Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to increase funding for public transport infrastructure in Teesside.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Investment in the North’s transport infrastructure continues to be a priority for this government and has a key role to play in unlocking regional growth. The Government has already committed £310m in capital grants to Tees Valley in the current financial year, via the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS). We are currently examining all future spending commitments through a Spending Review, and any future funding will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help (a) improve local bus services, (b) increase routes and (c) reduce fares in rural parts of Teesside.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Good reliable and affordable local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in rural parts of Teesside.
In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent, protect crucial bus routes or introduce initiatives to reduce fares for local communities. Tees Valley Combined Authority has been allocated £7.2 million of this funding.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the revenue certainty mechanism equally prioritises greenhouse gas reductions and fuel production volume.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Revenue Certainty Mechanism is intended to support both greenhouse gas reductions and UK production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by providing revenue certainty to encourage investment in the construction of SAF plants. The SAF Mandate will need c1.2 million tonnes of SAF and reduce aviation emissions by 2.7MtCO2e annually in 2030. A UK supply of SAF will help fulfil the SAF Mandate, delivering carbon savings.