Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 73 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, which policies were identified for receipt of core net zero spend funding from the £1 billion allocated to fund decarbonisation of cars and vans in the financial year 2024-25 at the time that Budget was published; how much funding each of those policies was due to receive; and whether any of those policies have been discontinued since 2021.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The £1 billion allocated to fund the decarbonisation of cars and vans for the financial year 2024-25 in the 2021 Spending Review was allocated to a range of policies across the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now the Department for Business and Trade).
For the Department for Transport, HM Treasury allocated £619m for policies relating to zero emission vehicles, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and air quality.
This sum was subsequently allocated by the Department to specific policies, including the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, the Rapid Charging Fund, the Plug-in Vehicle Grants, EV Homecharging Schemes, the Workplace Charging Scheme and the Joint Air Quality Unit’s NO2 programme. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure best value for money for the taxpayer.
The remaining funding (£333m) was allocated for the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy, for the electrification of UK vehicles and their supply chain, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund Programme. This aims to support the creation of an internationally competitive EV supply chain in the UK, through research and development and capital investments.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 73 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, which policy areas will receive funding from the £1.8 billion allocated to core net zero spend relating to the Department for Transport for the 2024-25 financial year; and how much funding as been issued to each of those policy areas for the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The £1.8 billion allocated to the Department for Transport for the financial year 2024-25 in the 2021 Spending Review supports net zero policies across zero emission vehicles (including buses) and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the bus transformation funding to support local authority Bus Service Improvement Plans, air quality improvement measures, active travel policies, City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, Nexus Metrofleet in Newcastle, rail electrification, and the UK’s production of sustainable aviation fuel.
£333 million of the £1.8 billion was reallocated to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (now the Department for Business and Trade), for the electrification of UK vehicle manufacturing and their supply chains, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund Programme.
The Department’s business planning process for 2024-25 financial year remains ongoing and final plans will be published in due course as per standard practice.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry statistics, published by his Department on 22 February 2024, how many vessels belonging to members of the UK Chamber of Shipping were surveyed as part of the data collection process.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department of Transport commission the UK Chamber of Shipping to carry out the Seafarer Employment Survey of its membership, collecting information on the seafarers the companies employ. The survey is about seafarers, therefore data on the number of vessels belonging to members of the UK Chamber of Shipping was not collected as part of this survey.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion he has had with the Secretary of State for for Business and Trade on enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 for seafarers working on (a) domestic shipping routes and (b) offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193953 on Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries, whether (a) his Department has and (b) executive agencies of his Department have (i) made payments and (ii) awarded grants to (A) P&O Ferries and (B) DP World since 17 March 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 17 March 2022, to allow for the Department and its agencies to carry out unannounced in-service inspections of P&O Ferries vessels, or to perform operational duties where the company is the only operator on the route, there has been a total of three bookings made with P&O Ferries, at a total cost of £453. This is in addition to the expenditure given in the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193953.
A review of spending did not identify any grants made to either DP World or P&O Ferries.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 February 2024 on Government response to the consultation on rail reform legislation and draft Rail Reform Bill, HCWS267, what estimate he has made of the savings available to the public purse from the Government's proposals on rail reform; and how that calculation was made.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Written Statement references the draft Rail Reform Bill. The Impact Assessment published alongside the draft Bill gives estimates of costs and savings related to the proposals for a new industry structure. We are committed to reforming the railways and we are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Industry experts’ suggested savings are set out in the Plan for Rail.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason supporting documents for the draft Rail Reform Bill published on 20 February 2024 do not reference the expected £1.5 billion in recurring annual savings after an initial five year implementation period from reforms proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, as referenced on pages 8 and 36 of that plan.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The supporting documents for the draft Rail Reform Bill refer only to costs and savings from a new industry structure. Recurring annual savings set out in the Plan for Rail come from a new commercial model, improvement in fares ticketing and retail, a new industry structure and workforce reforms.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest estimate is of the recurring annual cost savings after an initial five year implementation period from reforms proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We're committed to reforming the railways and are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Industry experts’ suggested savings are set out in the Plan for Rail.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to pages 8 and 36 of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, CP423, published in May 2021, if he will publish the workings behind the £1.5 billion annual cost savings after an initial five year implementation period expected from reforms to the railway proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We're committed to reforming the railways and we are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Recurring annual savings set out in the Plan for Rail come from a new commercial model, improvement in fares ticketing and retail, a new industry structure and workforce reforms.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the procurement of services from (a) P&O Ferries and (b) DP World by Government departments.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.