Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has the Department made of the adequacy of the operational readiness of the maritime sector for inclusion in the UK ETS, in the context of July 2026 implementation timelines.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK ETS Authority first signalled intent to include maritime in the UK ETS in March 2022. This was followed by two consultations including bespoke engagement sessions for each. Operators of ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above are already equipped to undertake monitoring, reporting and verification, with years of experience under existing regimes.

The Government has built a digital-first system for onboarding, with free-of-charge voluntary onboarding open since November 2025. More than 96% of expected participants can voluntarily onboard now to set up accounts and become familiar with requirements.

We encourage any operator to get in touch with their regulator now in preparation for the expansion on 1 July 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria an area must meet to be eligible for a multi-year growth fund allocation; and whether areas that have submitted an expression of interest in devolution but have not yet established a combined authority are eligible to apply.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Growth Fund targets 11 Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the North and Midlands with the highest productivity catchup and agglomeration potential. There were two eligibility criteria: 1) places must have had an existing Mayoral Strategic Authority at the point when the fund was announced, 2) their GDP per head was below the UK average. Further information on the place selection methodology is available here. The totality of the Local Growth Fund has now been allocated and any future funding will be subject to fiscal events.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support is available to local authorities in Leicester and Leicestershire to develop and publish a Local Growth Plan; and what timeline is expected for the publication of such a plan.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local partners play an important role in driving growth in their region, and many local authorities already have a local economic strategy in place. While the duty to produce Local Growth Plans set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act is placed upon Mayoral Strategic Authorities, I welcome the positive steps local authorities across Leicester and Leicestershire have taken in working together to develop a Strategic Growth Plan. The Government has published guidance for Local Growth Plans which all authorities are welcome to refer to as they continue to work on their own growth plan.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what per capita infrastructure funding was allocated to (a) Leicester and Leicestershire, (b) the East Midlands Combined County Authority area, (c) the West Midlands Combined Authority area, and (d) Greater Manchester Combined Authority area in 2025-26.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Several HMG departments provide infrastructure funding to local government across a range of priority sectors including transport, housing and regeneration, economic development, utilities and digital infrastructure. The Government does not yet hold a complete published dataset for infrastructure funding allocations for 2025‑26. Details of the 2025-26 allocations will be published in due course and will be available via the "Local authority capital expenditure and receipts", as per precedent.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent declines in manufacturing output.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Last year this government published our 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, setting out our long-term approach to strengthening domestic capability. Alongside it, Government published the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which outlines both sector-specific and cross-cutting measures – including on energy, skills, innovation, tech adoption and access to finance - to make the UK the best place to start and grow a manufacturing business. Through this plan, Government committed £4.3 billion to support manufacturers over 5 years, including up to £2.8 billion for R&D alone, alongside £4 billion in funding available from the British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital and £27.8 billion available from the National Wealth Fund to help manufacturing business access the finance they need to expand.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department is providing to manufacturers.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Last year this government published our 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, setting out our long-term approach to strengthening domestic capability. Alongside it, Government published the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which outlines both sector-specific and cross-cutting measures – including on energy, skills, innovation, tech adoption and access to finance - to make the UK the best place to start and grow a manufacturing business. Through this plan, Government committed £4.3 billion to support manufacturers over 5 years, including up to £2.8 billion for R&D alone, alongside £4 billion in funding available from the British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital and £27.8 billion available from the National Wealth Fund to help manufacturing business access the finance they need to expand.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123236 on Ministers: Official Cars, whether there is any HM Government guidance on this matter.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Secretary of State for Defence

In common with the Department of Transport, the Cabinet Office has not issued formal guidance regarding the provision of official cars outside the Government Car Service (GCS).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support neurodivergent and SEND pupils with their studies in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

From September, the government is providing upfront investment for schools, colleges and early years providers to intervene early in meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), through the inclusive mainstream fund worth £1.6 billion over three years. Over time, this will be supported through the development of National Inclusion Standards, enabling teachers to draw on evidence-based strategies to identify and support children and young people with additional needs, including those with neurodivergent conditions such as autism and ADHD.

In addition, every local area is being funded to create a new Experts at Hand service, providing mainstream education settings with access to healthcare professionals like speech and language therapists and education experts such as educational psychologists to work directly with children and support staff to put in place appropriate support and interventions.

The department will roll out a new national training programme supporting educators to identify and respond to children’s needs backed by £200 million investment, to train staff across nurseries, schools and colleges with the first wave of training materials coming online from September.

