Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make a decision on the potential extension of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact on the development of our green hydrogen policies. This includes engagement to better understand the merits of any support for hydrogen production using nuclear energy.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has reduced carbon emissions from UK transport fuels by of 275 mega tonnes from 2008 to 2020 through supporting the use of renewable fuels. There have been no recent ministerial discussions to expand the RTFO to cover nuclear derived fuels. Any decision on extension of the RTFO to support fuels derived from nuclear energy would need to be carefully considered because this could divert nuclear energy from the electricity grid where it plays a valuable role in providing low carbon energy.
We will set out a plan for the path to zero carbon shipping in 2022. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) consultation launched on 23rd July this year seeks to explore the suitability of nuclear energy for producing SAF.
Any proposals would be the subject of a public consultation, published economic analysis and require primary and secondary legislation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
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 Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the potential merits of extending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact on the development of our green hydrogen policies. This includes engagement to better understand the merits of any support for hydrogen production using nuclear energy.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has reduced carbon emissions from UK transport fuels by of 275 mega tonnes from 2008 to 2020 through supporting the use of renewable fuels. There have been no recent ministerial discussions to expand the RTFO to cover nuclear derived fuels. Any decision on extension of the RTFO to support fuels derived from nuclear energy would need to be carefully considered because this could divert nuclear energy from the electricity grid where it plays a valuable role in providing low carbon energy.
We will set out a plan for the path to zero carbon shipping in 2022. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) consultation launched on 23rd July this year seeks to explore the suitability of nuclear energy for producing SAF.
Any proposals would be the subject of a public consultation, published economic analysis and require primary and secondary legislation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department's proposed aviation strategy will include the potential effect of the operation of radar on the implementation of the offshore wind sector deal.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The offshore wind sector is economically beneficial for the UK. From 2010 the offshore wind’s share of annual UK generation increased over 5% to 6.2% in 2017, with costs falling faster than could have been envisaged 10 years ago. The Offshore Wind Sector deal could deliver up to 30GW by 2030 and the Government has committed to work across Government, including aviation, to ensure this is achieved in a sustainable way taking account of users of the sea, aviation and Ministry of Defence.
Although wind turbines can impact the effectiveness of radar systems, it is essential that aviation continues to benefit from a high standard of safety, and therefore ongoing cooperation between Government and the windfarm industry will continue to play a key role in ensuring that this remains the case.
Government policy in regard to funding mitigations of wind impacts on radar is that mitigation costs are recovered from those windfarm developers who stand to benefit commercially. Therefore, the wind sector deal is currently dealt with separately from the upcoming aviation strategy.
An Aviation Management Board, in which the Government and relevant bodies such as National Air Traffic Service and the Civil Aviation Authority participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and the aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and ensures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government's offshore wind sector deal, published in March 2019, whether his Department has allocated funding to help the renewable energy sector mitigate the effect of aviation radar on the development of offshore wind sites.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The current Government policy in regard to funding mitigations of wind impacts on radar is that mitigation costs are recovered from those windfarm developers who stand to benefit commercially.
An Aviation Management Board, in which the Government and relevant bodies such as NATS and the CAA participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and the aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and ensures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has issued strategic guidance to (a) NATS and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority on the future procurement of aviation radar systems in relation to the effect of those systems on the deployment of new (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind sites.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Offshore Wind Sector Deal published by Government in March this year envisages up to 30GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030. An Aviation Management Board, in which the Department and relevant bodies such as NATS and CAA participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and secures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters. The Department will take account of the outputs of this work in developing aviation policy.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
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 Education on improving access to affordable transport for 16 to 18 year old further education students.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Government recognises the importance of accessible transport to all young people and my Department continues to engage on a regular basis with the Department for Education and other Government Departments as well as local authorities and the transport sector on this issue.
The legal responsibility for transport to education and training for 16 to 19 year-olds rests with local authorities who are free to put in place appropriate arrangements. This enables them to make decisions that best match local needs and circumstances.
The new Enhanced Partnership powers in the Bus Services Bill would allow local transport authorities and bus operators to agree standard ticket rules, such as eligibility for half fares across operators.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department is making on formulating the second Roads Investment Strategy.
Answered by John Hayes
We are currently gathering and analysing evidence to inform the second Road Investment Strategy, which will determine investment in the strategic road network beyond 2020.
Core elements of this work are the six strategic studies, five of which were published last November, and Highways England’s 18 refreshed route strategies. This will be published in March.