Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to incentivise the manufacture of new zero emissions aircraft in the UK for use on (a) regional and (b) sub-regional routes.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considers the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures. This includes exploring the feasibility of using zero emission aircraft on existing UK government funded PSO routes, as well as noting the balance between reducing aviation emissions and ensuring value for money on routes supported by public funding.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of zero emission flight.
The Government is also investing £685 million between 2022 and 2035 through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme to co-fund, with industry, the development of zero-carbon and ultra-efficient aircraft technology. A recent example, announced at the seventh meeting of the Jet Zero Council in February, was £113 million of joint government and industry investment in R&D projects to develop liquid hydrogen combusting jet engines and high-end lightweight batteries for small aircraft.
ATI funding is also supporting the current flight testing by ZeroAvia of a 19- seater aircraft using hydrogen propulsion. If successfully brought to market such aircraft could provide zero emission flight on regional and sub-regional routes.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of using public service obligation air routes to introduce zero emissions regional flights in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considers the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures. This includes exploring the feasibility of using zero emission aircraft on existing UK government funded PSO routes, as well as noting the balance between reducing aviation emissions and ensuring value for money on routes supported by public funding.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of zero emission flight.
The Government is also investing £685 million between 2022 and 2035 through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme to co-fund, with industry, the development of zero-carbon and ultra-efficient aircraft technology. A recent example, announced at the seventh meeting of the Jet Zero Council in February, was £113 million of joint government and industry investment in R&D projects to develop liquid hydrogen combusting jet engines and high-end lightweight batteries for small aircraft.
ATI funding is also supporting the current flight testing by ZeroAvia of a 19- seater aircraft using hydrogen propulsion. If successfully brought to market such aircraft could provide zero emission flight on regional and sub-regional routes.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to help encourage the development and use of zero-emission aircraft.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considered the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures.
The Government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK Aerospace Sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. As part of the programme, the Department announced in February £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls Royce led projects on hydrogen in aviation, as well as funding towards Vertical Aerospace, who are developing a battery-electric aircraft in the South- West of England.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of Zero Emission Flight.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Jet Zero Council includes representatives of trades unions.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The British Airline Pilots Association receives regular updates and engagement as a result of its associate membership of the Jet Zero Council. If other trade unions are interested in associate membership, the Department encourages them to contact the Jet Zero Council secretariat via JetZeroCouncilSecretariat@dft.gov.uk.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help support UK businesses working on net zero aviation.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is supporting UK businesses working on net zero aviation through a variety of programmes and policies which are set out in our Jet Zero Strategy, published in July 2022.
We have also committed to introducing a SAF mandate requiring at least 10% of fuel to be made from sustainable sources by 2030. Over the next three years we are also providing £180 million of funding to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF plants and fuel testing, including £165 million for the Advanced Fuels Fund. We are looking carefully at how to create the long-term conditions for investable projects in the UK and have said we will set out a preferred position by the end of the year.
To support the development of new and zero-carbon emission aircraft technology still further, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is providing £685 million of funding to the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme over the next three years, an increase of £235 million over the previous three years.
We continue to work with businesses through the Jet Zero Council and other forums to consider how to develop and industrialise clean aviation and aerospace technologies, establish UK production facilities for SAF and develop a co-ordinated approach to the policy and regulatory framework needed to deliver net zero aviation.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they used in the development of the Jet Zero strategy; and in gathering any such evidence, what assessment they made of the risk that sustainable aviation fuels may not have a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions in the medium term.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Jet Zero Strategy was developed considering a wide range of evidence including over 1,500 responses to the Jet Zero Consultation, launched in July 2021, and the Jet Zero: Further Technical Consultation which was published in March 2022. We received consultation responses from members of the public, and a broad spectrum of organisations including from the aviation and aerospace industries, NGOs and environmental groups.
Alongside consultation responses, we considered external evidence produced domestically and internationally, including from the UK Climate Change Committee, the World Economic Forum, the International Council on Clean Transportation, the European Union, the United States and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
This evidence informed policy development, as well as the modelling of four scenarios each with a different mix of technologies to illustrate alternative pathways for reaching net zero aviation by 2050. Within these scenarios, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) account for up to 10% emissions reductions in 2030, and up to 32% in 2040, demonstrating the potential impact of SAF in the medium-term. The range of scenarios modelled aims to reflect the range of potential outcomes, recognising the current early stages of development of new fuels and technologies.
To support the development of a UK SAF industry, through the Jet Zero Strategy we committed to putting a SAF mandate in place with a target of at least 10% SAF in the UK jet fuel mix by 2030; and having at least five UK SAF plants under construction, supported through our £165 million advanced fuel competition.
