Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether community transport operators relying on the exclusively non-commercial exemption to holding a public service vehicle operators' licence will be able to continue to do so pending his Department’s publication of a final response to the consultation on Section 19 and Section 22 permits; and what criteria are used to define non-commercial for that purpose.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In March the Department clarified the scope of two exemptions to the EU Regulation on operator licensing in guidance and enacted a new additional exemption; so that community transport operators can carry on taking people to the shops, work, school, hospital and the doctor.
The definitive view of what the non-commercial exemption means will be a matter for the High Court. Once it has reached a decision, the Government will revise its guidance in line with the High Court’s judgement.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on awarding spaceport licences for horizontal satellite launch in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Space Industry Act 2018 was a major step towards establishing the safe and supportive regulatory framework needed to enable launches to take place from the early 2020s. Work across the Government is now under way to develop the secondary legislation required before the Civil Aviation Authority can formally assess licence applications for horizontal spaceports.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to meet representatives of Heathrow Airport to discuss the provision of additional flights to Scotland.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Expansion at Heathrow is expected to deliver 100 additional flights to and from Scotland per week. Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) believes that if it receives development consent by 2022, it will start construction soon after and that the new runway can be operational and in passenger use by 2026.
While the exact timing for the introduction of new flights will be for HAL and it partners determine, the Airports National Policy Statement requires HAL to work constructively with its airline customers to strengthen existing routes and develop new connections.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with HAL to discuss various issues, including domestic connectivity. Furthermore, the Department and HAL agreed in their Relationship Framework Document to establish a Domestic Connectivity Forum later this year to discuss the provision of these additional routes to Scotland, alongside the other commitments made on domestic connectivity.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the planned introduction of additional flights between Heathrow and Scottish airports after the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Expansion at Heathrow is expected to deliver 100 additional flights to and from Scotland per week. Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) believes that if it receives development consent by 2022, it will start construction soon after and that the new runway can be operational and in passenger use by 2026.
While the exact timing for the introduction of new flights will be for HAL and it partners determine, the Airports National Policy Statement requires HAL to work constructively with its airline customers to strengthen existing routes and develop new connections.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with HAL to discuss various issues, including domestic connectivity. Furthermore, the Department and HAL agreed in their Relationship Framework Document to establish a Domestic Connectivity Forum later this year to discuss the provision of these additional routes to Scotland, alongside the other commitments made on domestic connectivity.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to issue space port licences for (a) horizontal and (b) vertical take off.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Royal Assent of the Space Industry Bill on 15 March 2018 was a major milestone in establishing the environment for safe, responsible and commercial spaceflight operations from UK spaceports. We are now working swiftly to put in place the detailed regulations, including licence requirements for spaceports and spaceflight operators. We opened a call for evidence on 27 March that will assist in formulating policy related to liability, insurance and charging; and are continuing to engage with prospective licensees. We are planning to publish and consult on the detailed regulations in 2019. Once the detailed licensing requirements are in place, it will enable companies to apply to become a licenced spaceport or spaceflight operator.