Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of autonomous systems to correctly interpret traffic signals at complex or partially obscured junctions in dense urban environments.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Self-driving vehicles will be expected to operate safely and legally on GB's road infrastructure as it currently exists, just as human drivers do now. Although not essential for safe self-driving, adaptations to roads and other infrastructure have the potential to bring benefits to both conventional and self-driving vehicles. Some functions for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) technology, for example routing services, will require connectivity. Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department is providing to British industrial companies that employ significant numbers of people directly and indirectly through their supply chains.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department’s modern Industrial Strategy will make the UK the best country to invest in and grow. We are targeting government investment towards our world-class eight-growth driving sectors, from life sciences to digital technologies and advanced manufacturing so British workers can upskill and fill vacancies.
From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will reduce electricity costs by up to £35–40/MWh for manufacturing frontier industries in the Industrial Strategy and foundational industries in their supply chains, by exempting them from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and Capacity Market.
DBT provides targeted capital through several key programmes:
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress he has made on the transition to Connected and Autonomous Mobility.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan committed £150 million R&D grant funding to 2030 to support the transition to connected and automated mobility. £18 million of this funding has already been allocated to support supply chain, passenger and freight projects in Belfast, Sunderland, Cambridge, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, and others. £36.5 million will be open for competition this autumn.
Complementing this work, Department for Transport is implementing the Automated Vehicles Act (2024) by 2027 and has recently closed consultations on Misleading Marketing and Safety Principles with another on Advanced Passenger Services closing 28 September.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the classifications of waste to help ensure that critical minerals in (a) used batteries and (b) other e-waste are used as (i) feedstock for connected and automated mobility research and development and (ii) other (A) recycling and (B) circular economy projects.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what further interventions may be needed in the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) sector as we develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) autonomous delivery robots and (b) other emerging technologies in transport systems.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I have attended the Cenex Expo, focused on Net Zero and Connected Automated Mobility. At Cenex I attended a roundtable to discuss next steps for the CAM sector and how to ensure public understanding. I also participated in a demonstration of an Ohmio vehicle. I have also visited Wayve, a UK developer of self-driving technology.
As you will appreciate, the new Government is still in its early stages, and I am carefully considering next steps in this policy area and the stakeholders I should meet to inform those decisions.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance, financial or otherwise, they have provided to businesses in the development of automated vehicles.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Government, through the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, a joint DfT and DBT specialist policy unit, has jointly committed with industry more than £600m to the development of Automated Vehicles between 2015 and 2025.
CCAV is currently supporting 20 projects with £50m of government funding to further operationalise CAM technologies and services.
In the recently published Advanced Manufacturing Plan, Government also committed to long-term support for Connected and Automated Mobility with up to £150m in the five-year period to 2030.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) legal and (b) industry standards for emerging technologies for autonomous vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government paper “Connected & Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK” sets out the Government’s plans to support the development and deployment of safe self-driving vehicles in the UK. This includes proposals for a comprehensive regulatory, legislative and safety framework. The Department remains committed to these plans will bring forward primary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Alongside developing legal and regulatory frameworks, the government has committed £100 million of new Research and Development funding following the Government’s Spending Review for the period 2022/23 to 2024/25, which is allocated to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) through two Departments:
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s latest plans are to support the rollout of autonomous vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government paper “Connected & Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK” sets out the Government’s plans to support the development and deployment of safe self-driving vehicles in the UK. This includes proposals for a comprehensive regulatory, legislative and safety framework. The Department remains committed to these plans will bring forward primary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Alongside developing legal and regulatory frameworks, the government has committed £100 million of new Research and Development funding following the Government’s Spending Review for the period 2022/23 to 2024/25, which is allocated to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) through two Departments:
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to regulate the use of autonomous vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government paper “Connected & Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK” sets out government’s plans to support the development and deployment of safe self-driving vehicles in the UK. This includes proposals for a comprehensive regulatory, legislative and safety framework.
The Department is committed to these plans and will introduce primary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2023 to Question 168095 on Transport: Innovation, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of any delay in implementing recommendation 4 of Sir Patrick Vallance's review on investment in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is continuing to work closely with industry to support investment in innovative transport modes across the UK.
On 1 February, the Business Secretary announced £82m of joint government and industry R&D funding for seven Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) projects to pilot commercial passenger freight services.
To support further funding, the sector, and future investment in the UK, Government is committed to bringing forward Future of Transport legislation when parliamentary time allows.