Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support the launch of a Luton Airport Express.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Officials are currently involved in collaborative discussions with East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and Luton Airport, covering issues such as service branding, marketing and communications to promote rail travel to Luton Airport and take advantage of the introduction of the Luton Airport DART.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department is having with the Department of Health and Social Care on the red list travel restriction-status of (a) Pakistan and (b) Bangladesh.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Department for Transport works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and other government departments on matters related to international travel. Decisions on Red, Amber or Green List assignment and associated border measures are taken by Ministers, who take into account Joint Biosecurity Centre risk assessments of countries and territories, alongside wider public health factors.
These are intended to be temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under regular review.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to next review the covid-19 travel restrictions placed on (a) Pakistan and (b) Bangladesh.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The government keeps data for countries and territories under regular review, and country allocations under the traffic light system are reviewed every three weeks, unless concerning evidence means we need to act faster to protect public health. The next review of country allocations will happen before 1 October 2021.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the Airport and Ground Operations Support scheme to cover business rates for 2021-22.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Government stands ready to support companies during this pandemic. Companies can draw upon a package of measures, including the Airport and Ground Operators Support Scheme (AGOSS) which opened for applications on 29 January to provide support to eligible businesses, covering the equivalent of their business rates liabilities or COVID 19 losses – whichever is lower – in financial year 2020/21, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.
The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time.
My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced this week that we are renewing the Airports and Ground Operations Support Scheme for a further six months from the start of 2021-22.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with representatives of the aviation industry to discuss the planned Aviation Recovery Package.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Since the onset of the pandemic, the Department for Transport has engaged very regularly with the industry, including through both Ministerial meetings and official led sessions.
As announced on 22nd February as part of the roadmap for the phased lifting of restrictions in England, the Secretary of State for Transport will also now lead a successor to the Global Travel Taskforce to develop a framework that can facilitate greater international travel when the time is right, while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants.
The government is also developing a forward looking strategic framework on the recovery of the sector, which we will engage with the industry on and will publish later this year.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the wider economy of the downturn in the aviation industry as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Before Covid-19, aviation directly contributed at least £22 billion to GDP to the UK economy and supported around half a million jobs. This included the air transport and aerospace sectors, as well as the wider supply chain. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the aviation sector has been one of the worst affected sectors in the UK. Passenger numbers at UK airports fell by 99% at the height of the pandemic. Overall volumes of flight traffic in the UK is currently around 80% below equivalent 2019 levels. The air transport sector’s contribution to the UK economy dropped by 74% in 2020 compared to 2019 and tens of thousands of redundancy notifications have been made. In addition to the direct impact to the UK air transport sector, the wider supply-chain and economy has also been adversely impacted by the severe reduction in air passenger demand, jobs and air connectivity, with impacts on consumer spending and investment across the rest of the economy.
The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.
Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what forecasts his Department has made for recovery and growth in the air transport and travel sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
DfT has not produced economic forecasts of recovery and growth in the air transport or travel sectors. DfT maintain a capability to produce a range of passenger demand scenarios, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the potential shape of recovery, for internal use.
The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.
Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.
Through the Global Travel Taskforce, the Government will work closely with the industry to find ways to safely and gradually ease restrictions on international travel. We will set out more detail on this soon.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the UK's aviation contingency strategy in the event the UK leaves the EU without a a deal on the future relationship.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
We have agreed a deal with the EU that provides the rights for UK and EU airlines to fly directly between the UK and EU, Covid restrictions allowing. This provides the air connectivity that is so vital for connecting people and businesses, facilitating tourism and trade.
This agreement means that UK and EU contingency measures for air transport are not required.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the recent £1 billion reduction in Network Rail railway enhancement budget for Control Period 6, what the (a) regions and (b) locations are of the specific planned schemes affected by that matter.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We continue to deliver ambitious improvements, investing in key priorities including the Transpennine Route Upgrade, restoring lines and stations closed during the Beeching cuts and in HS2, with an unrelenting focus on levelling up our country and ensuring all communities have the connections they need to support growth and prosperity.
In terms of impacts on individual schemes, it remains the case that no schemes have been cancelled nor formal investment decisions taken as a result of the Spending Review. We are currently working with Network Rail to agree a new baseline for the portfolio that fits with the new funding envelope.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the planned schemes affected by the recent £1 billion reduction in Network Rail railway enhancement budget for Control Period 6, (a) when those schemes were due to start, and (b) whether contracts with contractors and suppliers had already been signed.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We continue to deliver ambitious improvements, investing in key priorities including the Transpennine Route Upgrade, restoring lines and stations closed during the Beeching cuts and in HS2, with an unrelenting focus on levelling up our country and ensuring all communities have the connections they need to support growth and prosperity.
In terms of impacts on individual schemes, it remains the case that no schemes have been cancelled nor formal investment decisions taken as a result of the Spending Review. We are currently working with Network Rail to agree a new baseline for the portfolio that fits with the new funding envelope.