Great Western Railway: Infrastructure

Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Davies of Gower]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the condition, maintenance, and long-term resilience of rail infrastructure on the Great Western Railway network; and what steps they are taking to ensure its reliability following recent flooding and extreme weather.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill) (Lab)]

My Lords, Network Rail has robust plans in place to deal with resilience because of climate change. The Wales and western region will see a £2.6 billion spend on asset renewals and £1.6 billion invested to maintain assets from 2024 to 2029. There is also a comprehensive weather resilience and climate change adaptation plan focusing on safe- guarding assets, embedding resilience into daily operations and adapting to climate change impacts along the route.

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

My Lords, recent months have seen the western region suffer delays and cancellations through infrastructure issues. Signalling failure is partly to blame, but inclement weather frequently causes severe flooding. In particular, Chipping Sodbury tunnel, built in 1902, has been plagued by flooding issues since the day it opened. Successive Governments have funded remedial work over the years on a piecemeal basis, but, as the Minister is aware from his former role at Network Rail, this has not provided a solution to the ongoing problem. Can he therefore commit to resolving the issue in order to bring travel in the western region into the 21st century? As the operator, can he take steps to ensure that GWR provides a full set of rolling stock on its intercity services, as opposed to the frequently provided overcrowded half-set of carriages?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The noble Lord knows more about Chipping Sodbury now because I arranged for the route director for the western route to talk to him. He is right that it was opened in 1902. Great Western Railway built the cutting and the tunnel straight through an aquifer and it has been flooding ever since. The good news is that remedial work over the past five years has significantly reduced the delays created by flooding in that location. However, there are many other examples of flooding due to climate change, including, as he knows, one recently in Neath, which has never flooded before.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill

Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts

2nd reading
Thursday 20th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to contribute to this debate on the Second Reading of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill. I declare an interest as vice-chair of the Aviation All-Party Parliamentary Group.

I do not intend to make a lengthy speech, but I shall touch on the essential ingredient of the Bill: the introduction of a revenue certainty mechanism to support the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK. We know that the Government currently impose an SAF mandate on the aviation industry whereby 2% of aviation fuel used in the UK must be SAF. That target is set to rise to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040—somewhat ambitious, I believe; nevertheless, that is the target.

I have met and spoken to representatives of all aspects of the industry, at their request, over the last year—airport owners, airline representatives and SAF producers, to name but a few. They all have one thing in common: a genuine desire to see the introduction of lower-carbon alternatives to conventional aviation fuel, which is very encouraging, particularly when you look at some other sectors.

Worthy of mention, perhaps, is that, on the domestic front, in 2022 the Royal Air Force and industry partners carried out the world’s first 100% SAF flight, in an RAF Voyager, an Airbus product with, I might add, wings constructed in Wales. We know that most of the SAF currently produced is HEFA-based: that is to say, made from hydro-processed esters and fatty acids—hence the acronym HEFA—that are derived from oils or fats such as cooking oil. A 2025 market report produced by companies in the sector stated that globally, 82% of current SAF capacity relies on HEFA technology, which is limited by available feedstocks. Moving forward, we look to second-generation and third-generation SAFs from solid waste and other materials.

The Climate Change Committee, the independent adviser to the UK Government on climate risk, said in its 2025 report to Parliament that SAF supply was sufficient to meet the Government’s current SAF mandate that 2% of aviation fuel must be SAF. However, it said that meeting the Government’s 10% target by 2030 was “uncertain” as production of different forms of SAF

“will need to scale up”.

The committee said that SAF producers must now start to diversify away from HEFA-based forms of SAF if the 2030 target is to be achieved.

That brings me to the main points that I wish to raise with the Government today. I believe that the Bill will be successful if it includes the necessary provisions to protect existing SAF production in the UK and maintain its competitiveness in the international market. A number of global renewables companies are in the process of developing techniques to produce low-cost, low-carbon SAF, and they have chosen to conduct business here in the UK. I know this to be true because I have met them. They see the UK as a convenient climate in which to operate. Coupled with the SAF mandate already in force, this could make the UK a leader in green aviation fuel production.

