Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of Flybe being placed in administration on people in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Government acknowledges that this will be a difficult time for Flybe’s passengers and staff. Our immediate priority has been to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs. Flybe hasn’t operated from Cardiff Airport since 2020 and we recognise the impact this has had on the airport in the years since.
Financial assistance to providers or air transport services is a devolved matter and therefore in the hands of the Welsh Government, although officials at the Department for Transport engage regularly with the Welsh Government on aviation policy.
With specific regard to Cardiff Airport, a robust strategy is urgently needed to ensure the sustainability of Cardiff Airport, having originally been bought by the Welsh Government for £52m in 2013 and has since (in 2021) been valued at just £15m.
This year marks a decade since the Welsh Government bought Cardiff Airport. We’ve seen warnings raised over the site’s future sustainability and have seen major airlines – such as Wizz Air and Flybe – ceasing all operations at the site. There are no signs of improvement. Annual passenger numbers have fallen since the pandemic, down from 1.6 million in 2019 to 812,000 in the year to November 2022.
It’s absolutely crucial that the Welsh Government publishes a comprehensive strategy to place the airport on a more sustainable footing, with a crucial aim of returning it to the commercial sector at the earliest opportunity. Doing so, I hope, would be of benefit to the people of Newport West, Wales and the rest of the UK.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate British companies involved in supplying aviation fuel to the armed forces of the government of Myanmar; and what sanctions, if any, they are considering for such companies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities, such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military. Amnesty International's thorough report on the aviation fuel supply chain in Myanmar indicates that no British companies are involved in supplying aviation fuel to the armed forces. The UK has been clear that we oppose the provision of jet fuel, arms, military equipment, and dual use items to Myanmar which are used to facilitate human rights violations. We cannot speculate on future sanctions designations but we are looking at a range of further targets and other measures.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to prevent British companies from providing insurance services to vessels delivering aviation fuel to the government of Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities, such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military. Amnesty International's thorough report on the aviation fuel supply chain in Myanmar indicates that no British companies are involved in supplying aviation fuel to the armed forces. The UK has been clear that we oppose the provision of jet fuel, arms, military equipment, and dual use items to Myanmar which are used to facilitate human rights violations. We cannot speculate on future sanctions designations but we are looking at a range of further targets and other measures.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with aviation bodies about drone corridors.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Drone corridors do not currently exist as a defined term or policy.
Current work to further the potential of drone operations is focused on enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations and the integration of new airspace users - including drones - into the UK’s airspace.
Current airspace change policy (the CAP 1616 process) requires that any permanent change is done following consultation with affected stakeholders, including those on the ground. This CAP 1616 process is required for any change to airspace design, including in the event of the proposed establishment of corridors to support drone operations. Any permanent proposed change would also need to be consistent with the overall developing Airspace Modernisation Strategy - widely consulted upon and due to be published in the coming weeks.
Project Skyway is a project that is part of a UKRI Challenge Fund, the Future Flight Challenge (FFC). Project Skyway has received public funding and has been developed and progressed by private companies. Any drone demonstration project under the FFC must comply with current regulation, and the outputs of all FFC projects will then be used to inform detailed policy and further regulation. The guiding input principles have been to develop the industry by bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders such as local authorities, technology innovators and end users such as the NHS. The projects have been designed to push regulatory boundaries to enable the industry to provide the resultant connectivity, economic and environmental benefits to the UK.
Government is engaging with local authorities to discuss these new flight technologies. Many FFC projects include local authorities, and Project Skyway includes Oxfordshire County Council, Coventry Country Council and Reading Borough Council.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to her Department’s publication of electronic purchasing card spending over £500 for October 2021, where were the hotels on which £7497.08 was spent between the period of 18-25 October; for which individuals that accommodation was purchased; and what the purpose was of their stay at those hotels.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The breakdown of the £7,497.08 consists of the following:
£3,041.27 - This spend related to accommodation for Lord Grimstone, and an accompanying Private Secretary, who attended and spoke at the Future Investment Initiative (FII). Lord Grimstone met several senior Saudi Ministers and international businesses. Lord Grimstone also represented the UK at the Middle East Green Initiative during his visit.
Lord Grimstone stayed for 3 nights, 2 of which were complementary for his role speaking at the event. The cost of the 3 nights’ accommodation for the Private Secretary was met by the department.
£1,296.90 – This spend relates to 5 nights (17-22 Oct 21) accommodation costs for the UK Defence & Security Exports (UK DSE) Senior Military Advisor who attended ADEX (a leading Aviation exhibition in North East Asia) in Republic of Korea as part of UKDSE delegation in October.
