Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
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 to aid maritime decarbonisation.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has published its Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a core policy within this is taking action to reduce emissions from vessels whilst at berth. Whilst the Government remains technology neutral, we recognise that shore power will play a role in reducing emissions from vessels whilst at berth, supporting our mission to make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.
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.
The Government has also published a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports which will 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.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to help increase awareness of careers in the maritime sector.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to support industry to improve the awareness of careers in the maritime sector though the implementation of the Ratings Review and the Cadet Review, both of which were undertaken by the Maritime Skills Commission. The Cadet Review is being delivered through the Cadet Training & Modernisation programme and promoting seafaring career pathways is an important part of that work. A new maritime strategy is in development, which will include a focus on maritime careers.
Additionally, the Department continues to work with stakeholders, such as Maritime UK, on careers promotion and has supported Maritime UK’s Maritime Roadshow for Girls, which promotes STEM and maritime careers in schools. Officials are also working with Maritime UK’s Careers Taskforce, which coordinates careers outreach activity across the sector.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce an independent organisation to (a) monitor and (b) control parking fees at airports.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As commercial businesses it is for airport operators to manage and justify the amount and advertising of parking charges. Parking arrangements are subject to contractual agreements between airport operators, car parking companies and covered by consumer laws. While there are no plans to introduce an independent organisation to monitor or control parking fees at airports, the Department for Transport expects car parking at airports to be managed appropriately.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase the UKs (a) manufacturing and (b) refining capacity for sustainable aviation fuel.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Building a UK Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry represents a significant economic opportunity which can bring good, high-skilled jobs across the UK. The SAF Mandate, which is the UK’s key policy to decarbonise jet fuel, secures demand for SAF by obligating the supply of an increasing amount of SAF in the overall UK aviation fuel mix. We are putting £63 million into the Advanced Fuels Fund in 2025/2026 to help support UK SAF plants to reach commercial scale. The Government is also legislating to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism, giving SAF producers confidence to invest in new plants in the UK.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with stakeholders in Greater Manchester on improving local public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Officials in the Department have regular engagement with colleagues in Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and those across the districts. We work closely with the Mayor and GMCA to support their plans and strategies to improve public transport across Greater Manchester.
In February, we held the second of a series of Roadshows across the country in Manchester. This provided the opportunity for stakeholders across GMCA and wider to attend to share ideas and help shape the delivery of the Integrated National Transport Strategy.
We are providing substantial transport funding for the Greater Manchester region, including over £1bn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for 2022/23 – 2026/27 which is designed to significantly improve local public transport. TfGM is targeting delivery of this scheme in the early 2030s, with an outline business case due with the Department in early 2026. Additionally, an extra £200m for CRSTS was announced in October to provide further improvements to public transport in major city regions, including Greater Manchester.
CRSTS funding for 25/26 and beyond is being considered as part of the multi-year spending review in late spring, aligned with the government’s new Integrated National Transport Strategy, ensuring we are taking decisions in the long-term interests of the country.
Through the Greater Manchester Pathfinder Devolution Deal we are providing Greater Manchester with a single integrated funding settlement, which includes CRSTS, to ensure that funding is prioritised locally to meet local connectivity requirements. The Department has implemented a Task and Finish group to work closely with GMCA to gain further clarity of their transport devolution ambitions ahead of receipt of this settlement.
The Department has strongly endorsed and supported the successful introduction of the Bee Network, with the Secretary of State visiting GMCA to mark the implementation of the final stage of Bus Franchising in January. The Department is providing £66.3m in bus funding to GMCA in 2025/26.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
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 of re-introducing the hard shoulder on all motorways.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest set of safety data published by National Highways continues to show that, overall, smart motorways are safer than conventional motorways for deaths or serious injuries. However, the risk of a collision between a moving and a stopped vehicle is greater on smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder than on other motorway types, which is why National Highways continues to take action aimed at reducing this risk, rolling out over 150 additional emergency areas and improving operational technology performance. We will continue to assess the safety of these roads as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the additional investment in safety measures.
It should also be noted that whilst hard shoulders offer a place of relative safety, they are not a safe place to stop, with one out of every 20 fatal casualties on motorways occurring on a hard shoulder.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with local authorities on the potential merits of including provisions to help tackle pavement parking in the English Devolution Bill.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. When the Government has decided its preferred way forward this will be announced along with publication of a formal response to the consultation. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Mayor of Greater Manchester on pavement parking.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. When the Government has decided its preferred way forward this will be announced along with publication of a formal response to the consultation. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with transport industry representatives on (a) increasing the levels of participation and (b) the career advancement of women in the transport sector.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are working closely with industry experts to ensure that women are represented within all levels of the transport system.
This includes supporting the Generation Logistics campaign. Led by the industry, this initiative aims to raise awareness and enhance perceptions of careers in logistics, including promoting roles to women where they are currently under-represented.
Officials engage regularly with industry stakeholders, including employers and trade associations, to understand and address issues relating to the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in transport.
We also work closely with modal partners such as Women In Rail, Women in Bus and Coach and the Women In Maritime on programmes to support women in their careers.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to ensure more women take up leadership positions across the transport sector.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are working across the transport sector to ensure that women are represented within all levels of the transport system.
Specifically on leadership positions, we are supporters of the 'women in aviation and aerospace charter’, a commitment for organisations to support the progression of women into senior roles in the aviation and aerospace sectors by focusing on roles in the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level.
We also work closely with modal partners such as Women In Rail, Women in Bus and Coach and the Women In Maritime on programmes to support women in their careers.