the March 2020 Budget, the Government announced the Rapid Charging Fund was announced as part of a £500 million commitment for EV charging infrastructure.
It will be available to fund a portion of costs at strategic sites across the strategic road network where upgrading connections to meet future demand for high powered chargepoints would be prohibitively expensive and uncommercial. Timing and process for delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course.
The Government will be working with the operators of MSAs to ensure that charging provision is in place ahead of customer demand. The aim is to help support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journeys.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent meetings Ministers of his Department have had with (a) representatives of British Transport Police and (b) the Home office on the British Transport Police; and what the outcome was of those meetings.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
There were conference telephone calls on Monday 4th May and Wednesday 6th May, between the Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP and Paul Crowther, the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police. No other Ministers have met with BTP representatives recently. There was also a phone conference between the Rail Minister and the Chair and Chief Executive of the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) on Thursday 7th May.
There have not been any recent ministerial meetings with the Home Office regarding BTP.
Outcomes
At the 4th May meeting, the Minister and the Chief Constable agreed that BTP and the Department would continue to work closely together to manage the impacts of COVID-19 on the rail network. During the discussion on the 6th May, the Chief Constable was able to give an update on BTP’s activities and the Minister did likewise regarding work within the Department.
During the discussion between the Rail Minister and BTPA, the BTPA representatives provided an update on the Authority’s work in supporting BTP activity and agreed to keep the Minister updated regarding future developments.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Ministers of his Department have had discussions with representatives of Uber since the 2019 General Election.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Ministers meet regularly with the taxi and private hire vehicle sector to discuss a variety of issues. Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dft-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings#2019
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Ministers of his Department have had discussions with representatives of car insurance firms since the 2019 General Election.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
There have been no meetings between Ministers of the Department for Transport and representatives of motor insurance firms since the General Election of 2019.
Department for Transport officials have been in regular dialogue with representatives of motor insurers such as the Association of British Insurers and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and bring issues to the attention of Ministers when necessary.