Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to help reduce the price difference between sustainable aviation fuels and conventional fossil kerosene.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Jet Zero consultation, published in July, sets out our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. Our proposed approach focuses on the rapid development of technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel and maximises the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring for the UK.
The Department has made no specific assessment of carbon reductions from SAF deployment by flight type or journey length. However, relevant to the future uptake of SAF, the Jet Zero consultation provided several illustrative scenarios. Our “high ambition” and “high ambition with a breakthrough in SAF” scenarios estimate that by 2050 carbon emission reductions from SAF could be between 8 and 20 megatonnes per year. That is the equivalent of between 14 and 36 per cent of carbon reductions in aviation overall.
Future carbon reductions are dependent upon the ability of SAF suppliers to scale up production. We understand the challenges in securing investment in SAF, including the comparative production costs of SAF and fossil equivalents. This is why we are making available £180 million of new funding for the development of SAF plants, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. It is also why the Government has consulted on a new stand-alone mandate for SAF, similar to the Renewables Obligation.
Our Net Zero Strategy published in October confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030. We are currently reviewing responses to the SAF mandate consultation, which closed in September, and will bring forward updated proposals next year. Core to this work is ensuring that the policy framework cost-effectively delivers rapid SAF commercialisation and carbon reductions.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure a statutory commitment to the ambition of 10 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel usage by 2030 as outlined in the Net Zero Strategy.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Jet Zero consultation, published in July, sets out our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. Our proposed approach focuses on the rapid development of technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel and maximises the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring for the UK.
The Department has made no specific assessment of carbon reductions from SAF deployment by flight type or journey length. However, relevant to the future uptake of SAF, the Jet Zero consultation provided several illustrative scenarios. Our “high ambition” and “high ambition with a breakthrough in SAF” scenarios estimate that by 2050 carbon emission reductions from SAF could be between 8 and 20 megatonnes per year. That is the equivalent of between 14 and 36 per cent of carbon reductions in aviation overall.
Future carbon reductions are dependent upon the ability of SAF suppliers to scale up production. We understand the challenges in securing investment in SAF, including the comparative production costs of SAF and fossil equivalents. This is why we are making available £180 million of new funding for the development of SAF plants, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. It is also why the Government has consulted on a new stand-alone mandate for SAF, similar to the Renewables Obligation.
Our Net Zero Strategy published in October confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030. We are currently reviewing responses to the SAF mandate consultation, which closed in September, and will bring forward updated proposals next year. Core to this work is ensuring that the policy framework cost-effectively delivers rapid SAF commercialisation and carbon reductions.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential for sustainable aviation fuels to reduce carbon emissions from (a) domestic, (b) short haul and (c) long haul flights before 2050.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Jet Zero consultation, published in July, sets out our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. Our proposed approach focuses on the rapid development of technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel and maximises the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring for the UK.
The Department has made no specific assessment of carbon reductions from SAF deployment by flight type or journey length. However, relevant to the future uptake of SAF, the Jet Zero consultation provided several illustrative scenarios. Our “high ambition” and “high ambition with a breakthrough in SAF” scenarios estimate that by 2050 carbon emission reductions from SAF could be between 8 and 20 megatonnes per year. That is the equivalent of between 14 and 36 per cent of carbon reductions in aviation overall.
Future carbon reductions are dependent upon the ability of SAF suppliers to scale up production. We understand the challenges in securing investment in SAF, including the comparative production costs of SAF and fossil equivalents. This is why we are making available £180 million of new funding for the development of SAF plants, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. It is also why the Government has consulted on a new stand-alone mandate for SAF, similar to the Renewables Obligation.
Our Net Zero Strategy published in October confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030. We are currently reviewing responses to the SAF mandate consultation, which closed in September, and will bring forward updated proposals next year. Core to this work is ensuring that the policy framework cost-effectively delivers rapid SAF commercialisation and carbon reductions.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to hold a consultation on financial mechanisms to support the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuels.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Jet Zero consultation, published in July, sets out our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. Our proposed approach focuses on the rapid development of technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel and maximises the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring for the UK.
The Department has made no specific assessment of carbon reductions from SAF deployment by flight type or journey length. However, relevant to the future uptake of SAF, the Jet Zero consultation provided several illustrative scenarios. Our “high ambition” and “high ambition with a breakthrough in SAF” scenarios estimate that by 2050 carbon emission reductions from SAF could be between 8 and 20 megatonnes per year. That is the equivalent of between 14 and 36 per cent of carbon reductions in aviation overall.
