Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of (a) the carbon impact of the Government's £27 billion road building programme and (b) the compatibility of that programme with the Government's target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) provides £27.4 billion for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the strategic road network. It is consistent with our ambitions to improve air quality and decarbonise transport, and the achievement of the overall net zero target.

Analysis carried out in the preparation of RIS2 showed that the additional effect of new RIS2 schemes will be around 0.27 megatonne CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) through to the end of the fifth carbon budget in 2032. When compared to the UK’s fifth carbon budget of 1,725 MtCO2e, these schemes represent an extremely small component.