This is supported by investment to create an additional 60,000 school places for children with SEND through inclusion bases, new special or alternative provision school places and adaptations to mainstream, ensuring appropriate education facilities for all our children. As part of this, we will publish inclusive design guidance to support local authorities and settings to use their estate to support inclusion, by improving accessibility for children with neurodivergence, disabilities, or other types of SEN.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has conducted a formal equality impact assessment of the policy granting Gender Recognition Certificate holders access to the Public Department 1 (PD1) helpline.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC considers its Equality Act 2010 obligations when designing and delivering its services. Special Customer Record classifications arise from the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The decision to assign these customers to PD1 was taken in 2005 and has not changed under successive governments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total cost of introducing the Great British Railways brand, including expenditure on train liveries, station signage, staff uniforms, marketing materials, digital platforms and associated implementation costs.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The introduction of the Great British Railways (GBR) brand marks a move to the railway putting passengers and the public interest first. It is being designed to maximise opportunities to grow revenue while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. We are also moving away from the frequent brand changes we have previously seen as franchises changed hands every few years under privatisation.

Implementation of the brand will be gradual and has been designed to minimise unnecessary expenditure, with the brand unveiled in December 2025 developed in-house and the two trains currently under the new GBR livery having been delivered at no additional cost to the public purse. This will include primarily repainting trains when they are already due to be repainted, and changing station signage and other assets when they are life-expired or otherwise due for replacement through routine maintenance cycles.

Using this approach, we do not expect significant additional costs in introducing the GBR brand. The Department will continue to ensure that the application of the GBR brand delivers value for money and avoids unnecessary cost to the public purse.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to close the regulatory gap that allows holders of provisional licences, including those converting from non-designated foreign licences, to continue driving unsupervised after failing a GB driving test.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The current licensing framework reflects the UK’s commitments under the UN Conventions on Road Transport including driving licence recognition. However, there is clearly no compelling policy rationale to justify allowing unsafe drivers to use our roads, so this government is committed to looking into this further. This requires detailed examination of the relevant domestic and international legal framework, and so may take some time, but we are actively looking into what can be done, consistent with the UK's international obligations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate the onboarding of local authorities to the National Parking Platform; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of unique motorists currently served by or able to benefit from the signed-up local authorities.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is supporting the National Parking Platform (NPP) and encouraging local authority participation. The Government’s Better Connected strategy promotes simpler, more consistent digital payments for road use, and Local Transport Plan guidance already sets out expectations for local authorities to consider how digital services, including parking, can improve journeys and support NPP adoption.

The NPP is now processing over 12 million parking transactions per year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate the Royal Navy has made of the cost of the incremental move to sustainable aviation fuel as set out in the UK Government's SAF mandate.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Royal Navy F-44 military aviation fuel is exempt from the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) mandate, and no estimates have been made of the cost of transitioning to SAF.

The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor developments in SAF and assess their potential applicability to Defence in support of wider Government sustainability objectives.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of expenditure under the Zero Emission Van Grant and Zero Emission Truck Grant that will support the purchase of vehicles manufactured (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) overseas.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not made this estimate. These schemes are demand-led and therefore uncertain, with vehicle sales subject to various factors including vehicle pricing, advertising and sales strategies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s decision to introduce a revised volunteer model for Coastguard Rescue Officers, whether her Department has made an estimate of (a) the number of Coastguard Rescue Officers affected and (b) the average annual reduction in payments per officer.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

His Majesty’s Coastguard has over 3,000 Coastguard Rescue Officers, all with unique personal circumstances and we recognise that any change will affect individuals differently.

Serving CROs are entitled to compensation for up to the previous six years of service, in line with the Court of Appeal judgment regarding worker status. The MCA will calculate each person’s entitlement and contact individuals.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to cover a passenger's claim management or legal costs in cases where the airline initially rejected a UK261 compensation claim that was subsequently proven to be valid.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to cover passengers’ claim management or legal costs in these circumstances.

Airlines are already legally required under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) to pay compensation where it is due. Where a passenger believes a claim has been wrongly rejected, they can pursue it with the airline and, if unresolved, escalate the complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider (where the airline is a member) or the courts.

Aviation ADR bodies provide a binding decision for consumers at low or no cost, with any fees typically refunded if a complaint is upheld.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 6390 on Euston Station: Finance, what criteria her Department will use to determine whether private finance has been secured on acceptable terms for the proposed HS2 Euston station public-private partnership.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In line with the Government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, the Department will assess whether the proposed public-private partnership for HS2 Euston station is commercially viable, while offering risk transfer and capable of delivering value for money for taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce a specific category within STATS19 road casualty data collection for collisions involving non-EAPC electric bikes.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The STATS19 collection is overseen by the Standing Committee on Road Injury Collision Statistics (SCRICS) and changes are made via periodic reviews, the last of which was in 2018.

