Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what review her Department has undertaken of representations from automotive manufacturers on the costs associated with discounting electric vehicles to meet Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate targets; and what estimate her Department has made of the net cost to manufacturers of compliance with the mandate in each year since its introduction.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate to ensure we are taking a pragmatic and balanced approach to the ZEV transition. We intend to conclude the review, which will include a public consultation, in the next six months. We will provide a further update on any potential costs to manufacturers, for example associated with discounting vehicles, and complying with the ZEV Mandate as part of the consultation.
Further information on 2024 manufacturer compliance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-emissions-trading-schemes-vets-final-compliance-information-2024
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on projected UK greenhouse gas emissions of the reduction in the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate registration targets.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate to ensure we are taking a pragmatic and balanced approach to the ZEV transition. We intend to conclude the review in the next six months. We will conduct a public consultation, which will set out the relevant analysis undertaken, as part of the review process. No policy decisions have yet been made regarding the headline targets or any other aspect of the ZEV Mandate.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the business case for the HS2 link between Birmingham and Crewe, and if she will publish an update on the economic, connectivity and regional growth merits considered as part of that assessment.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s long-term intention to build a new line between Birmingham and Manchester, following the delivery of HS2 Phase One and Northern Powerhouse Rail. We are learning lessons from HS2 and undertaking further feasibility work to assess in detail the wider economic benefits different route options provide. Feasibility work is expected to conclude in 2028.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has had discussion with (a) Heathrow West Limited and (b) Heathrow Airport Limited on Heathrow expansion.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department engages regularly with a broad range of stakeholders across the aviation sector, including Heathrow Airport Limited and Heathrow West Limited on Heathrow Expansion.
Details of ministerial meetings are published in accordance with the Government's transparency requirements. Transparency returns are published periodically, and the published record will be updated in line with the Department's normal publication timetable.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 12280 on Electric Vehicles, what form the discussions with stakeholders to inform the review of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate will take.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Stakeholder views will be essential to the review of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. The review process will include in due course a public consultation, to which stakeholders will be able to respond with written submissions and evidence in the usual way.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to increase the length of the night period when local communities are not exposed to aircraft noise from Heathrow.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government sets noise controls at Heathrow which include limits on the number of aircraft movements permitted between 11.30pm and 6am.
The current night flight regime runs from October 2025 to October 2028. Any changes to the regime from October 2028, including changes to the night period, will be subject to a consultation. We aim to publish a consultation on this early next year.
Separately, on 18 June the Department published a public consultation on the draft revised Airports National Policy Statement, now renamed the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS). The draft HENPS sets out requirements on noise mitigation that any successful scheme for expansion should meet, including a scheduled night flight ban of 6.5 hours between the hours of 11pm and 7am.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what performance targets she has set for c2c rail services since nationalisation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since being transferred into public ownership, c2c has continued to be monitored against the rail industry’s established performance measures, including punctuality & reliability, cancellations and passenger satisfaction, and remains subject to the same performance oversight arrangements as other publicly owned operators. All train operators are required to publish performance against targets on their website.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the payments her Department will receive from c2c rail services in each of the next five years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has not made a published estimate of the subsidy/premium for each operator in each of the next five years. Exact costs and income levels are agreed during the rolling business planning process. Information on subsidy/premium for each operator will be published next year in DfT's annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in preparing the Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report, what consideration her Department gave to modelling the potential monetised costs of noise pollution from expansion.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report estimates monetised disbenefits of noise to be approximately -£1.6 billion (2024 prices) over a 60-year appraisal period. This reflects the estimated increased noise exposure causing health, annoyance and sleep disturbance impacts.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the value of investment in (a) vehicle manufacturing, (b) battery production, (c) supply chains, and (d) charging infrastructure that is contingent upon the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate framework.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of regulatory clarity and stable market conditions in supporting investment across the automotive, charging and related sectors as the UK continues to transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). The Government is committed to phasing out new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines by 2030 and to all new car and van sales being zero emission by 2035, milestones that provide industry with crucial investment certainty.
The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the ZEV Mandate to ensure we are taking a pragmatic and balanced approach to the ZEV transition that drives investment. We intend to conclude the review, which will include a public consultation, in the next six months. We will welcome views from across industry and the public during this process.