Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether new car emission regulations due to come into force late in 2018 will apply to kit cars which are not completed by the date on which those regulations come into force.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Following a recent consultation on national regulations, the Government has decided not to make any changes to the emissions rules which apply when kit cars and similar vehicles undergo an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) inspection.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on the number and proportion of petrol stations which sell LPG fuel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We do not hold information on the number or proportion of petrol stations that sell LPG fuel in the UK.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of LPG vehicles in reducing levels of air pollution.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The environmental performance of LPG in vehicles has been analysed using the Transport Energy Model (TEM), developed by the Department. The model estimates energy consumption and environmental emissions for road transport technology options over the period to 2050, and compares various vehicle powertrain technology and fuel options for cars, vans, buses and HGVs.
The output of this analysis will be included in the zero emission road transport strategy, which is due to be published shortly.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the new car emission regulations on (a) new and (b) existing kit cars.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The proposals in the Department’s consultation on Road Vehicles – Improving Air Quality and Safety would have no effect on the owners of kit cars that are already registered, as they apply only to newly constructed and unregistered vehicles. Full consideration is being given to the representations received from the public consultation.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the new car emission regulations on the financial sustainability of kit car industry.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Government has recently consulted on regulatory proposals to improve road safety and the environmental performance of new road vehicles. The Department is analysing the responses from across the sector, including from kit car manufacturers, which will inform the Government’s decisions on policy going forward. This includes careful consideration of financial implications on the sector.
The results of the consultation will be published alongside the consultation documents at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/road-vehicles-improving-air-quality-and-safety
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the resumption of flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Secretary of State for Transport met with his Egyptian counterpart in November to discuss aviation security and the high level of engagement between our two nations. Government officials continue to work in partnership in a spirit of cooperation, and are grateful for Egypt's close engagement. UK aviation security experts continue to work closely with their Egyptian counterparts, sharing their expertise in establishing effective security arrangements. However, it is long standing government policy not to comment in detail on security matters. The Government continues to keep the situation under regular review and we hope that we may be in a position to resume direct flights when the circumstances are right.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to modernise UK ports.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Ports in the United Kingdom operate on a commercial basis. They have an excellent track record of investment in new and improved facilities and I see no reason why this should change. The Government fully recognises the vital role ports play in our transport infrastructure through facilitating trade and promoting economic growth and accordingly engages regularly with a wide range of ports as well as their representative bodies.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many minor ports across the UK are currently in operation.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
There are currently 61 ports operating in the UK which the Department for Transport classifies as ‘minor’ for the purposes of the statistics it gathers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cars were (a) imported and (b) exported by air freight over the past year.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport does not collect or keep possession of data pertaining to the number of cars imported or exported by air freight.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment has he made of the effect of abolishing car tax discs on revenue collected through vehicle tax.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The amount of duty collected varies year on year for a variety of reasons. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency collects around £6 billion in vehicle excise duty annually.