Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the electrification of onshore marine ports.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to Britain becoming a Clean Energy Superpower and ports are a key part of that mission. Ports are primarily private entities and the cost of electrification of onshore marine ports varies from port to port depending on the port's needs. The cost can be significantly higher or lower depending on the electricity demand and the distance from a connection point.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK SHORE funding; and what is the status of the future of that funding.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK SHORE programme has funded over 150 projects and has leveraged over £100m private investment, supporting all levels of research and development including feasibility studies, trials and demonstrations in a commercial environment. The funding is benefitting all 12 regions in the UK, supporting over 350 organisations, including over 200 SMEs.
All projects are detailed on Innovate UK’s website and we are conducting in independent evaluation assessment of the programme which is measuring its impact and helping us shape future support as well as policy.
Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, DfT now has its budget for the next Financial Year (2025 / 2026). We are waiting for the internal business planning process to conclude before we can confirm what that means in terms of funding for individual programmes.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to develop the electrification of ports.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The new Government’s manifesto made it clear that the “grid has become the single biggest obstacle to the deployment of cheap, clean power generation and the electrification of industry.” My Department meets regularly with ports and District Network Operations (DNOs) to understand the challenges they face in relation to electrification, to signpost information and to raise their concerns across government. As a mission driven government, the Secretary of State for Transport attends the Clean Energy Mission Board, which is chaired by DESNZ Secretary of State, a key focus of which grid investment and connection's process reform.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) roadway noise and (b) other environmental impacts of the A180.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Recent assessments of road noise on the A180 were undertaken by National Highways near Stallingborough in May 2024 ahead of proposed works linked to future concrete repairs. The noise levels recorded were between 65.9dB and 82.0dB and this is comparable to a 5- to 10-year-old asphalt road surface.
Other environmental assessments include ecological surveys of the adjacent species rich grasslands to assess biodiversity, and CCTV surveys of drainage assets to check their condition and inform future work.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of lower carbon-emitting fuels on the rate of decarbonisation of the maritime sector.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decarbonising transport is central to the delivery of the UK’s cross-economy climate targets, and directly supports the Prime Minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate our journey to net zero.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s revised 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy and the upcoming negotiations later this year will be of vital importance to decarbonising the global maritime sector. The measures under consideration include a goal-based marine fuel standard which would drive down the GHG intensity of marine fuels and incentivise the uptake the cleaner zero and near zero GHG emission fuels. The potential impact of these global measures will be considered in a comprehensive impact assessment as part of this negotiation process.
This work goes hand in hand with the need to unlock investment in maritime decarbonisation technologies; zero and near zero GHG emission vessels; and green port infrastructure within the UK.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the planned direct train link between Cleethorpes and London Kings Cross.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are working with industry to address the timetabling, financial, operational, and infrastructure issues that need to be resolved before a service to Cleethorpes can be introduced; once the East Coast Mainline timetable change has been implemented.
We are considering proposals put forward, with final approval subject to a thorough business case process.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the DVLA has refunded to motorists who sold their cars and claimed back the unused vehicle tax on those cars since 2014.
Answered by George Freeman
Since 1 October 2014, vehicle excise duty automatically ends when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been notified that a vehicle has been sold, transferred into the motor trade, scrapped, exported, stolen or a statutory off road notification is made. When the DVLA is notified of any of these events, the registered keeper automatically receives a refund of the full months remaining on their vehicle excise duty. The table below shows all vehicle excise duty refunds since 2014:
Year | VED Refunds £millions |
2018/19 | 365 |
2017/18 | 352 |
2016/17 | 338 |
2015/16 | 357 |
2014/15 | 216 |
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve assisted travel for disabled people across public transport.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy, published in July 2018, summarises the various steps the Department is taking to make it easier for disabled people to travel by public transport. Among the commitments in the Strategy are that in 2019, the Department will launch a major campaign in England to raise awareness of disabled passengers’ rights when using the transport system and to promote a supportive travelling experience for disabled people. The Department will also develop and launch an accreditation scheme for transport operators to recognise those which show leadership in improving disabled passengers’ experiences, including through providing appropriate disability awareness training.
The Department will also work closely with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to ensure the successful roll-out of a new Passenger Assist application to enable customers to book assistance through a single click. The RDG plan a full roll-out across the rail network from January 2020.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will accompany a person with disabilities on public transport in order to gain first-hand experience of the difficulties disabled people can face when accessing public transport.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Department is committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else. Throughout my time as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for this matter, I have regularly met with disability organisations and disabled people to gain a better understanding of the barriers that can make travel by public transport more difficult than it should be. These meetings, and the Department’s engagement with a wide range of disability groups and other stakeholders, helped shape the Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy, which was published in July 2018.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals on drones.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In May this year, the Government amended the Air Navigation Order to restrict drones from flying above 400ft and within 1km of an airport boundary. These measures came into effect in July this year. The amendments also introduced the registration of all drone operators with drones of 250g and over, as well as competency tests for remote pilots of drones of 250g and over. These will come into effect in November 2019.
The Government is currently consulting on measures to be included in a draft Drones Bill such as greater police powers against the misuse of drones and proposals for regulating and mandating the use of safety ‘apps’ and counter-drone technology. A draft Drones Bill is due to be published shortly.