However, if the Government are serious about building a UK SAF industry and capturing the green jobs and fuel security benefits of doing so, the revenue certainty mechanism needs to be introduced at pace. Other major economies are moving ahead with their own plans to support domestic SAF production, particularly in Europe through the EU’s green deal industrial plan, which provides billions of euros in incentives. If UK policy incentives do not keep pace with these markets, this will at best delay production and at worst mean that companies move their global hub and associated production facilities overseas.

I ask the Minister: how seriously do the Government take the need to move at pace to retain companies developing SAF in the UK? Does he agree that if SAF production is to be viable for developers, they will require early access to the designated counterparty for revenue certainty mechanism negotiations ahead of the Bill’s ratification? Also, while they are keen to attract foreign investment, can the Minister say what steps the Government are taking to ensure that grants from the advanced fuels fund are directed to support British technology?

Finally, what assurances can the Minister give to the travelling public that the Government’s estimated impact on ticket prices, of between minus £1.50 and plus £1.50, is accurate? In Committee in the other place, the International Airlines Group commented that some elements have not been included in the calculation, noting that the cost

“will be nearer to £10””.—[Official Report, Commons, Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill Committee, 15/7/25; col. 17.]

I look forward to the Minister’s response.

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts

Thursday 12th June 2025 Grand Committee

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, and learn of his interest in satellites. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, for—and, indeed, congratulate him on—gaining time for this debate, as well as for his relentless work in pursuing the issue of EGNOS. I declare my interests as the vice-president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association UK and as the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Aviation; I am an aviator and have particular interest in this matter. Much of what I want to say has already been referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, but I hope to add some detail to it. I come to this from a general aviation perspective.

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, commonly referred to as EGNOS, is designed to improve the integrity and precision of GPS services. To give it its correct title, it is the EGNOS Safety of Life Service. Those three words—safety of life—are particularly important and significant. In the world of aviation, EGNOS enables users of GPS services to be confident that the information being supplied to them is accurate and precise. It is used when operating into airfields in inclement weather conditions; examples of this include when descending through cloud, foggy or misty conditions. Descending through cloud and relying on the EGNOS system allows the aircraft and the pilot to arrive blindly but safely at the end of the runway. This is of use not only to aviation but to the maritime sector, in avoiding obstacles or perhaps entering a port in fogged-out conditions.

Sadly, as a result of our exiting the European Union, the UK’s participation in the EGNOS programme ended on 25 June 2021. Despite the hundreds of millions of pounds that the UK contributed to the Galileo satellite system, this led to a withdrawal of legal indemnity for the use of EGNOS; it therefore cannot be safely and fully utilised by aircraft any longer. Although the signal remains in place, reliance on it that might end in an accident would undoubtedly invalidate the aircraft’s insurance. The upshot of this is that UK aircraft operators cannot use EGNOS Safety of Life any longer; of course, this extends to all other users, such as agriculture, surveying and maritime, but it particularly affects aviation, which has additional inherent risks.

Perhaps it would be helpful at this point for me to explain that large airports have a sophisticated and expensive-to-maintain instrument landing system, commonly referred to as ILS. This uses two directional radio signals: the localiser, which provides horizontal guidance, and the glideslope, which provides vertical guidance. These signals are ground-generated by radio signals or, in some cases, microwave signals. EGNOS, on the other hand, is Europe’s regional satellite-based augmentation system. It is used primarily by smaller airports as it can be utilised at a vastly reduced cost; the onboard aircraft equipment necessary for its operation is, in the grand scheme of things, relatively cheap to install and operate.

The Brexit negotiations removed Britain’s access to EGNOS, not because of technical necessity but because EGNOS is managed under EU governance structures. Post Brexit, Britain became a third country. Unless specific agreements were made, access ceased. Maintaining EGNOS access would have required around £30 million to £35 million a year—trivial compared to the economic damage of degraded aviation connectivity—but we did not retain access.

