Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with local (a) authorities and (b) transport authorities to help increase EV uptake in cities.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund has allocated capital and resource funding across all higher tier local authorities (LAs) in England, to ensure chargepoint rollout improves significantly, including in cities. In total, the LEVI Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 chargepoints across England giving drivers, especially those without access to off-street parking, the confidence to switch to an EV.
To further address gaps in infrastructure and make it easier for those without a driveway to charge at home, the Government has also announced a new £25 million grant for local authorities in England to install electric vehicle pavement channels. Support is also available to LAs through one-to-one guidance, masterclasses and an online knowledge repository.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to make EV charging at home more (a) widely accessible and (b) affordable.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A range of Government grants are available to support the installation of charging devices for people living in flats and rented accommodation and for those with accessible on-street parking.
The Government is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions. Our £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel Grant, announced on 13 July, will support thousands of residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home, accessing cheaper tariffs through their domestic energy supplies.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) local transport authorities and (b) bus operators to increase use of (i) hybrid, (ii) electric and (iii) hydrogen buses on local transport networks.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The full transition to zero emission buses (ZEBs) is a vital part of the Government’s plan to make buses better for passengers and to realise the benefits of lower running costs, cleaner air and smoother, quieter journeys.
The Department has supported the bus sector with almost £500m in direct funding support for ZEBs in recent years, including £38m announced in April to deliver an additional 319 ZEBs through the ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas) programme.
The Government has reduced the number of different funding streams we pay to Local Transport Authorities. Major city regions will benefit from the £15.6bn Transport for Cities fund to improve local transport in some of our largest city regions, allowing local leaders to play a more active role in the delivery of local bus services, in partnership with our bus operators, and allocate some funding toward decarbonising their local fleets.
Our smaller cities, towns and rural areas will receive £2.3bn from the Local Transport Grant and over £800m bus capital funding. Local leaders can use this funding to invest in local priorities, such as investment in new ZEBs.
To support our domestic ZEB industry, the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel was established in March 2025. A key objective of the Panel is to help create a steady pipeline of manufacturing orders. This pipeline involves gathering the necessary data on bus orders over the next ten years into one place so that it is accessible to all ZEB stakeholders. This will offer greater planning certainty to both local transport authorities and bus operators as they develop future decarbonisation strategies. Equally, UK-based manufacturers are well placed to benefit from this stability.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with British Airways on the frequency of flights between the UK and Ghana.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, the frequency and management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the frequency of its UK-Ghana route. The recently updated UK- Ghana Air Services Agreement allows for additional direct flights to operate between the UK and Ghana to be operated by an interested and designated UK or Ghanaian airline.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of British Airways' recent performance on the UK-Ghana route.
Answered by Mike Kane
British Airways operate direct routes between the UK and Ghana from London Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport.
UK aviation operates in the private sector, and airlines are responsible for ensuring they reach an acceptable level of performance for their passengers.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes flight punctuality statistics and is responsible for ensuring the industry meets relevant regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to hold airlines to account on (i) passenger rights and (ii) compensation for (1) delays and (2) cancellations on (A) intercontinental flights (B) flights between the UK and Ghana.
Answered by Mike Kane
Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.
Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.
Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with British Airways on (a) passenger rights and (b) compensation for (i) delays and (ii) cancellations on UK-Ghana flights.
Answered by Mike Kane
Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.
Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.
Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with British Airways on (a) the scheduling, (b) route changes and (c) operational decisions impacting UK-Ghana flights.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on (a) the management of its UK-Ghana route, (b) service standards and (c) passenger experience.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Airways' operational decisions on UK-Ghana business and tourism links.
Answered by Mike Kane
DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the flights on those routes, are a commercial decision made by airlines. As this is a commercial decision, the DfT has not undertaken any assessment on British Airways' operational decisions on its UK-Ghana service. The UK-Ghana Air Services Agreement provides opportunity for growth in UK-Ghana market.