Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to help ensure that 10% sustainable aviation fuels are blended in the UK jet fuel mix by 2030.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following a public consultation, in July 2022, Government confirmed that a sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) mandate would be introduced in 2025, requiring at least 10% (around 1.5 billion litres) of jet fuel to be made from sustainable feedstocks by 2030.
As part of our second consultation published in March 2023, we proposed a range of trajectories for the mandate from 2025 to 2040, all of which would deliver 10% SAF by 2030. We will confirm the trajectories in the forthcoming government response.
We are also taking steps to develop a UK SAF industry and have a commitment to see at least five plants under construction by 2025. We have already funded 5 projects through the Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF), each receiving a share of £82.5m, with an announcement on the second-round winners expected in November 2023.
The Government recognises that uncertainty over future revenues remains a key barrier to investment in SAF production in the UK. In September, the Government committed to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to support Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production in the UK. Alongside this announcement, the government published a delivery plan outlining the timeline for how such a mechanism could be delivered by 2026.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to open a consultation on the revenue certainty scheme for the sustainable aviation fuel programme.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are on-track to consult on options to design and implement a revenue certainty mechanism to support a UK Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry by the end of April 2024. This will meet our statutory duty, as set out in the Energy Act 2023, to consult within six months of the Act receiving Royal Assent on 26 October.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of fuel prices at (a) supermarkets and (b) other fuel retailers on (i) haulage and (ii) transport industries.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport (DfT) is in regular contact with haulage and transport businesses but has not made an assessment in the form suggested.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
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 level of infrastructure funding provided to the Port of Dover for the construction of new passport control booths since 2020 for meeting (a) current and (b) anticipated future levels of demand for passport checks.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In 2020, Port of Dover applied for £34m from the Port Infrastructure Fund, but were outside the scope of the scheme. Kent County Council has been provisionally awarded £45 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support additional border control booths, extra capacity in buffer zones and resequencing the order of controls at Port of Dover. The Government is in regular contact with the Port of Dover on border pressures and infrastructure.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much infrastructure funding was (a) requested by and (b) granted to the Port of Dover for the construction of new passport control booths since 2020.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In 2020, Port of Dover applied for £34m from the Port Infrastructure Fund, but were outside the scope of the scheme. Kent County Council has been provisionally awarded £45 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support additional border control booths, extra capacity in buffer zones and resequencing the order of controls at Port of Dover. The Government is in regular contact with the Port of Dover on border pressures and infrastructure.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Transport is currently unable to provide this information for National Security reasons.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to suspend the requirement for HGV drivers to udnertake a medical in order to renew their license during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
To keep bus and lorry drivers on the road and vital supply chains moving during the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has made temporary provisions to remove the requirement to submit a medical report when applying to renew a lorry or bus licence until further notice. Provided they have no notifiable medical conditions, drivers will be issued a licence that is valid for one year instead of the usual five. This only applies if the licence expired after 1 January 2020 or is due to expire.
As is always the case, drivers must ensure they are medically fit to drive and they are legally obliged to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about any onset or worsening of medical conditions.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Aberavon on 29 March and again on 3 May on the East Coast Mainline.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
No correspondence was received from the Hon Member dated 3rd May on the East Coast Mainline. Regarding the correspondence dated 29th March a response was sent out on 2nd May.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK plans to seek formal co-operation with or third country participatory membership of the European Maritime Safety Agency after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency.
The UK’s continued participation with the Agency as well as continued cooperation in the field of maritime safety, will be a matter for negotiations.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK plans to participate in the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency.
The nature of the UK’s future participation with the Agency will be a matter for the negotiations.