Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, when the Working Group on Motor Vehicles and Parts is due to first meet.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The procedure for establishing this working group has yet to be agreed between the UK and EU authorities, including setting the terms of reference, its membership and the frequency of meetings. The process for selecting UK representatives will be determined once these aspects are agreed, although it is our expectation that UK delegates will be government officials with the relevant expertise in the development and enforcement of technical regulations for motor vehicles.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, what the selection process will be for the appointment of UK Government representatives to the Working Group on Motor Vehicles and Parts.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The procedure for establishing this working group has yet to be agreed between the UK and EU authorities, including setting the terms of reference, its membership and the frequency of meetings. The process for selecting UK representatives will be determined once these aspects are agreed, although it is our expectation that UK delegates will be government officials with the relevant expertise in the development and enforcement of technical regulations for motor vehicles.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, how many (a) EU representatives and (b) UK Government representatives will sit on the Working Group on Motor Vehicles and Parts.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The procedure for establishing this working group has yet to be agreed between the UK and EU authorities, including setting the terms of reference, its membership and the frequency of meetings. The process for selecting UK representatives will be determined once these aspects are agreed, although it is our expectation that UK delegates will be government officials with the relevant expertise in the development and enforcement of technical regulations for motor vehicles.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of European Conference of Ministers of Transport international road haulage permits that will be required for the movement of goods into the EU from 1 January 2021; and how many have been (a) applied for and (b) issued.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) permits may be used to cover any gaps in market access for international road haulage after the transition period ends: exact requirements will depend on the outcome of negotiations with the European Commission.
An application window closed on 20 November 2020 during which a total of 10,059 applications for ECMT permits were received. We will take account of the latest negotiations on market access before allocating ECMT permits. No permits have yet been issued.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of trailer registration permits that will be required for the movement of goods into the EU from 1 January 2021; and how many such permits have been (a) applied for and (b) issued to date.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Following the UKs ratification of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the UK introduced a trailer registration scheme in February 2019. To date, around 21,000 trailers have been registered on the scheme.
Trailer owners who wish to register their trailer can do so on gov.uk and will be charged a fee of £26. There is no limit to the number of trailers that can be registered on the scheme.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Transport for London press notice, published 1 December on an agreed funding and financing package for the final phase of the Crossrail project, (a) what is the total value of the loan, (b) what is the repayment period of the loan, (c) do interest rates agreed in the package accord with the current Public Works Loan Board and (d) if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
On 1 December, the Government announced that additional borrowing of £825m will be made available to the Greater London Authority (GLA) for the purposes of Crossrail. The terms of the loan remain commercially sensitive. The Secretary of State for Transport provided a statement on this matter on 1 December.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether legislative proposals are required to facilitate the loan package agreed with the Greater London Assembly for the completion of Crossrail.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As a result of the announcement made on 1 December that additional borrowing of £825m will be made available to the Greater London Authority (GLA) for the purposes of Crossrail, the government will be preparing a Statutory Instrument to extend the period of time that Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) can be collected for the purposes of Crossrail.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to the rapid charge fund announced in the March 2020 budget has been spent to date; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As announced in the Spending Review on 25 November 2020, the Government will invest £950 million in future proofing grid capacity along the Strategic Road Network to prepare for 100% uptake of zero emission cars and vans ahead of need. The Spending Review announcement supersedes the March 2020 budget. As of 26th November 2020 no funding has been released, however work to design the Rapid Charging Fund is underway and the timing and process for the delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rapid charge points have been installed through the Rapid Charge Fund to date; and how many rapid charge points are programmed for installation from that fund in the next 12 months.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As announced in the Spending Review on 25 November 2020, the Government will invest £950 million in future proofing grid capacity along the Strategic Road Network to prepare for 100% uptake of zero emission cars and vans ahead of need. Work to design the Rapid Charging Fund is underway, and the timing and process for the delivery of this funding will be confirmed in due course. We will work closely with motorway service area operators and chargepoint operators to make sure that this funding is used to support the rollout of as many chargepoints as possible.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the UK maritime industry in supporting the Government's targets for increasing offshore wind production.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
While my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for the Government’s targets on offshore wind production, my officials and I regularly engage the maritime sector on all relevant matters, including offshore wind production and the decarbonisation of the vessels serving offshore windfarms.