Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department classifies heavy rail projects located entirely within England as (a) local and (b) national projects.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so through the Barnett formula. This approach applies to investment in heavy rail by the Department for Transport, including HS2 and East-West Rail, and is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has received representations from the Welsh Government requesting that the East-West rail project be reclassified as an England only project.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There have been no formal representations from the Welsh Government on this matter.
The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so through the Barnett formula. This approach applies to investment in heavy rail by the Department for Transport, including HS2 and East-West Rail, and is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any of the regional transport infrastructure projects announced on 4 June 2025 will be classified as England and Wales projects.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions settlements on 4 June 2025 for investment in the local transport networks of 9 eligible mayoral strategic authorities in England. Local transport is devolved to the Welsh government.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to support the use of shore power technology at the Port of Fishguard to aid maritime decarbonisation.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions programme has previously allocated over £33m to five shore power demonstrator projects at Aberdeen, Atlantic and Peninsula Falmouth, Cammel Laird shipyard, Leith and Portsmouth.
These projects have informed Government policy making about maritime decarbonisation, and in March 2025, the Government published its Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. A core policy within this Strategy is taking action to reduce emissions from vessels whilst at berth. Although the Government remains technology neutral, we recognise that shore power will play a role in reducing emissions from vessels at berth, supporting our mission to make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.
Alongside this Strategy, the Government also published a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports to explore the opportunities and barriers to reducing emissions at berth, with a focus on the role ports can play in enabling the shipping sector to decarbonise. Ports policy is devolved, so this will inform Government policy relating to English ports. However, we welcome input from ports and their tenants in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to this Call for Evidence to broaden our understanding of the issues.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve truck stop facilities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network.
This investment is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve recruitment of HGV drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To improve working conditions for HGV drivers, the Department and industry are jointly investing up to £43.5 million to upgrade truckstops across England. This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities along the strategic roads network. This funding is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.
In addition, the Department has been working with the insurance and road haulage trade associations to raise awareness of fleet insurance policies that can provide cover for newly qualified drivers without higher premiums.
To support drivers in returning to the sector, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has introduced more flexible Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) requirements for those driving in the UK. The requirement removes the need to complete 35 hours of training prior to a return to driving and replaces it with a 7-hour ‘return to driving’ training module, and a requirement to complete the 28 hours of other CPC training within 12 months.
The Department for Transport is also a strong supporter of the Generation Logistics campaign. Led by the industry, this initiative aims to raise awareness and enhance perceptions of careers in logistics, particularly among young people and underrepresented groups.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish a report following a review of the regulatory provision contained in regulations 3 to 16 of the Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention)(Medical Certification) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have conducted a survey on the Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention) (Medical Certification) Regulations 2018, the results are being analysed and the report is due to be published in Spring 2024.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making Intelligent Speed Assistance software mandatory for motorcycles sold in the UK.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
There has not been an assessment of making Intelligent Speed Assistance software mandatory for motorcycles sold in the UK.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to help ensure the accuracy of the information published online setting out the carbon footprint of different modes of transport; and whether his Department has made an estimate of the reduction of emissions for the aviation sector in the UK delivered through use of sustainable aviation fuel by (a) 2030, (b) 2040 and (c) 2050.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for Transport publishes journey emissions comparisons as part of its annual Transport and the Environment publication. These are Official Statistics, held to the standards laid out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Detailed information for users regarding the strengths and weaknesses of these statistics, as well as information on the underlying methodology from the Department for Transport, and the Green House Gas conversion factors published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero used to produce these statistics, are available at the links given below:
Department for Transport, Journey emissions comparisons: Methodology and guidance:
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2022, methodology:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2022
The Jet Zero Strategy, published in July 2022, set out the Government’s approach to achieving net zero for the UK aviation sector by 2050. Four analytical scenarios were produced as part of the strategy, setting out a range of emissions pathways for the sector, under various assumptions on the likely uptake of different decarbonisation technologies, including SAF.
Further detail on the Jet Zero Strategy and the underpinning analysis can be found here: Jet Zero strategy: delivering net zero aviation by 2050 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
More recently, the Government has published a second consultation on a SAF mandate, to be introduced from 2025.
Further detail on the SAF mandate can be found here: Pathway to net zero aviation: developing the UK sustainable aviation fuel mandate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits for road safety of extending the list of vehicles and trailers required to undergo a HGV, bus or trailer MOT to include trailers with an unladen weight of less than 1,020kg and caravans.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
In 2019, my Department published the Trailer Safety Report, which recommended further research to better understand the safety risks of light trailers, such as those with an unladen weight of less than 1,020kg and caravans. My Department therefore commissioned the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to undertake randomised roadworthiness checks of these trailers and caravans over a full calendar year to capture seasonal use. Due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey period was extended to the summer of 2021. Another calendar year of roadside checks from May 2022 to May 2023 is on-going. My Department will use the data from these roadside checks when considering whether further action is appropriate, but there are no current plans to require trailers with an unladen weight of less than 1,020kg and caravans to undergo an MOT.