Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop (1) ultra light, and (2) very light, rail to achieve decarbonised transport; what assessment they have made of the (a) efficiency, and (b) longevity, of rail vehicles as compared with road vehicles; and what is their timetable for investment into light rail in urban locations, as well as on branch railway lines.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department is considering the next steps and future direction for Light Rail Policy. This includes Mass Rapid Transit, Very Light Rail and other intermediate modes to reflect the wider Government agenda.
Through funding packages to cities, the Government has paid for or underwritten significant investments in light rail in recent years.
Local transport authorities have responsibility for transport planning, including considering bus rapid transit and other such schemes which lie between conventional bus and light rail. These bring the benefits and user experience of light rail to bus corridors at significantly lower cost, as stated in 'Bus Back Better'.
The Government is developing a Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) that puts transport on a path to delivering its contributions to carbon budgets and net zero by 2050. The plan will take a holistic and cross-modal approach to decarbonising the entire transport system for the first time, setting out a credible and ambitious pathway to cut emissions. The Plan will be published in Spring 2021.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department of Transport and DEFRA are taking any joint steps to support UK farming communities to harness methane emissions to be used as renewable biomethane fuel for buses, trains and trams along with digestates capable of enriching soils and sequestering carbon; and if so, what are any such steps.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme was amended in 2015, to reward biomethane used in transport and non-road mobile machinery, on the basis of its energy content rather than volume. As a consequence, biomethane is eligible to receive 1.9 Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) per kilogram, an increase on 1 RTFCs per kilogram, and double that number when produced from wastes such as manure.
The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) will open to applicants in Autumn 2021 for four years. The GGSS will provide tariff support for biomethane injection into the gas grid, and will encourage the use of waste feedstocks, including agricultural wastes, to produce the biomethane. The scheme will include a payment formula, which allows biomethane producers to split payments between the GGSS and the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), enabling different consignments of biomethane to receive payments from either the GGSS or the RTFO within the same quarter. To encourage good use of digestate produced during biomethane production, scheme participants will be required to dispose of the digestate using low emission techniques when spreading on land.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of biomethane to assist hydrogen transport; what plans they have to utilise biomethane gas from farms and cities to fuel (1) trains, (2) trams, and (3) buses, until the cost of green hydrogen can be reduced to a competitive level; what estimate they have made of the impact of any such plans on the level of (a) the income experienced by farmers, and (b) soil quality and nutrition; and what assessment they have made of the use of biomethane as an energy source for cities.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Hydrogen is already powering vehicles in use on UK roads, including buses. We will set out its important role across all forms of transport, including trams and trains, in our ambitious Transport Decarbonisation Plan, due to be published this spring. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation helps promote a market for a broad range of low carbon fuels, and renewable hydrogen and biomethane are already eligible for support through it for transport. We have made no specific assessment of the use of biomethane as a bridge to future hydrogen transport applications or on the impacts of that on farmers, soil quality or nutrition. The BEIS-led Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS), will open to applicants in Autumn 2021 for four years and will provide tariff support for biomethane injection into the gas grid as a potential energy source for cities.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce particulate pollution from urban traffic; and what assessment they have made (1) of the report by University College London and Harvard University et al Global mortality from outdoor fine particle pollution generated by fossil fuel combustion, published on 9 February, and (2) in particular the finding that exposure to fossil fuel air pollution accounts for 18 to 21.5 per cent of global deaths each year.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Our landmark Environment Bill introduces a duty to set a legally binding target for fine particulate matter, in addition to a further long-term air quality target. Achieving these targets will require action on a wide range of sources, including urban traffic and fossil fuel combustion. Specific measures will depend on what targets are set and ultimately the pathway and approach to achieving the targets. We will be carrying out a public consultation on proposed targets, which is likely to commence in early 2022.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what metrics they use to calculate the emissions from transport run on (1) hydrogen, (2) biomethane, (3) biogas, and (4) electricity, when allocating funding for transport infrastructure; and what plans they have to publish their methodology.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In general, emissions specifically from hydrogen, biomethane and biogas are not estimated when allocating funding for transport infrastructure, as they account for a very small share of the energy used by transport. However, the blending of biofuels in petrol and diesel is accounted for more generally, including in the emission estimates presented in the Department for Transport’s TAG data-book, which is used for transport appraisal. Where the use of these fuels is important, for example funding to support their uptake, estimates of their g/CO2e are based on the latest scientific analysis and evidence, including emissions across the well-to-wheel cycle wherever possible, as well as from indirect land-use.
There are no plans to publish further details on methodologies at this stage, but these will be shared alongside policy proposals where appropriate, and in the event that these were important to funding decisions.
Estimates of kg CO2e/kWH from electricity used in transport are based on emission factors published by BEIS, and presented in the Department for Transport’s TAG data-book.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce direct vision standards for heavy goods vehicles in order to reduce road accidents; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is working in international organisations to develop increased safety standards, including for direct vision, for heavy goods vehicles. The timing of changes will depend on the outcome of that work. It has no plans to introduce a direct vision requirement nationally for existing heavy goods vehicles, given the current information available about the accident reduction potential. Using its devolved powers, London is separately taking forward a scheme to promote direct vision, and similar powers are available for other large cities.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to reduce road accidents and fatalities among 15 to 18 year-olds; what plans they have to introduce restrictions on carrying passengers for that age group; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such a restriction on road accidents and fatalities in that age group.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, and there were fewer deaths on British roads in 2013 than at any time since records began. However, we want to make our roads even safer and that is why this Government will be looking at the best ways to improve road safety during this Parliament and beyond. There is a difficult balance to strike between the safety and the freedom of our young people. We won’t rule out any programme that safeguards young people, but at the moment we are focussing on technological and behavioural solutions.