The nascent nature of decarbonisation technologies means that we do not yet know the optimal technological mix for achieving Jet Zero. We have therefore committed to reviewing our approach every five years and adapting our Strategy if necessary.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Jet Zero Strategy: Delivering Net Zero Aviation by 2050, published in July 2022, what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on that strategy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Transport and Business Secretaries and their Ministerial teams meet regularly to discuss the Government’s approach to Jet Zero, including through the Jet Zero Council which they have Co-Chaired since it was established in July 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they are they undertaking with the airline industry to cut emissions and meet long term sustainability targets.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport engages regularly and widely with the airline industry, as with many stakeholders, regarding the decarbonisation of UK aviation. Delivery in partnership is a guiding principle of the Jet Zero Strategy, published in July 2022 to set out the Department’s approach for achieving net zero CO2 emissions from UK aviation by 2050.
To support close collaboration between the Government and industry, the Jet Zero Council was established in 2020. The Council brings together senior leaders in aviation, aerospace and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce a contract for difference price stability for the sustainable aviation fuel industry.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We want the UK to be a global leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and we see the potential to create over 5,000 jobs from a domestic SAF industry. Our SAF programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world. We continue to look at options to help build a UK SAF industry, in addition to the government’s proposed SAF mandate and £180m grant funding mechanisms.
As part of our work we are engaging industry, including through the Jet Zero Council SAF Delivery Group, to get a better understanding of how private investment in the UK SAF industry can be leveraged, and the potential need for and impacts of a price stability mechanism such as a contracts for difference scheme.
We are working at pace on a number of levers to support the UK SAF industry, accelerating its commercialisation and ensuring existing and prospective SAF plants developing in the UK can progress to construction as quickly as possible.
Our support includes a £168m capital grant funding competition to support the development of advanced fuels plants and £12m for the operation of a SAF clearing house to help certify new fuels and support early stage aviation fuel testing for years 2022-25; a consultation on the introduction of a SAF blending mandate to drive the uptake of SAF in the UK; a £400m partnership with Breakthrough Energy which aims to drive investment into the next generation of clean energy technologies, including SAF; and funding to help deliver the world's first net zero transatlantic flight fuelled by 100% sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2023. We are also exploring what additional policy interventions may be needed to accelerate the commercialisation and scale up of SAF plants developed in the UK such as those that address price stability and risk.
Unique circumstances globally, including the war in Ukraine, have pushed up transport fuel prices. How current fuel and future SAF costs are passed through to passengers is a commercial decision for airlines. Future SAF cost uncertainties make it difficult to predict exactly how much ticket prices could increase, but our analysis suggests this impact will be relatively small.
Industry has welcomed the potential introduction of a mandate and we continue to work with all stakeholders on this matter, aiming to reduce any adverse effects on air travel.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of sustainable aviation fuel to stabilise the cost of aviation travel.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We want the UK to be a global leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and we see the potential to create over 5,000 jobs from a domestic SAF industry. Our SAF programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world. We continue to look at options to help build a UK SAF industry, in addition to the government’s proposed SAF mandate and £180m grant funding mechanisms.
As part of our work we are engaging industry, including through the Jet Zero Council SAF Delivery Group, to get a better understanding of how private investment in the UK SAF industry can be leveraged, and the potential need for and impacts of a price stability mechanism such as a contracts for difference scheme.
We are working at pace on a number of levers to support the UK SAF industry, accelerating its commercialisation and ensuring existing and prospective SAF plants developing in the UK can progress to construction as quickly as possible.
Our support includes a £168m capital grant funding competition to support the development of advanced fuels plants and £12m for the operation of a SAF clearing house to help certify new fuels and support early stage aviation fuel testing for years 2022-25; a consultation on the introduction of a SAF blending mandate to drive the uptake of SAF in the UK; a £400m partnership with Breakthrough Energy which aims to drive investment into the next generation of clean energy technologies, including SAF; and funding to help deliver the world's first net zero transatlantic flight fuelled by 100% sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2023. We are also exploring what additional policy interventions may be needed to accelerate the commercialisation and scale up of SAF plants developed in the UK such as those that address price stability and risk.
Unique circumstances globally, including the war in Ukraine, have pushed up transport fuel prices. How current fuel and future SAF costs are passed through to passengers is a commercial decision for airlines. Future SAF cost uncertainties make it difficult to predict exactly how much ticket prices could increase, but our analysis suggests this impact will be relatively small.
Industry has welcomed the potential introduction of a mandate and we continue to work with all stakeholders on this matter, aiming to reduce any adverse effects on air travel.