Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the upcoming Spending Review of Maritime UK’s proposal for investment in maritime decarbonisation.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government has carefully considered all industry submissions, including the proposals published by Maritime UK. The Spending review launched on 7 September by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will conclude alongside an Autumn Budget on 27 October. It would be premature for me to comment on any plans for further investment in maritime decarbonisation before a settlement has been agreed.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to help decarbonise the UK’s maritime sector.
Answered by Robert Courts
To date the Department for Transport has funded a £1.5m competition for innovation in clean maritime and provided £93,897 in grant support through the 2019 Department’s Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (TRIG) Programme to early stage research projects related to clean maritime. In 2020 the TRIG programme provided almost £90,000 to clean maritime projects. Under this programme the Department will allocate up to £400,000 this year to 13 projects in zero emission shipping.
In March this year Government launched a Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) to decarbonise the maritime sector. The CMDC will allocate up to £23m in R&D funding to 55 projects comprising of feasibility studies and trials in zero emission shipping technologies, accelerating the development of zero emission technology and infrastructure in the UK.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to increase the number of shore power installations and charge point facilities at UK ports.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government is allocating funding under its Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition to projects including on shore power, and will consult this year on the appropriate steps to support and, if needed, mandate the uptake of shore power in the UK.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to allocate further funding to maritime decarbonisation following the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Spending review launched on 7 September by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will conclude alongside an Autumn Budget on 27 October. It would be premature for me to comment on any plans for further investment in maritime decarbonisation before a settlement has been agreed.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to promote better pay and conditions in the haulage sector in the context of the shortage of HGV drivers.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
It is for the road freight industry to do all they can to make employment more attractive to UK workers through offering training, careers options and wage increases.
We recognise the concerns expressed about the provision, quality and value of lorry parking in the UK. We are looking at ways to increase the provision of high quality overnight lorry parking.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on pay and conditions in the haulage sector in the context of the shortage of HGV drivers.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government is taking action to increase the number of drivers able to enter the industry, it is for the sector to improve rates of retention.
We are working across government to address the concerns expressed about the provision, quality and value of lorry parking in the UK. We are looking at ways to increase the provision of high quality overnight lorry parking.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Black and ethnic minority staff are employed by his Department.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The number of staff employed by the department who have declared themselves to be Black and ethnic minority is 1125 as of the 30th June 2021.
The breakdown between the central Department and the Executive Agencies is as follows:
DfTc | 665 |
DVLA | 106 |
DVSA | 234 |
MCA | 102 |
VCA | 18 |
Total | 1125 |
Note that the figures for black and ethnic minority staff do not include members of staff who have chosen either not to interact with the voluntary declaration system, or those who have chosen to interact but have declared that they prefer not to say.
The current declaration rate for ethnicity for the department is currently 86.61%.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on his Department's rates of recycling of plastic, paper, metal and other products; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department for Transport (DfT) has made a formal commitment to increase its rates of recycling through the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs).
The GGCs for 2016-2020, which have been extended to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, ask departments to “continue to improve our waste management by reducing the overall amount of waste generated and increasing the proportion which is recycled.”
Between 2016 and 2021 DfT has delivered on these targets, reducing the total waste generated and increasing the percentage of waste recycled year-on-year, as outlined in the table below:
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 |
Total Waste (tonnes) | 4,522 | 4,403 | 3,955 | 3,010 | 2,110 |
% Recycled | 46% | 48% | 50% | 64% | 65% |
A new phase of GGCs for 2021-2025 is due to be published by Defra, which will set out updated recycling targets, which the Department for Transport will commit to deliver.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of his Department's energy usage in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Information on the total energy expenditure for the Department for Transport is available in the Annual Report and Accounts here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936346/DfT-Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2019-20-web-accessible.pdf
(a) The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2020-21 will be published in mid-September.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing an international vaccine passport.
Answered by Robert Courts
We have equipped people with the ability to prove their vaccination status using the NHS app, which is already used by some countries to allow British passengers to enter with fewer restrictions. Our intention is that later in the summer, arrivals who are fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate when travelling from amber list countries nor take a test on day 8. We expect this to occur in phases, starting with people who have had their COVID-19 vaccine in the UK. We continue to engage with international partners bilaterally and multilaterally to shape our policy on vaccine certification.