Future carbon reductions are dependent upon the ability of SAF suppliers to scale up production. We understand the challenges in securing investment in SAF, including the comparative production costs of SAF and fossil equivalents. This is why we are making available £180 million of new funding for the development of SAF plants, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. It is also why the Government has consulted on a new stand-alone mandate for SAF, similar to the Renewables Obligation.
Our Net Zero Strategy published in October confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030. We are currently reviewing responses to the SAF mandate consultation, which closed in September, and will bring forward updated proposals next year. Core to this work is ensuring that the policy framework cost-effectively delivers rapid SAF commercialisation and carbon reductions.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he made of the potential merits of introducing a price support mechanism for reducing the price of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, modelled on the Renewable Obligation scheme that has commercialised wind energy.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Jet Zero consultation, published in July, sets out our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. Our proposed approach focuses on the rapid development of technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel and maximises the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring for the UK.
The Department has made no specific assessment of carbon reductions from SAF deployment by flight type or journey length. However, relevant to the future uptake of SAF, the Jet Zero consultation provided several illustrative scenarios. Our “high ambition” and “high ambition with a breakthrough in SAF” scenarios estimate that by 2050 carbon emission reductions from SAF could be between 8 and 20 megatonnes per year. That is the equivalent of between 14 and 36 per cent of carbon reductions in aviation overall.
Future carbon reductions are dependent upon the ability of SAF suppliers to scale up production. We understand the challenges in securing investment in SAF, including the comparative production costs of SAF and fossil equivalents. This is why we are making available £180 million of new funding for the development of SAF plants, building on the progress made through previous advanced fuels competitions. It is also why the Government has consulted on a new stand-alone mandate for SAF, similar to the Renewables Obligation.
Our Net Zero Strategy published in October confirmed our ambition to see 10% SAF blended into the UK fuel mix by 2030. We are currently reviewing responses to the SAF mandate consultation, which closed in September, and will bring forward updated proposals next year. Core to this work is ensuring that the policy framework cost-effectively delivers rapid SAF commercialisation and carbon reductions.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding he has allocated to Kirklees Council for the resurfacing of local roads.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport is providing over £36 million to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for local road maintenance during 2021/22. It is entirely for the Combined Authority to decide how much of this to allocate to Kirklees Council.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the ongoing shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Cabinet Ministers attend regular meetings organised by the National Economic Recovery Taskforce (NERT) to agree measures and actions to address the heavy goods vehicle driver shortage. Cabinet Ministers also engage in smaller groups to discuss specific policy areas.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to support taxi and private hire vehicle drivers during the period of reduced demand as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The majority of taxi and PHV drivers are self-employed and were therefore able to apply for grants through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) before the scheme closed on 30 September 2021.
Drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles may also have been eligible for other sources of support, including locally administered grant funding. An online support finder tool was made available to help businesses and self-employed workers determine what support was available to them.
Ongoing engagement with sector stakeholders indicates that demand for taxi and private hire vehicles (PHVs) is very high with PHV operators seeking to increase driver numbers to meet this.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been allocated from the National Roads Fund towards the repair of potholes in the Batley and Spen constituency.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Transport is providing over £36 million to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for local road maintenance during 2021/22. It is entirely for the Combined Authority to decide how much of this to allocate to Kirklees Council as the highway authority for the local road network in the Batley and Spen constituency.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) funding and (b) resources his Department has provided to local authorities to support efforts to reduce incidents of speeding cars.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government believes that any form of dangerous or inconsiderate driving behaviour is a serious road safety issue. All available research shows a link between excessive speed and the risk of collisions.
We expect all drivers to observe the speed limit, and enforcement is a matter for the police. Policing of our roads, and how available resources are deployed, is the responsibility of individual chief officers, taking into account the specific local issues.
Last July, the Department for Transport launched a Call for Evidence, as part of a wider Roads Policing Review, a thorough examination of roads policing in England and Wales and its relevance to road safety. Responses to the Call for Evidence have been analysed and the Government response is currently being prepared for publication this summer. The response will address the key points raised by respondents, including feedback on speed enforcement.
The Department is providing £260 million in 21/22 to local highways authorities in England, outside London, through the Integrated Transport Block for small scale transport schemes, including road safety measures. The Integrated Transport Block is not ring-fenced, allowing authorities to spend their allocations according to their own priorities. It is therefore for each authority to decide how it allocates its resources and which transport improvement projects to support.