Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will publish environmental impact assessments for plans to expand (a) Heathrow, (b) Luton and (c) Gatwick airports that include Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A scheme promoter is responsible for producing an environmental impact assessment, which includes an assessment of any likely significant climate factors. Both the Luton and Gatwick environmental impact assessments are available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website and were considered as part of the Secretary of State’s decision. For Heathrow, the applicant’s assessment and any mitigation measures they may put forward will be considered as part of the Secretary of State’s decision on an application.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the environmental impact assessment for the review of the Airports National Policy Statement will include Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The review of the Airports National Policy Statement will include a Strategic Environmental Assessment as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability. This will include consideration of greenhouse gas emissions.
A scheme promoter will then be responsible for producing an environmental impact assessment as part of the development consent order process and this will be considered as part of the Secretary of State’s decision on planning consent.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of international rail and sail through-ticketing that includes rail and ferry services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
International rail and sail through-ticketing that includes rail and ferry services is a matter for the train operators and ferry operators. Under Great British Railways (GBR) there will be a less fragmented system and GBR will want to consider future ticketing decisions.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of airport expansion on tourism in coastal towns.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Airports are key gateways into the UK for international tourists and airport expansion will help to facilitate their ability to visit the United Kingdom, including our coastal towns.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitting crop-based biofuels to be eligible under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate on (a) the environment and (b) food security.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In August 2025 the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that a call for evidence on the eligibility of crops in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate would be published by the end of this year. This followed a call for evidence on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
Crops encompass a variety of feedstocks with different impacts. It is right that we gather up-to-date evidence and information on emerging developments, including on the sustainability risks associated with crop-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel and how regulation could mitigate these risks.
The call for evidence does not propose any changes to the SAF Mandate nor does it signal the future direction of the SAF Mandate; it is intended to support assessment of the potential impacts, including on the environment and food security, of crop-based biofuels by the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to allocate a proportion of support from the Revenue Support Mechanism to power-to-liquid fuel projects.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise the importance of Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM) contracts supporting a range of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production technologies.
Power-to-liquid (PtL) SAF projects present significant opportunities for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions compared to fossil jet fuel, and this, along with other factors such as the cost of production for PtL SAF projects in the UK, is being considered as we design our approach to allocating RCM contracts. The Department will consult with industry in due course to gather stakeholder views on the approach to allocating RCM contracts.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66780 on Transport: Disability, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting access panels to create a national network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Sustrans Transforming Mobility Report recommends that local leaders, who best understand their communities, use access panels to engage disabled people in shaping, reviewing, and monitoring transport policies and projects. Paid access panels are one potential method for ensuring meaningful involvement.
The government recognises that accessibility improvements require collaboration across national and local authorities, transport operators, and industry. Central to this effort is the voice of disabled people. For nearly 40 years, the Department for Transport has led by example, being advised by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, which mandates that at least half its members are disabled.
More broadly, the government is committed to making public transport more inclusive, enabling disabled people to travel safely, confidently, and with dignity. As part of this commitment, it is working with disabled people’s organisations, service providers, and stakeholders to develop an Accessible Transport Charter. This charter will set out clear, shared commitments based on the principles of accessible and inclusive travel.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish an update of recent progress in meeting the objectives of the second cycling and walking investment strategy.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest National Travel Survey figures published on the 27th August revealed that in 2024 43 percent of short journeys in towns and cities were walked or cycled; 339 walking stages were walked per person; the estimated total number of cycling stages was 0.94 billion stages and 51% of children aged 5 to 10 reported usually walking to school.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent staff are working on responding to the Managing Pavement Parking consultation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My Department currently has a 0.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) policy lead working on pavement parking. This individual is supported by officials from various Civil Service professions across the Department, including analysts and lawyers, who provide occasional support as necessary as part of their jobs. The timing of the consultation response publication is not dependent on resource, but rather on ensuring the policy decision is correct. A policy announcement is expected imminently and plans are in place to resource the work necessary after an announcement.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.36 of the policy paper entitled UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, published on 19 June 2025, when she plans to request the Climate Change Committee's advice on whether a third runway at Heathrow airport is consistent with the UK's net zero framework.
Answered by Mike Kane
The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding climate change commitments.
The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement. As part of this process, we will consider how and when to engage with the Climate Change Committee.