There are currently no plans to introduce a specific category for non-EAPC electric bikes; this will be considered as part of the next review of STATS19.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of differential per capita funding levels between devolved and non-devolved regions on small and medium-sized enterprises considering business location decisions.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to support growth across the UK. Delivering the Industrial Strategy, regulatory reform and other steps will help to ensure the UK remains competitive, delivers long-term sustainable growth and that its economic fundamentals remain strong.

To assist all Growth Hubs in long-term planning, we will establish indicative multi- year core funding budgets for 2026-29 and provide flexibility to accommodate local government reorganisation. This funding will form part of the Integrated Settlement in Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, per our commitment in the English Devolution White Paper.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that per capita funding for skills, transport and infrastructure in areas that have not yet established a combined authority is comparable to that received by devolved mayoral areas.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Given the differing roles and funding models, per capita comparisons for skills, transport and infrastructure between Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities are not directly comparable. No direct assessment has been made on the potential effect of funding disparities on business location decisions, however through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government delivered fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most. All funding information is published online through the “Local authority capital expenditure and receipts” and “Local authority revenue expenditure and financing” collection.

The Government has outlined intentions through the English Devolution White Paper to delivering ongoing process and impact evaluations of devolution as evidence becomes available, looking at delivery and implementation, future trends, and impact in place, including of infrastructure investment. In addition, all programme and project funding has monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements to assess outcomes with exact requirements depending on the funding stream.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of funding disparities between areas with and without mayoral combined authorities on business location decisions in those areas.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Given the differing roles and funding models, per capita comparisons for skills, transport and infrastructure between Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities are not directly comparable. No direct assessment has been made on the potential effect of funding disparities on business location decisions, however through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government delivered fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most. All funding information is published online through the “Local authority capital expenditure and receipts” and “Local authority revenue expenditure and financing” collection.

The Government has outlined intentions through the English Devolution White Paper to delivering ongoing process and impact evaluations of devolution as evidence becomes available, looking at delivery and implementation, future trends, and impact in place, including of infrastructure investment. In addition, all programme and project funding has monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements to assess outcomes with exact requirements depending on the funding stream.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason no official minute or departmental read-out was produced following the 2025 meeting between the Defra Minister and the Minister responsible for fire at which proposed burning regulations were discussed.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The relevant Defra Minister did not meet any minister responsible for fire in 2025 to discuss the proposed burning regulations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what transport funding was allocated per head of population to (a) Leicester and Leicestershire, (b) the East Midlands Combined County Authority area, (c) the West Midlands Combined Authority area, and (d) Greater Manchester Combined Authority area in 2025-26.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the core transport funding allocated to Local Transport Authorities in 2025-26.

The funding has been allocated on a range of factors beyond population, including deprivation and road mileage.

*This figure includes only incentive elements of Highways Maintenance funding. CRSTS consolidates the baseline allocation of highways maintenance funding for eligible authorities.

Note 1 - EMCCA was allocated £11million in resource funding for 2025-26 for capacity and capability building, and to support planning and delivery as EMCCA prepared to move into the CRSTS programme. EMCCA was also allocated £55 million in capital funding for 2025-26, as early CRSTS2 funding. This was in addition to existing capital funding allocated to the area for 2025-26, as shown in the table.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that areas without a strategic transport authority receive long-term transport funding planning comparable to that available in devolved mayoral areas.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to supporting local leaders across the country to deliver transport that works for their communities, regardless of governance arrangements.

We are providing local leaders in England with £21bn of local transport funding until 2029/30, through consolidated, multi-year settlements, including £9.6bn in non-mayoral areas, which they can use to deliver their local transport priorities. The majority of local transport funding is allocated by formula to give a fair share of funding for all areas.

This approach ends the previous short-term funding model and ensures that areas without a strategic transport authority benefit from stable, multi-year settlements, enabling them to take a longer-term view of transport planning alongside mayoral areas.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2026 to Question 3329 on Electric Vehicles: Grants, what estimate she has made of the proportion of grant-supported vehicle components that originate from UK-based supply chains.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does not collect or hold data on vehicle component origins.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2026 to Question 3807, whether specific changes were made to Automated Passenger Services policy as a direct result of feedback from Unite the Union.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government continues to engage with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the development of policy on the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme.

