Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a legislative control framework before implementing the Future of Flight Action Plan.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We already have a regulatory framework for drones and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing). Key legislation includes Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation, Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft, the Air Navigation Order 2016 and the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021.
The Action Plan outlines activities to identify and develop any further regulation as needed.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 73 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, which policy areas will receive funding from the £1.8 billion allocated to core net zero spend relating to the Department for Transport for the 2024-25 financial year; and how much funding as been issued to each of those policy areas for the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The £1.8 billion allocated to the Department for Transport for the financial year 2024-25 in the 2021 Spending Review supports net zero policies across zero emission vehicles (including buses) and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the bus transformation funding to support local authority Bus Service Improvement Plans, air quality improvement measures, active travel policies, City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, Nexus Metrofleet in Newcastle, rail electrification, and the UK’s production of sustainable aviation fuel.
£333 million of the £1.8 billion was reallocated to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (now the Department for Business and Trade), for the electrification of UK vehicle manufacturing and their supply chains, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund Programme.
The Department’s business planning process for 2024-25 financial year remains ongoing and final plans will be published in due course as per standard practice.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require aircraft to use unleaded fuels.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is supporting the development of new aviation fuels through a range of measures including developing a Sustainable Aviation Fuels mandate and the Advanced Fuels Fund.
There are some specific issues for replacing avgas, a fuel used in piston aircraft which represents less than 1% of total UK aviation fuel use.
An unleaded alternative, Unleaded 91, is now commercially available and may be used by much of the General Aviation sector. In addition, battery-electric aircraft have been certified for use in flight training. The Government encourages General Aviation operators to use unleaded alternatives to avgas when suitable for their aircraft.
The Government has no plans to require the testing of children.
DfT will continue to monitor progress in the transition away from leaded fuels working with DEFRA and the Health and Safety Executive who lead on the regulation of chemicals.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it her policy to measure the blood lead levels of children living near general aviation airfields.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is supporting the development of new aviation fuels through a range of measures including developing a Sustainable Aviation Fuels mandate and the Advanced Fuels Fund.
There are some specific issues for replacing avgas, a fuel used in piston aircraft which represents less than 1% of total UK aviation fuel use.
An unleaded alternative, Unleaded 91, is now commercially available and may be used by much of the General Aviation sector. In addition, battery-electric aircraft have been certified for use in flight training. The Government encourages General Aviation operators to use unleaded alternatives to avgas when suitable for their aircraft.
The Government has no plans to require the testing of children.
DfT will continue to monitor progress in the transition away from leaded fuels working with DEFRA and the Health and Safety Executive who lead on the regulation of chemicals.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the (1) development, and (2) adoption, of electric aviation technologies in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The development and adoption of electric aircraft is considered within the government’s Jet Zero Strategy. On 20 July 2023, DfT published a Jet Zero Strategy One Year On document which highlights the progress and achievements that have been made since the launch of the Strategy, and the next steps to deliver net zero aviation by 2050.
As noted in the Jet Zero Strategy the government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK aerospace sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme. In February the Department for Business and Trade announced £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls-Royce led projects on hydrogen and Vertical Aerospace work on battery-electric aircraft.
The government works with industry and academia through the Jet Zero Council to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. In 2022 a Delivery Group of the Council was established on Zero Emission Flight which considers electric aviation.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to help the road haulage industry to transition to net-zero through adopting (a) Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has committed to end the sale of new, non-zero emission HGVs, less than or equal to 26 tonnes from 2035, and all new HGVs must be fully zero emission at the exhaust from 2040. During the transition, low carbon fuels have a significant role to play and currently provide a third of greenhouse gas savings in the domestic transport sector. They remain essential in reducing emissions from existing vehicles through blending them with traditional fossil petrol and diesel through grades such as E10 and B7. As the road vehicle fleet transitions to electric vehicles, production capacity of low carbon fuels will shift to transport modes, which are harder to decarbonise, like aviation and maritime. The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport sectors out to 2050.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) British Airways and (b) other airlines on the potential for electric aviation.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The adoption of zero emission flight, including electric aviation, is considered at the Government and industry forum the Jet Zero Council (JZC) including its Zero Emissions Flight Delivery Group. The JZC is co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero with industry members including British Airways.
The Government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK aerospace sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme. In February the Department for Business and Trade announced £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls-Royce-led projects on hydrogen and Vertical Aerospace work on battery-electric aircraft.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take further steps to support hydrogen combustion engine technology.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Hydrogen combustion engines offer the potential to decarbonise part of the transport sectors where battery electric is not t a viable solution. The Government has recently supported JCB, for example, to test new hydrogen combustion machinery on the public highway, as well as supported research into the liquid hydrogen combustion for aviation engines.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the introduction of zero-emission aircraft.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out its approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considered the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures.
The Government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK aerospace sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme. The Department announced in February £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls-Royce led projects on hydrogen in aviation as well as funding towards Vertical Aerospace, who are developing a battery-electric aircraft in the South-West of England.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has also established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of Zero Emission Flight.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to help encourage the development and use of zero-emission aircraft.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considered the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures.
The Government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK Aerospace Sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. As part of the programme, the Department announced in February £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls Royce led projects on hydrogen in aviation, as well as funding towards Vertical Aerospace, who are developing a battery-electric aircraft in the South- West of England.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of Zero Emission Flight.