£1,150 – This was a lunch event at a hotel, hosted by Lord Faulkner, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Taiwan, in support of the 24th annual UK-Taiwan trade talks.
£879.09 - This relates to accommodation costs for the UK DSE’s Senior Military Advisor and the UK DSE desk officer responsible for Turkey who supported government talks with UK Embassy staff in Turkey. Accommodation for 2 people from 25-28 October for 3 nights.
£585.19 – This spend relates to 3 nights’ accommodation costs for UK DSE’s Principal Police and Security Advisor who attended MiliPol Paris (a leading Homeland security and safety exhibition) in October.
£544.63 – This spend relates to 3 nights’ accommodation costs during the period of 27-31 October 2022 for a Department for International Trade Air Advisor who was the UK representative at the USAF Air Mobility Command’s annual Airlift Tanker Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence taken by the Defence Select Committee on 29 November 2022 on Aviation Procurement, HC 178, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the timescale in which the majority of the Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft will go out of service on air combat capability gaps.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The retirement of Typhoon Tranche 1 will enable further investment in Typhoon Tranche 2 and 3, which will incrementally develop through the Future Capability Programme. The retention of seven front line Typhoon squadrons, equipped with more modern and reliable aircraft will ensure no deterioration in combat effect.
Our future force will be based around these upgraded Typhoon and F-35 for the coming decades, before the next generation of combat air fighter jets comes into service through the Global Combat Air Programme.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance they have given to (1) businesses, or (2) academic institutions, in connection with low carbon aviation in the form of (a) grants, (b) loans, (c) guarantees or indemnities, (d) acquisitions of shares or securities, (e) undertakings or assets, or (f) incurring expenditure, for the benefit of the body assisted in the creation of (i) hydrogen fuel cells, (ii) other electric battery technologies, (iii) hydrogen combustion, (iv) synthetic liquid fuels, and (v) biofuels.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government co-invests in mid-stage R&D, with industry, to develop new ultra-efficient and zero-carbon aircraft technologies through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. Since 2013, the ATI Programme has committed R&D grants to 29 industry-led collaborative projects on new forms of propulsion or fuels totalling £194m. Industry will co-invest £178m alongside these grants. The R&D projects cover a range of technologies but are primarily focused on aircraft propulsion systems involving hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, and electric motors and machines. Each project involves a range of collaborators including industry partners, universities and research organisations. Grants through the ATI Programme have also been provided to develop aircraft gas turbine engines, which have included work packages to test synthetic fuels or biofuels. We have not been able to isolate the cost of this element of research within large projects, so have not included it in the figures set out above.
In order to explore the potential for zero-carbon emission flight, the Government also provided a £15m grant to the ATI-led FlyZero project. This in-depth research study, which was completed in March 2022, found green liquid hydrogen offers the greatest potential to power future zero-carbon emission aircraft.
To kickstart a domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, the Government has made £227m available, since 2014, to support the development of advanced fuel plants. This includes investing in 8 SAF plants through the Green Fuels, Green Skies competition and more recently launching the £165m Advanced Fuels Fund. The Government has separately committed £12m to establish a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and certification of new SAF and £1m to run the first-ever passenger aircraft flight powered by 100% SAF, between the UK and the US, through the Net Zero Transatlantic Flight Fund. These investments are coupled with the £400m UK Government partnership with Breakthrough Energy Catalyst into emerging climate technologies, including SAF.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the aviation industry due to the rising cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
UK aviation operates in the private sector and in a competitive environment. However, the Government is fully committed to supporting the industry, and we continue to actively engage with stakeholders to understand the challenges faced.
The Government has published Flightpath to the Future, a strategy for the future of aviation, setting out a vision for the sector over the next ten years. The strategy, sets out a ten-point plan, establishing clear priorities to ensure the UK retains one of the strongest aviation sectors in the world.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help keep (a) Doncaster Sheffield Airport and (b) other regional transport hubs open.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government is strongly committed to regional airports. They provide key transport links to our local communities, support thousands of jobs in the regions and act as key gateways to international opportunities.
The Government recognise the importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the region. We remain committed to a continued aviation future for the airport and continue to engage with and encourage stakeholders to develop a locally led solution to support this outcome.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on finding investors for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government is committed to regional airports. They are key to serving our local communities, supporting thousands of jobs in the regions, and they act as a key gateway to international opportunities. While the UK Government supports airports, it does not own or operate them.
The Minister for Aviation recognises the importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the region and has made clear in meetings both with the South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and the Peel Group the Government’s desire to see a viable aviation future for the airport. The Minister has urged Mayor Coppard to work with all parties to find a locally led solution to preserve aviation at Doncaster-Sheffield Airport.