Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Jet Zero Council has met since its establishment; and how many officials work in the Jet Zero Council secretariat.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The plenary Jet Zero Council has met twice. The Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Delivery Group and its subgroups have met eight times and work to deliver zero-emission aircraft is led by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).
The Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy operate a joint Secretariat for the Jet Zero Council, and the Knowledge Transfer Network provides the Secretariat for the SAF Delivery Group.
We have recently appointed Emma Gilthorpe, Chief Operating Officer, at Heathrow Airport, to serve as the CEO of the Council. Emma will ensure the Council delivers at pace, bringing with her a breadth of knowledge and experience to assist the Council.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government (a) is undertaking internationally and (b) will take at COP26 to achieve net zero-emission aviation by 2050.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises that international action is essential given the global nature of both the aviation sector and of climate change. The UK therefore takes a leading role in the work of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce emissions from international aviation. For example, we are committed to implementing the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and negotiating for ICAO to agree a long-term emissions reduction goal for international aviation by its 41st Assembly in 2022.
Our COP26 presidency provides the UK with a unique opportunity to increase global ambition to decarbonise all sectors, including aviation. The government is working to deliver an ambitious set of initiatives that increase global ambition on aviation decarbonisation, showcase the latest in innovation and technology, and encourage the use of sustainable aviation fuels.
In addition, we are taking strides domestically to ensure aviation plays its part in delivering the UK’s net zero commitments: we recently established the Jet Zero Council to bring the sector together to drive decarbonisation and will shortly publish a consultation on how the sector can reach net zero.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government will take to ensure a green aviation recovery.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
We are considering the future of the sector in terms of sustainability. The aviation sector must be a green one that creates high quality, skilled jobs.
The Jet Zero Council has now set out ambitions on sustainable aviation fuel, zero-emission aviation and aerospace technologies.
Following the successful implementation of our aviation restart measures, the government will then put forward its strategic framework for the medium and long term recovery of the aviation sector, and set out a pathway for recovery to sustainable growth.
We will be consulting on our position on aviation and climate change in the new year.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Jet Zero Council has met since its establishment.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Jet Zero Council met for the first time on 22 July 2020. The date for the second Council meeting will be confirmed shortly.
In addition, the Jet Zero Council Sustainable Aviation Fuels delivery group met for the first time on 23 November 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK carbon emissions if a substantial number of travellers switched from using trains to aviation services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has made no such assessment. Rail is a comparatively green mode of transport, accounting for ten per cent of all miles travelled in the UK but less than 1.4% of UK transport greenhouse gas emissions, and the railway is continuing to become greener as we decarbonise the network. At the same time, we are working hard to decarbonise our aviation sector. The Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution included funding to support aviation fuels and zero emission aviation, and earlier this year the Transport and Business Secretaries launched the Jet Zero Council to accelerate action.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Jet Zero Council has for airspace modernisation.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
At the request of DfT and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Airspace Change Organisation Group (ACOG) was established in 2019 to coordinate the delivery of key aspects of the Government’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), namely the national programme of airspace change amongst major UK airports.
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) will take into account all of the decarbonisation levers available to ensure the sector reaches its net zero goals, including Airspace Modernisation. However, it will be primarily focused on driving forward areas that require further coordination where previously, cross-sectoral collaboration was missing; such as zero emission aerospace technology and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Critically, the JZC is not seeking to duplicate areas already progressing, such as an agreement on international emissions, or aviation modernisation which has an existing governance/delivery structures in ACOG.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to include the Airspace Modernisation Strategy in the work of the Jet Zero Council.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
At the request of DfT and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Airspace Change Organisation Group (ACOG) was established in 2019 to coordinate the delivery of key aspects of the Government’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), namely the national programme of airspace change amongst major UK airports.
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) will take into account all of the decarbonisation levers available to ensure the sector reaches its net zero goals, including Airspace Modernisation, but will be primarily focused on driving forward areas that require further coordination such as zero emission aerospace technology and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to support carbon-free air travel.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The recently formed Jet Zero Council will focus on developing UK capability to deliver net zero emission commercial flight. This includes considering how to develop and industrialise clean aviation and aerospace technologies, establish UK production facilities for sustainable aviation fuels and develop a coordinated approach to the policy and regulatory framework needed to deliver net zero aviation by 2050.
The Government has a range of additional programmes to support research and technology on electric flight. These include the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme (£1.95 billion public funding commitment, 2013 to 2026) and the Future Flight Challenge (£125 million public funding).
The Government has also supported the establishment of an Innovation Hub within the Civil Aviation Authority which supports the regulator to engage with innovative companies - such as those developing electric flight - to bring products to market safely.
Recent changes to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation make renewable aviation fuels eligible for reward. The Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition makes £20 million of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries
We are planning to consult shortly to update the Government’s position on aviation and climate change. It is critical that aviation plays its part in delivering the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the investment required to ensure that an increase in the number of air passenger numbers at Heathrow Airport following the COVID-19 pandemic does not correspond with a rise in (1) road congestion, (2) excessive carbon emissions, and (3) falling local air quality.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s clear focus at this time is responding to COVID-19 and working with the aviation industry to support recovery of the sector. Heathrow Airport will need to comply with existing air quality, carbon and other environmental requirements as passenger numbers recover. DfT is working with transport operators to ensure that public transport facilities will be available as passenger numbers return to normal. We expect environmental considerations to be a key element of the recovery. The new Jet Zero Council jointly chaired with the Secretary of State was created as a partnership between UK industry and government to drive high ambition in the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. It has been set up to develop new ways to tackle zero emission aviation from multiple perspectives with bold, new thinking.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what work has been undertaken by the Jet Zero Council on producing the first zero carbon transatlantic passenger jet.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Jet Zero Council met on 28 July, creating a partnership between industry and the Government to drive high ambition in the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
The Council has been set up to develop bold, new thinking on ways to develop UK capability to tackle zero emission commercial flight.
This includes considering how to develop and industrialise clean aviation and aerospace technologies, establish UK production facilities for sustainable aviation fuels, and develop a coordinated approach to the policy and regulatory framework needed to deliver net zero aviation.
The Department, alongside the Department for Transport, will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders on delivering our Jet Zero ambitions.