Sep. 29 2025
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Source Page: Over £4 million government backing for next-gen aviation technology projectsAsked by: Lord Bishop of Sheffield (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety, security, and resilience of national and regional transport infrastructure, with particular reference to South Yorkshire.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport works closely with transport operators to assess the risks to transport infrastructure arising from, for example, severe weather, security threats or accidents. These risk assessments are used by national and local government and the transport industry to inform planning at all levels. This includes the South Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum.
Following the publication of the UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, the Department for Transport is working with cross-government and transport sector stakeholders to identify transport-specific opportunities and interventions to address gaps identified in capabilities.
South Yorkshire will also receive £570 million in City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding by March 2027. Following this, the region will benefit from a £1.5 billion share of the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement. This will fund a number of active travel improvement schemes—including segregated cycleways, improved footpaths, and highways upgrades—that will improve safety for both active travel and road users. The Magna Tinsley scheme, for example, incorporates safety by design. It has already delivered a new toucan crossing at the Sheffield Road/Raby Street junction to provide a safe crossing point from Tinsley Village across Sheffield Road. Further improvements are planned, including segregated cycleways and improved footways.
Asked by: Lord Glenarthur (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy towards the sustainability of general aviation, particularly in the fields of flying and engineering training, air ambulance activities, police aviation, and the offshore and onshore commercial helicopter sectors.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
General Aviation continues to be considered as part of our wider work around the opportunities and challenges facing the wider aviation sector. The Department will continue to work with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.
Asked by: Lord Glenarthur (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to oversee and support general aviation aerodromes and the businesses that depend on those aerodromes; and if so, whether they will consult the general aviation sector about changes in policy oversight.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department regularly engages with the general aviation sector on any policy changes. The Department also works with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Penybont (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will meet representatives of Great Western Railway to discuss the use of half-length trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Ministers meet with train operators regularly to discuss a range of issues including operational performance. I expect to meet with Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail again in the coming months to continue to hold them to account on progress towards sustained good performance.
Train lengths are regularly reviewed and adjustments are made where appropriate. GWR deploys its Intercity fleet of 5, 9 or 10 carriage trains to best meet demand.
Sometimes services are formed of fewer carriages than planned but this is only done as a last resort – this could be because of damage or vandalism, for example following an infrastructure problem, or because of an animal strike or fatality. Trains can also develop faults which means they cannot be used for passenger service until the problem is resolved.