Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the United Kingdom.

The Department for Transport and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership established a Transport Energy Task Force in September 2014 to examine options to meet our renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets, including through the wider deployment of sustainable biofuel. The Task Force included input from representatives of the Sustainable Aviation group. The Task Force’s report was published in March 2015 by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones) met with Task Force representatives, including Sustainable Aviation, in July.

The Task Force recognised that sustainable biofuels have a valuable role in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives such as aviation.

We are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on amendments to the RTFO scheme.