Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment she has made of trends in the level of investment in (a) operational trials and (b) infrastructure development for zero-emission aviation by (i) the UK and (ii) other countries.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is supportive of new forms of zero-emission aircraft being brought into commercial use.

The Department for Business and Trade is co-investing with industry through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme in R&D on aerospace technology, including projects focussed on zero emission aircraft. The budget confirmed a five-year extension to the programme with nearly £1bn funding.

In addition, from January 2025 the use of low carbon hydrogen as an aviation fuel is eligible for reward under the SAF mandate where it meets sustainability criteria. The Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge is being supported by a £0.9m grant from the Government’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund. Future government funding will be considered within the ongoing Spending Review.

The Jet Zero Taskforce Expert Group, convening representatives from government, industry, and academia with an interest in aviation decarbonisation, have agreed to establish a dedicated group to unlock barriers to the commercial operation of zero-carbon hydrogen aircraft.

The Department for Transport has not made a comparative assessment of trends in operational trials nor infrastructure development.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to facilitate the commercialisation of hydrogen-powered aircraft for passengers; and whether she is allocating additional resources for that process.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is supportive of new forms of zero-emission aircraft being brought into commercial use.

The Department for Business and Trade is co-investing with industry through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme in R&D on aerospace technology, including projects focussed on zero emission aircraft. The budget confirmed a five-year extension to the programme with nearly £1bn funding.

In addition, from January 2025 the use of low carbon hydrogen as an aviation fuel is eligible for reward under the SAF mandate where it meets sustainability criteria. The Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge is being supported by a £0.9m grant from the Government’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund. Future government funding will be considered within the ongoing Spending Review.

The Jet Zero Taskforce Expert Group, convening representatives from government, industry, and academia with an interest in aviation decarbonisation, have agreed to establish a dedicated group to unlock barriers to the commercial operation of zero-carbon hydrogen aircraft.

The Department for Transport has not made a comparative assessment of trends in operational trials nor infrastructure development.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to allow GP practices to claim Employment Allowance.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has not changed the eligibility rules on the Employment Allowance beyond removing the £100k eligibility threshold, so that business size does not dictate whether an employer can benefit from the Employment Allowance.

All the remaining eligibility criteria remain unchanged, including the exclusion of businesses whose work is wholly or mainly public in nature. The eligibility of a specific sector or organisation will depend on the make-up of an individual business's work, and organisations are encouraged to consult HMRC’s detailed guidance.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to fund operational trials of zero-emission aircraft.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As a private sector, the introduction of new forms of aircraft is primarily a matter for industry. The Government is however supportive of new forms of zero-emission aircraft being brought into commercial use.

The Department for Business and Trade is co-investing with industry through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme in R&D on aerospace technology, including projects focussed on zero emission aircraft. The budget confirmed a five-year extension to the programme with nearly £1bn funding.

In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge is being supported by a £0.9m grant from the Government’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund. Future government funding will be considered within the ongoing Spending Review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to exempt GPs who provide more than 90% of their services to the NHS from the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance Contributions, i.e. central government, public corporations and local government. General Practitioners are independent contractors and therefore will not be exempt from these changes.

The Government has taken tough decisions to fix the foundations so that increased funding for the NHS in England could be announced at the Budget. Resource spending for the Department of Health and Social Care is set to increase by £22.6 billion in 2025-26 compared to 2023-24 outturn, providing a real-terms growth rate of 4% for the NHS, the largest since before 2010 excluding Covid-19 years.

Every year, the Government consults with the general practice sector about what services they provide, and about what money they are entitled to in return under their contract. As in previous years, this will be dealt with as part of that process.

The Government has announced a proposed £889m uplift for general practice in 2025-26, the largest uplift to GP funding since 2019-20. The Department of Health and Social Care have started consulting with the General Practitioners Committee in England of the British Medical Association (BMA) on the 2025-26 GP contract, and will consider a range of proposed policy changes. These will be announced in the usual way following the close of the consultation later this year.

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