Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff her Department has seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no record of staff having being seconded from “Hakluyt” since July 2024.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of her Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no record of officials having been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff her Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport Central (DfTc) function has not seconded any staff from Palantir since July 2024. The Department for Transport Central (DfTc) function has not seconded any staff from Palantir since July 2024.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Department for Transport incurred costs of £50,934 in 2021-22 and £156,907 in 2022-23 on hospitality spend. Data for 2020-21 can only be provided at disproportionate cost. Departmental spending on alcohol is not normally permitted.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the development of sustainable aviation fuels.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is focused on stimulating the demand and use of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK. To create demand for SAF, the Government will introduce a SAF mandate in 2025, which aims to deliver at least 10% of jet fuel from sustainable sources by 2030. The second consultation on the design of the scheme is currently open for consultation.
The Government is seeking to kickstart a domestic SAF industry through the £165 million Advanced Fuels Fund to support the development of commercial scale plants. The Government has already awarded funding to five projects and is currently considering applications to the second funding round.
In April 2023, the Government responded to Philip New’s report on developing a UK SAF industry. Officials are now working with industry to develop options for an industry-funded revenue certainty mechanism.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to introduce national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicles.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
The Government remains committed to bring forward legislation to create national licensing standards for taxis and private hire vehicles, enhanced enforcement powers and a national licensing database, when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential cost of bringing TransPennine Express into public ownership.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The decision was made balancing a number of factors, with outcomes for passengers the priority. An indicative assessment suggests that although some areas may see increased costs, there are expected to be offsetting savings elsewhere. The 2023/24 budget for the operator is unchanged.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The following table provides the total spend on taxi cabs for the core Department and its agencies, covering financial years 2019-20 to 2021-22.
Financial Year | Expenditure (£’000) |
2019-20 | 253 |
2020-21 | 24 |
2021-22 | 244 |
The Department is unable to break down travel expense costs for officials and Ministers by mode of transport.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Department for Transport policy states “All staff must travel standard class irrespective of grade, except under certain circumstances, including temporary or permanent disability or pregnancy related reasons”
To obtain the information in the format requested would be at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on finding investors for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Government is committed to regional airports. They are key to serving our local communities, supporting thousands of jobs in the regions, and they act as a key gateway to international opportunities. While the UK Government supports airports, it does not own or operate them.
The Minister for Aviation recognises the importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the region and has made clear in meetings both with the South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and the Peel Group the Government’s desire to see a viable aviation future for the airport. The Minister has urged Mayor Coppard to work with all parties to find a locally led solution to preserve aviation at Doncaster-Sheffield Airport.