In 2022, the APPG for Aviation commissioned a report arguing for the reinstatement of the EGNOS system. An excellent report by Oxera in Oxford also convincingly argued the case for continuing the service; I thoroughly recommend its reading to the Minister. Oxera argues the case for EGNOS for several reasons. First, it enables precision farming, which improves the efficiency of field working, fertiliser and pesticide use; this leads to higher crop yields and lower costs. Secondly, it improves safety and efficiency in the maritime sector, supporting UK trade. Thirdly, it provides greater resilience at airports when, for example, ground systems fail. Fourthly, it provides more reliable services, including aviation approaches, to the Scottish islands and the Isles of Scilly, where there is no other option but to travel by air in winter.

There is also improved flight safety—EGNOS reduces controlled flight into terrain, one of the CAA’s “significant seven” risks, by a factor of four to eight—and improved reliability of search and rescue and helicopter emergency services. EGNOS enables point-to-point technology, allowing helicopters to operate in poor weather. The CAA has stated that a number of HEMS and SAR operations have experienced accidents and incidents due to poor visibility, and EGNOS was required to reduce these risks. There is also improved access to essential services; with EGNOS, those living on UK islands with poorer access to NHS hospitals will miss fewer appointments every year, which tend to be for urgent treatment or diagnosis. The case for EGNOS is overwhelming.

I understand that the current position of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is that the Government are considering options for UK access to a satellite-based augmentation system following its withdrawal from EGNOS and that

“work is ongoing and no decision has yet been made”.

That is to be applauded, but meanwhile this life-saving facility has ceased to function and places those who rely on it at risk—all for the sake of a sum of money, which, in the grand scheme of things, is peanuts when compared to the lives at stake. Does the Minister agree that development of a new system will be years in the making and that, as an interim measure, access to EGNOS would be a positive and sensible way forward? What of the Civil Aviation Authority, the UK’s aviation regulator, whose core work revolves around safety? What representations has his department had from it on the potential dangers to aviation due to the disappearance of EGNOS?

Martin Robinson, the chief executive officer of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association UK said in a recent article:

“Britain’s aviation future depends on confronting political vanity and embracing real-world cooperation … Restoring access to EGNOS is not just an operational necessity. It is a test of leadership. We rejoined European programmes such as Horizon 2020 … because it was the right thing to do without any political concerns. So why not EGNOS”.


We must act now to restore what is an essential life-saving service to the many sectors that it previously served, in particular aviation. I look forward to the Minister’s response.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question. It is a good question because developments in drones, particularly drones beyond line of sight, uncrewed aircraft and flying taxis have been much in the news recently. There are many applications way beyond traditional air applications. There is activity for drones beyond line of sight not only on the railway but in better policing. Those things would affect a judgment about an investment in this and whether the continuing cost of it is worth investing in. I urge my noble friend not to ask us to be too peremptory in making a once-and-for-all decision when technology is changing as, because of that, the justification for doing this might increase and we might get to the answer that my noble friend wants.

I am grateful to all noble Lords for their thoughtful and constructive contributions, which reflect the strong interest in maintaining the UK’s continued leadership in aviation safety and innovation. We remain committed to ensuring safety and efficiency. We recognise the real value of systems such as EGNOS, but we must also consider the financial implications and seek solutions that offer the best value for money.

On the contributions of noble Lords about the cost of it, or the cost when it was around £35 million—I cannot confirm whether that might be the current cost or not—if the previous Government could not justify it, in these difficult financial circumstances we have a duty to justify public expenditure. However, noble Lords will have heard me say that we are considering it not only for the benefits from EGNOS for the purposes described in the discussion today but because the future of drone and uncrewed aircraft technology is rapidly developing. I hope noble Lords will appreciate that we are strongly considering it. I am grateful for all that they have said.

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

My Lords, I am very grateful for the Minister’s response, but what representation has the department had from the CAA on this issue?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The department is in constant discussion with the CAA on this issue. I do not have any evidence that the CAA believes that reimplementing EGNOS is a matter of the greatest concern, but as the noble Lord asked the question, I will go away, find out what the current position with the CAA is and write to him about it.