Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to maintain the current 5 pence per litre fuel duty cut and freeze on Vehicle Excise Duty to support businesses operating in and around the Port of Felixstowe.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to previous levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government increasing fuel duty rates in line with RPI from April 2027. This will save the average van driver £100 next year compared to previous plans, and the average HGV driver more than £800
The Government also announced that VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles will be uprated by RPI in 2026-27 as in previous years.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the freight throughput was in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) passing through Felixstowe port in the most recent 12 months for which data are available; and how many and what proportion of those TEUs were transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.
Answered by Mike Kane
Container throughput passing through Felixstowe port in the calendar year 2023 was 3.246 million TEU.
Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics 2023. Data for the 2024 will be published 30th July 2025.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6698eaf1fc8e12ac3edaff36/port0203.ods
The Department for Transport does not periodically collect data on hinterland movement of freight from seaports and therefore cannot provide the proportion of TEU that was transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed terminal expansions at (1) London Gateway, and (2) the Port of Tilbury, and the resulting impact on available rail paths and infrastructure capacity,
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail fully understands the expansion plans at both London Gateway Port and the Port of Tilbury and is assessing how the predicted uplift in traffic due to the terminal expansions can be accommodated.
Steps have already been taken to support rail freight growth out of both ports. Network Rail has worked with freight operators and London Gateway Port to accommodate the increase in freight traffic following the recent Gemini Alliance switch away from the Port of Felixstowe.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of (a) dangerous and (b) illegal meat were intercepted at the (i) Port of Dover, (ii) Port of Felixstowe, (iii) Port of Liverpool, (iv) Port of London, (v) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (vi) Port of Southampton, (vii) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (viii) Port of the Forth and (ix) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Please see the table below for total seizures of illegal meat, for full year on year. We are unable to provide further levels of detail as we do not release details of the location of seizure; this information could risk undermining border security, by providing intelligence in our resource deployment and targeting.
Total seizures for full year on year since 2022 are as follows:
2022 (Sept-Dec) | 3745kg |
2023 | 44,482kg |
2024 | 92,270kg |
2025* | 5,593kg |
*2025 runs from 3 to 10 January 2025
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many products of animal origin spot checks were undertaken at the (a) Port of Dover, (b) Port of Felixstowe, (c) Port of Liverpool, (d) Port of London, (e) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (f) Port of Southampton, (g) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (h) Port of the Forth and (i) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk. To protect the integrity of this approach, we cannot share granular data on inspections.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on products of animal origin spot checks at the (a) Port of Dover, (b) Port of Felixstowe, (c) Port of Liverpool, (d) Port of London, (e) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (f) Port of Southampton, (g) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (h) Port of the Forth and (i) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk. To protect the integrity of this approach, we cannot share granular data on inspections
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 MAERSK’s decision to relocate all UK operations from the Port of Felixstowe on (a) the surrounding road network, (b) Orwell Bridge and (c) Copdock Interchange.
Answered by Mike Kane
Changes to shipping schedules and ports of call is standard practice within the shipping and ports market, with changes to shipping alliances being cyclical. At this time, it is not clear that the relocation of Maersk’s 2M Alliance operations away from Felixstowe will lead to any overarching change in cargo volumes, as their 2M partner, MSC, undertook many of the services and continues to call at the port. Additionally, some cargo is route based and does not automatically move when a shipping provider does. Finally, the potential opening of capacity at the port provides commercial opportunities for other shipping lines. Until there has been a period of re-adjustment within the market it is too early to understand the impacts on road links serving Felixstowe. The Department and National Highways will always consider relevant wider impacts in the operation, maintenance and plans for future enhancements on specific key infrastructure serving our ports.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 11 March (HL2898), when they expect to set out the timescales for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and for upgrading Haughley Junction mentioned in the question.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Prime Minister's October Network North announcement confirmed the importance government places on delivering the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction. These projects are a priority for government and will significantly improve regional passenger services and vitally important cross-country Port of Felixstowe freight services. We are finalising discussions with HM Treasury on the funding for both projects and expect to make an announcement by the end of May.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the upgrading of Haughley and Ely rail junctions.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The recently announced Network North programme of investment included confirmation of government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and the substantial benefits this will bring, including a doubling of passenger services on the Ely to Kings Lynn and Ipswich to Peterborough routes together with additional freight paths into the Port of Felixstowe.
Network Rail have developed the scheme to Outline Business Case stage; next steps will involve further investment case development and delivery planning.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11055 on Railway Signals: Cambridge, what his Department's timeframe is for the development of a business case for the re-signalling of Ely Junction.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The recently announced Network North programme of investment included confirmation of government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and the substantial benefits this will bring, including a doubling of passenger services on the Ely to Kings Lynn and Ipswich to Peterborough routes together with additional freight paths into the Port of Felixstowe.
Network Rail have developed the scheme to Outline Business Case stage; next steps will involve further investment case development and delivery planning.