Policy has been developed holistically, taking account of the full range of consultation responses and ongoing engagement. Feedback from Unite the Union has been considered alongside evidence from other trade unions, industry stakeholders, safety bodies and the public. This input has informed the overall policy approach to the pilot scheme, particularly the emphasis on passenger safety, local authority engagement and workforce impacts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of disparities in access to university preparation opportunities, including university taster days, residentials and personal statement support workshops, between London and (A) Leicester, (B) Leicestershire and (C) the East Midlands; and what targeted measures she is implementing to improve access to such opportunities for students outside of London.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) should be available to all with the aptitude and desire to access it regardless of their background or where they live in the country. However, progression to HE is currently noticeably higher in London relative to other regions in England, including the East Midlands. We are determined to work with the sector to overcome barriers to access for those from different backgrounds.

Neutral outreach and attainment raising activities are being co-ordinated in different areas of the country, including the East Midlands, through Uni Connect partnerships, which are overseen by The Office for Students (OfS).

There is also a requirement for individual HE providers who wish to charge higher fees to have a plan approved by the OfS for addressing risks to equality opportunity in their institution. OfS guidance sets out that activities may include pre-entry outreach.

The Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our ambitions for going further. As part of this, we asked Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of University of Derby to bring together sector experts, charities and students through a Task and Finish Group to look at regional disparities in access and barriers across the journey into HE. We are actively supporting the group in its work and look forward to it reporting with findings early next year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that residents in areas without a mayoral combined authority have equivalent access to skills funding as those in devolved areas.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Both the department and the Department for Work and Pensions fund skills provision. Most of these funding streams are not devolved and therefore the approach is consistent across both devolved and non-devolved areas. This includes 16-19 funding, Higher Education Funding, apprenticeships and apprenticeship units funded by the growth and skills levy.

The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) for eligible adults aged 19 is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority, which are responsible for the provision of the ASF to their residents and allocation to their learning providers. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for funding ASF learners in non-devolved areas. This may result in differences of provision across the country, through our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding. Power is therefore given to those with local knowledge who need to make decisions that best support their communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of a Zero Emission Vehicle mandate for heavy goods vehicles on private sector investment in alternative low-emission freight technologies.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are exploring the potential regulatory design of a new framework and all options remain on the table. It is, therefore, too early to speculate on specific impacts but we will conduct a full review of all aspects of any final proposal for regulation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for UK supply chain resilience of increased demand for critical minerals arising from the electrification of the heavy goods vehicle fleet.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16^th June to question UIN 8641 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a breakdown of the projected £3.448 billion of active travel investment expected to come from wider Department for Transport and other Government departmental funding streams, by funding programme and financial year.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

A breakdown of the £4.555 billion projected investment in the Third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy is detailed in the table below.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what legislative changes have the Government introduced to make it an offence for a person to book, amend, cancel or swap a driving test on behalf of another person.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Amendments to The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, which came into force on 27 April and implemented by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on 12 May, clarifies that only the person taking the practical car driving test can book a test appointment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what adult skills funding was allocated per head of population to (a) Leicester and Leicestershire, (b) the East Midlands Combined County Authority area, (c) the West Midlands Combined Authority area, and (d) Greater Manchester Combined Authority area in 2025-26; and for what reasons there are differences in these figures.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department does not hold this data and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expenditure by Network Rail has been on (a) transitioning 25 per cent of its car fleet to ultra-low emissions vehicles and (b) installing electric vehicle charging facilities across 10 per cent of passenger parking bays since 2020; and what estimate her Department has made of the projected capital cost required to transition 100 per cent of Network Rail’s car and van fleet to zero-emissions vehicles.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail’s ‘Our ambition for a low-emission railway’, published in 2020, committed Network Rail to change 25 per cent of its car fleet to ultra-low emissions vehicles (ULEV) by 2022.

The table below shows the operational expenditure for transitioning 25 per cent of the Network Rail car fleet to ultra-low emissions vehicles. The figures represent the uplift in leasing costs from a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to a ULEV model. It is important to note that the uplift in leasing costs is not just due to ULEV vehicles being more expensive than a traditional ICE, but also that they will be newer vehicles so representing inflationary changes in vehicle costs over a number of years.

The 25 per cent target was achieved and ULEVs currently equate to 37 per cent of the Network Rail car fleet.

Network Rail aims to achieve a 100% zero emission fleet. In order to achieve that, investment is needed in charging infrastructure. The data below, broken down according to regional and functional level, shows the capital costs for the associated infrastructure being installed for a full battery-electric vehicle fleet; the figures run only to 2027, starting from 2023.

The total spend so far on installing electric vehicle charging facilities across 10 per cent of passenger parking bays is £19,772,448 (Capex). This has delivered EV charging facilities across 7.8% of the total NR passenger parking bays so far.