Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting transport providers to buy British buses.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 8 October 2024, the Department announced plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. The Department continues to work with officials across Government to engage with British bus manufacturing stakeholders and more details on this will be set out in due course.
UK-based bus manufacturers have benefited the most from the Department’s funding programmes, such as Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA). It is estimated that 60% of ZEBRA-supported buses will be procured from UK-based manufacturers, supporting economic growth and jobs across the zero-carbon transport industry. We want to see domestic manufacturers build on this foundation and stimulate innovation and skills development to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Returning Officers to cover the costs of accessible voting devices that exceed the new burdens funding.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Elections Act 2022 requires Returning Officers to consider and provide support for electors with all forms of disability, including varying degrees of sight loss. The Tactile Voting Device, introduced in 2001, has proven effective for some voters with sight loss but we are aware that other options, such as magnifiers, digital reading applications and lighting aids, are also used to support individual elector’s preferences.
For local elections, costs incurred by Returning Officers to support voters with sight loss are typically met by local authorities, with new burdens funding made available where new burdens are imposed by legislation.
For UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, costs are met by the Consolidated Fund and Returning Officers can claim reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in delivering these polls, including expenditure incurred in the provision of accessible voting equipment. For equipment that will be used at both local and UK Parliamentary/PCC elections, costs can be shared between the funding sources.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to creating good clean energy jobs through the multitude of investments being made to support our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower such as Great British Energy, the British Jobs Bonus, and boosting support for our renewables auction, making it the largest round ever. We have also set up the Office for Clean Energy Jobs which will support developing the skilled workforce in core energy and net zero sectors, critical to meeting our mission.