Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the National Highway's study on the strategic road network in urban areas is taking into account the Government's target for half of urban journeys to be walked and cycled by 2030.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways will ensure its strategic road network caters for all road user needs - including cyclists and pedestrians, particularly in urban areas.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what proportion and amount the RIS2 budget for capital enhancements has been changed in the context of the (a) Spending Review 2021, (b) pausing of smart motorways and (c) other decision-making delays on schemes, such as for the need to consider environmental impacts.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
There are no budget changes related to Smart Motorways as the spend deferred from the pausing of new schemes will largely be balanced out by spending on new commitments such as additional emergency areas.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2021 to Question 76827 on Aviation: Fuels, what progress his Department has made on assessing the potential merits of (a) regulatory mechanisms and (b) other methods that could be used to encourage the aviation sector to use UL91 fuel; and what discussions he has had on that work with the aviation sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Secretary of State has asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. Since then, the Department has engaged with sector stakeholders, international aviation regulators such as the FAA, and aviation fuel manufacturers, to identify effective measures. A survey to understand the sentiment of airfields and aircraft operator clubs has just closed and will be used to inform further policy interventions. Options that could be considered include information campaigns, improving the data and evidence, and measures to affect the relative price or access to different fuels. As this is still at policy development stage, engagement has been by officials, and the Secretary of State has not had significant discussions with the aviation sector on this.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place (a) Ministerial correspondence and (b) minutes of conservations with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on his policy on tetraethyl lead in the last two years in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This is a global issue since nearly all commercial flight training involves fuel incorporating TEL since it reduces the risk of engine misfires with potentially serious consequences for aircraft safety. The use of fuel incorporating TEL is widespread across many countries GA sectors, including the United States and many European countries, where it is the dominant fuel used for piston engine aircraft.
The Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs leads the development of the UK REACH alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). My officials engaged with them to understand the legal status of TEL in the EU, as well as to understand how the UK REACH regulations would work. No country globally has banned TEL. The HSE recently announced that they would not include TEL in their list of authorised chemicals under the UK REACH as they judged that with intensive efforts already ongoing to find a substitute, additional regulatory pressure is unlikely to speed this, but would revisit this when substitutes had been tested and certified.
Aside from noting whether TEL would be assessed for inclusion in Annex 14 of UK REACH, neither my officials, myself nor the Secretary of State have engaged either organisation to influence their decision.
In response to an enquiry by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association about the future of 100LL the Secretary of State asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. This is highly technical safety work involving the FAA, EASA and engine manufacturers in which the UK seeks to play a leading part.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the use of tetraethyl lead in aviation.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This is a global issue since nearly all commercial flight training involves fuel incorporating TEL since it reduces the risk of engine misfires with potentially serious consequences for aircraft safety. The use of fuel incorporating TEL is widespread across many countries GA sectors, including the United States and many European countries, where it is the dominant fuel used for piston engine aircraft.
The Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs leads the development of the UK REACH alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). My officials engaged with them to understand the legal status of TEL in the EU, as well as to understand how the UK REACH regulations would work. No country globally has banned TEL. The HSE recently announced that they would not include TEL in their list of authorised chemicals under the UK REACH as they judged that with intensive efforts already ongoing to find a substitute, additional regulatory pressure is unlikely to speed this, but would revisit this when substitutes had been tested and certified.
Aside from noting whether TEL would be assessed for inclusion in Annex 14 of UK REACH, neither my officials, myself nor the Secretary of State have engaged either organisation to influence their decision.
In response to an enquiry by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association about the future of 100LL the Secretary of State asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. This is highly technical safety work involving the FAA, EASA and engine manufacturers in which the UK seeks to play a leading part.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Guide Dogs and (b) other disability organisations on pavement parking since 22 November 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department’s consultation on pavement parking ended on 22 November 2020. We received over 15,000 responses from a mixture of local authorities, disability organisations, businesses and other organisations. Since then each of these has been read and carefully considered. In the light of the consultation findings, Ministers are now actively considering the options for addressing pavement parking. This is a priority and we will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps for policy as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with local authorities outside of London on pavement parking since 22 November 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department’s consultation on pavement parking ended on 22 November 2020. We received over 15,000 responses from a mixture of local authorities, disability organisations, businesses and other organisations. Since then each of these has been read and carefully considered. In the light of the consultation findings, Ministers are now actively considering the options for addressing pavement parking. This is a priority and we will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps for policy as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on Managing pavement parking, which closed on 22 November 2021.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department’s consultation on pavement parking ended on 22 November 2020. We received over 15,000 responses from a mixture of local authorities, disability organisations, businesses and other organisations. Since then each of these has been read and carefully considered. In the light of the consultation findings, Ministers are now actively considering the options for addressing pavement parking. This is a priority and we will publish the formal consultation response and announce next steps for policy as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the motor insurance industry on encouraging the shared use of cars by increasing the availability and affordability of appropriate policies.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department for Transport is always looking to work with the motor insurance industry to encourage the use of vehicles in ways that are better for the environment. My officials regularly engage with representatives of the insurance industry on a variety of issues and this is one of them, and they will continue to do so. The Association of British Insurers has a web page providing advice on car sharing, and the British Insurance Brokers’ Association run a not for profit ‘find a broker’ service, and they maintain a list of brokers who specialise in car sharing.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) representations from or (b) discussions with Innospec Ltd (i) he or (ii) officials in his Department have had about the phase out of tetraethyl lead as an additive in aviation fuel.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This is a global issue since nearly all commercial flight training involves fuel incorporating TEL since it reduces the risk of engine misfires with potentially serious consequences for aircraft safety. The use of fuel incorporating TEL is widespread across many countries’ GA sectors, including the United States and many European countries, where it is the dominant fuel used for piston engine aircraft.
The Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs leads the development of the UK REACH alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). My officials engaged with them to understand the legal status of TEL in the EU, as well as to understand how the UK REACH regulations would work. No country globally has banned TEL. The HSE recently announced that they would not include TEL in their list of authorised chemicals under the UK REACH as they judged that with intensive efforts already ongoing to find a substitute, additional regulatory pressure is unlikely to speed this up keeping the UK in line with the EU, but would revisit this when substitutes had been tested and certified.
Aside from noting whether TEL would be assessed for inclusion in Annex 14 of UK REACH, neither my officials, myself nor the Secretary of State have engaged either organisation to influence their decision.
In response to an enquiry by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association about the future of 100LL the Secretary of State asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. This is highly technical safety work involving the FAA, EASA and engine manufacturers in which the UK seeks to play a leading part.