Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the service provided by Great Western Railway.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Network Rail and Great Western Railway to discuss performance. With NR related delays reaching 71 per cent in December 2023, I have made it clear to the CEO of NR that they must address infrastructure issues that contribute to a high proportion of disruption. NR launched its £140 million Thames Valley Recovery Plan, focusing on improving infrastructure reliability over the next 18 months. I met with NR and GWR in Swindon last week to review progress and whilst we are seeing small improvements, there is a lot more work to be done.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of length of time it will take for battery technology to become sufficiently advanced to power Heavy Goods Vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As of September 2022, there were already 437 battery electric zero emission HGVs operating in the UK. In its recent position paper on the zero emission HGV market, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) identified 24 models of battery electric HGVs already on sale in the UK, or due to be on sale by 2024. These vehicles have ranges of up to 340 miles.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative assessment of the merits of the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and that deployed in the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Biofuel suppliers operate in a global market and the Department considers changes to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) accordingly, in the context of many support schemes offered worldwide. As the administrator of the RTFO, the Department also participates in the Renewable Fuels Regulators Club, which includes counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, and facilitates the sharing of best practice.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to help the road haulage industry to transition to net-zero through adopting (a) Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has committed to end the sale of new, non-zero emission HGVs, less than or equal to 26 tonnes from 2035, and all new HGVs must be fully zero emission at the exhaust from 2040. During the transition, low carbon fuels have a significant role to play and currently provide a third of greenhouse gas savings in the domestic transport sector. They remain essential in reducing emissions from existing vehicles through blending them with traditional fossil petrol and diesel through grades such as E10 and B7. As the road vehicle fleet transitions to electric vehicles, production capacity of low carbon fuels will shift to transport modes, which are harder to decarbonise, like aviation and maritime. The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport sectors out to 2050.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to encourage the use of (a) Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels on non-electrified parts of the railway network.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In Decarbonising Transport: a Better, Greener Britain, the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. Our ambition is to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. As we decarbonise the railway, we are working with GBRTT to bring forward costed options for government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability. This will involve working closely with operators and manufacturers on assessing and deploying the most appropriate traction technology. This includes electrification, alternate fuels (such as Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil), as well as hydrogen, battery or bi-mode and hybrid traction technology.
The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across all transport sectors out to 2050.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for (a) Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels to decarbonise railways pending full electrification.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In Decarbonising Transport: a Better, Greener Britain, the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. Our ambition is to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. As we decarbonise the railway, we are working with GBRTT to bring forward costed options for government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability. This will involve working closely with operators and manufacturers on assessing and deploying the most appropriate traction technology. This includes electrification, alternate fuels (such as Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil), as well as hydrogen, battery or bi-mode and hybrid traction technology.
The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across all transport sectors out to 2050.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to improve access for (a) disabled and (b) all users of electric vehicle charging points.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As the transition to electric vehicles (EV) accelerates, it is important that public chargepoints are easily accessible to all those who need to use them, including disabled and elderly people. Working alongside the disability charity, Motability, the Government commissioned the British Standards Institution (BSI) to produce a new accessibility standard.
A world first of its kind, the Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 was published on 11 October 2022, and lays out best practice on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints.
Compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary. However, the Government is actively encouraging relevant parties to adopt its specifications, building on improvements already being made in the sector. Several local authorities receiving Local EV Infrastructure Pilot funding are already considering PAS 1899 and accessibility in their plans for chargepoint rollout.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on Flybe being placed in administration.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department speaks to the Civil Aviation Authority regularly and have spoken to them multiple times over the last few days as they respond to the situation and provide advice to passengers to help them make their journeys as smoothly and affordably as possible. Whilst this is a commercial decision for the company, it is a challenging time for staff, and it is welcome news that airlines are keen to take on many of their staff.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport on taking steps to support employees at the airport who are affected by Flybe being placed in administration.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In the early hours of the morning of Saturday 28 January, Flybe Limited ceased trading. This was a commercial decision by the board of the company. The Government recognises that this will be a difficult time for Flybe’s passengers and staff. The immediate priority has been to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs.
Aviation is a devolved matter. However, officials at the Department for Transport have contacted Belfast City Airport to discuss the impacts of the announcement and have also been in contact with the Northern Ireland Department for Communities (DfC), as they are responsible for jobseeker support and related services in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on Flybe being placed in administration.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In the early hours of the morning of Saturday 28 January, Flybe Limited ceased trading. This was a commercial decision by the board of the company.
The Government recognises that this will be a difficult time for Flybe’s passengers and staff. The immediate priority has been to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs.
Aviation is broadly a devolved matter, although officials at the Department for Transport engage regularly with the Welsh Government on aviation policy. No discussions have taken place between the Department for Transport and the Welsh Government in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of Flybe, as the airline did not operate scheduled services in Wales.