Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Specialised Committee on Road Transport is planned to meet.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishes a standard set of committees to oversee its operation. This includes a Partnership Council, providing political strategic oversight across the relationship. The Government is currently considering carefully the process around the establishment of the Partnership Council.
Once the Partnership Council has been established, a series of specialised committees will be established including the Specialised Committee on Road Transport.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the DVLA are returning personal identification items to their owner in a timely fashion.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Paper applications which include identification documents are taking longer to process as they must be dealt with in person. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a reduced number of staff on-site to comply with social distancing requirements and ensure staff safety. Where possible, the DVLA is prioritising the return of identification documents that have been sent to them by customers.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which UK produce and products, by value, comprise the main freighted items transported by air to international markets; and what the primary destinations are of those products.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Information on the value of goods by mode of transport is only available for goods exported to non-EU countries that are cleared for customs purposes at UK airports from HMRC. Table 1 displays the top five product categories exported by air by value in 2018, and the associated top five export partner countries for these goods.
Table 1: Main UK good exports by air to non-EU countries by value, 2018
Goods category exported by air, and top 5 export countries | Exports, £ billions |
Precious metals, stones and jewellery | 30.18 |
Switzerland | 14.75 |
China | 4.58 |
Turkey | 2.47 |
Hong Kong | 2.22 |
United Arab Emirates | 1.64 |
Machinery and mechanical appliances | 19.96 |
United States | 5.12 |
United Arab Emirates | 2.18 |
Singapore | 1.98 |
Hong Kong | 1.69 |
Japan | 1.01 |
Pharmaceutical products | 8.41 |
United States | 3.81 |
China | 1.02 |
Japan | 0.63 |
Australia | 0.24 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.23 |
Electrical machinery and equipment | 7.28 |
United States | 2.01 |
China | 0.60 |
Hong Kong | 0.49 |
Singapore | 0.34 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.40 |
Optical, measuring, medical or surgical instruments | 6.79 |
United States | 2.45 |
China | 0.65 |
Japan | 0.52 |
Hong Kong | 0.29 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.23 |
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) volume and (b) value was of the freight transported from UK airports to international destinations in each of the last 10 years, by airport.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The volume of freight handled at UK airports that receive commercial traffic and transported to international destinations is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and is displayed in the attached Table 1.
The CAA does not collect data on the value of freight handled at UK airports. Information on the value of goods is only available for goods exported to non-EU countries that are cleared for customs purposes at UK airports from HMRC and is displayed in the attached Table 2.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average flight time is between (a) London City airport and Glasgow and (b) Glasgow and London City airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport does not routinely collect or publish information pertaining to average flight times between airports. According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the only airline that operated a service between London City and Glasgow in 2017 was British Airways under the BA CityFlyer Ltd subsidiary. Consequently, this information should be obtainable from the airline.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the connectivity of Glasgow Airport compares to that of (a) London City, (b) Heathrow and (c) Gatwick airports.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In 2014, Glasgow airport provided connectivity to 69 destinations with at least a weekly service (i.e. at least 52 direct passenger flight departures, domestic and international). Whilst London City provided connections to 43 destinations, Heathrow 169 and Gatwick 189.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of overseas visitors to (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland arrive by air; and what proportion of total spending by overseas visitors such visitors account for in each nation.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below gives the number and proportion of overseas visitors to the UK and its constituent countries who travel by air and the proportion of spending by these visitors in 2013.
The results are based on data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS), which is managed by the Office for National Statistics.
Overseas visitors departing the UK by air, 2013
| Number of Visits | Spending | ||
| Thousands | Percentage of total departing visitors | £ millions | Percentage of total expenditure by departing visitors |
(c) England | 20,955 | 73% | 15,620 | 85% |
(b) Scotland | 2,123 | 87% | 1,547 | 92% |
(d) wales | 519 | 59% | 273 | 77% |
(e) Northern Ireland | 163 | 44% | 95 | 46% |
(a) All Regions | 23,722 | 72% | 17,752 | 84% |
The IPS collects information on visits and expenditure by overseas residents on the respondents' departure from the UK. In the majority of cases respondents will arrive and depart the UK using the same form of transport but there will be a small number who arrive and depart using different modes. This potential discrepancy is greater for Northern Ireland, as there are difficulties collecting estimates of travel across the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of direct flights from Scottish airports to emerging economies which have commenced since 2010.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below shows the number of air transport movements at Scottish airports on direct routes outside Western Europe or North America, which have commenced since 2010.
Number of flight departures, 2010-2013
Reporting Airport | Next Airport | Next Country | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
Aberdeen | Baku | Azerbaijan |
| 62 | 84 | 1 |
Aberdeen | Riga | Latvia |
|
| 1 | 13 |
Aberdeen | Antalya | Turkey | 4 | 10 |
|
|
Edinburgh | Istanbul | Turkey |
|
| 97 | 314 |
Edinburgh | Budapest | Hungary |
| 92 | 137 | 137 |
Edinburgh | Sharm El Sheikh | Egypt | 44 | 16 |
| 39 |
Edinburgh | Tallin | Estonia |
| 125 |
|
|
Edinburgh | Szczecin (Golenow) | Poland |
|
| 49 | 62 |
Edinburgh | Katowice | Poland |
|
|
| 63 |
Edinburgh | Antalya | Turkey |
| 22 | 20 | 16 |
Edinburgh | Enfidha | Tunisia |
|
|
| 26 |
Glasgow | Enfidha | Tunisia |
| 34 | 74 | 116 |
Glasgow | Boa Vista (Rabil) | Cape Verde Islands |
| 35 | 53 |
|
Glasgow | Warsaw (Chopin) | Poland |
|
|
| 88 |
Glasgow | Gdansk | Poland |
|
|
| 86 |
Glasgow | Punta Cana | Dominican Republic |
| 13 |
|
|
Prestwick | Bydgoszcz | Poland |
|
| 83 | 105 |
Prestwick | Warsaw (Chopin) | Poland |
|
|
| 135 |
Prestwick | Modlin Masovia | Poland |
|
| 68 |
|
Prestwick | Rzeszow | Poland |
|
|
| 63 |
Prestwick | Warsaw (Modlin Masovia) | Poland |
|
|
| 42 |
Source: Civil Aviation Authority Airport Statistics
Routes with less than 10 departures in a year are excluded.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the comparative benefits to businesses of direct aviation connectivity between two locations and connectivity requiring a stopover at a hub airport.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has set up the Airports Commission to examine the question of how best to maintain the UK’s international hub connectivity.
As its Interim Report shows, the Airports Commission is taking account of economic benefits to the UK of aviation connectivity when making recommendations.
The Commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Government in summer 2015. The Government’s principle concern is to protect the integrity and independence of the Commission through to the final report and will not be commenting on its ongoing work.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution made by the direct connectivity of UK airports to emerging markets to tourism from such locations in the medium and long-term.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has set up the Airports Commission to examine the question of how best to maintain the UK’s international hub connectivity.
As its Interim Report shows, the Airports Commission is taking account of economic benefits to the UK of aviation connectivity when making recommendations.
The Commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Government in summer 2015. The Government’s principle concern is to protect the integrity and independence of the Commission through to the final report and will not be commenting on its ongoing work.