Written questions by Stainbank.

If she will make an assessment with the the Minister for the Cabinet Office of the potential impact of providing public subsidies to non-UK bus manufacturers on national security.

The Government is supporting the transition to zero emission buses, which will decarbonise the fleet while improving passenger journeys. We provide funding to local transport authorities; local leaders can use this funding to invest in local priorities, including the purchase of new zero emission buses. The Department for Transport last year convened the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, which brought together government, local transport authorities, bus operators and manufacturers to consider the sustainability of the UK bus manufacturing sector. The Government takes national security seriously. All buses deployed on roads in GB must be approved to robust standards. We recently introduced two SIs to strengthen cyber protection (UN R155) and regulate software updates (UN R156) within the approval framework.

With reference to her Department's document entitled 10-year zero emission bus order pipeline, published on 16 March 2026, how many of the total zero emission bus purchases over the next 10 years are estimated to be for bus fleets in Scotland.

The 10‑year zero‑emission bus order pipeline published on 16 March 2026 does not provide a specific estimate for how many of the forecast UK‑wide zero‑emission bus purchases are expected to be for bus fleets in Scotland.The Department’s dataset is based on voluntary returns from bus operators and local transport authorities across Great Britain. Data from bus operators was supplied at an aggregate level, not split by region.

Whether she has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues to help support the rise in Zero Emission bus demand being met by British-based manufacturers.

Department for Transport Ministers regularly meet with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues, including British bus manufacturing. The Government is committed to supporting the long-term strength and competitiveness of our bus manufacturing sector. In March 2025, the Minister for Roads and Buses launched the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, bringing together industry experts and local leaders to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. A key objective of the panel is to develop a pipeline of future bus orders to give better planning certainty to the sector and UK-based manufacturers, which was published on 16 March 2026.

What consideration has been given to the potential merits of using powers in the Procurement Act 2023 to block non-treaty states from procurement of zero emissions buses following the announcement of departmental funding for 484 electric buses.

The procurement of buses is carried out by Local Transport Authorities or bus operators, not the Department for Transport.

Whether her Department plans to require local authority bus operators to run procurement operations with Government money that include consideration of social value weighting.

My Department recognises the importance of social value in public procurement, and government procurement policy requires Central Government Departments to apply a minimum 10% weighting. Whilst this 10% minimum weighting is not mandatory for Local Authorities, many already apply this voluntarily. The UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, which ran from March 2025 to March 2026, concluded with a set of agreed mayoral commitments on zero emission buses including:To apply a minimum 10% social value weighting in all future bus procurement tenders, with yearly reviews on the weighting informed by data and lessons learned from bus fleet procurement exercises.To agree a consistent approach to social value, capturing and delivering UK wide benefits in addition to local benefits, where relevant and proportionate, in future bus fleet procurement tenders.To develop best practice social value questions, which could be used as a standardised base questionnaire in future tender documents, ensuring consistency and transparency, by September and in time to inform the next large bus fleet MCA procurement exercises. The agreed commitments, can be found here: link.

When she plans to publish the Ten-year pipeline of projected bus orders.

My Department is planning to publish the ten-year pipeline of projected orders shortly.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of creating a public registry detailing entities involved in vehicle certification approvals.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring a) all certification bodies involved in vehicle approvals to be formally listed as designated Technical Services under UN ECE regulations and b) introducing penalties for misrepresentation by certification bodies or manufacturers of vehicles on UK roads.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

Whether she intends to conduct a review of technical service arrangements involving non-European vehicle manufacturing and regulatory entities to ensure alignment with UK/EU regulatory standards.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring vehicle manufacturers to disclose the role of entities involved in vehicle certification processes.

I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.

What steps she has taken to establish an independent audit mechanism for ISO/SAE 21434 and UN R155/156 compliance.

Approval certificates for UN Regulations 155 and 156 can be issued by an applicable national approval authority, which is the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) in the UK, and are mutually recognised internationally. Any country’s approval authority must have its methods and criteria used for assessment of compliance to the regulations scrutinised by other approval authorities before it can issue any approvals. ISO/SAE 21434 is not part of the legislative requirement but provides useful guidance for compliance with R.155 and R156.

What assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential security implications of the operation of buses that have been bought from China that can potentially be remotely deactivated.

The Government takes national security extremely seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. The Department works closely with the transport sector, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities.

Whether her Department has emergency contingency plans in the event of remote de-activation of buses by a foreign manufacturer.

The Government takes national security extremely seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. The Department works closely with the transport sector, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities.

What assessment she has made of the recommendations of Project Willow on the HEFA Cap delay.

The Government launched Project Willow to find an industrial future for Grangemouth – identifying nine low-carbon and renewable energy business models that could create 800 jobs by 2040. Government is ready to take these forward as co-investment projects with the private sector. Backed by £200 million from the National Wealth Fund, investment agencies are working to find investors for these proposals and other low carbon and clean energy proposals in the Grangemouth area. So far c.100 enquiries have been received.HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) is a fuel developed from oils or fats, such as used cooking oil. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate caps the amount of HEFA that can be used to meet the main obligation under the Mandate to encourage the development of more advanced fuels. The suggested delay to the HEFA cap would undermine this approach and is not being considered. To ensure the Mandate remains aligned with technological and commercial developments, it will be continuously monitored. Formal reviews will be published at least every five years, with the first scheduled for 2030. These reviews will also ensure continued alignment with broader government policies and strategies.

When her Department plans to publish the integrated public transport strategy.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we will be publishing a long-term strategy for transport to set out the Department’s vision for domestic transport across England. We intend to publish the Strategy towards the end of this year.

What recent discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Government on extending the provisions of the Bus Services Bill to Scotland.

Policy responsibility for transport in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government. Any decisions on adopting measures in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill relating to devolved matters are for them to make. These constitute the vast majority of Bill measures. Department for Transport officials have engaged with Scottish Government counterparts to discuss measures in the Bill throughout its passage. As a result of this engagement, an amendment was made in the House of Commons extending the powers to prohibit the use of new non-zero emission buses from no earlier than 2030 to the Bill. The Government is also committed to working with and sharing best practice with the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales as bus reform is carried out in England.

Whether the Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel has made an assessment of trends in the level of demand for buses; and whether they have considered the (a) location and (b) type of demand over the next 10 years.

A key output of the UK Bus Manufacturing Panel will be the publication of a ten-year pipeline of projected bus orders. The aim is to consolidate reliable data from Mayoral Combined Authorities and operators into a single, accessible source for all zero-emission bus stakeholders. High-quality, credible data is essential to building industry confidence, and the pipeline is expected to be published later this year to ensure that projected orders reflect realistic and deliverable commitments.

How many buses were ordered from British bus manufacturers with (a) full and (b) partial financial support from (i) the Government and (ii) devolved English authorities between 2011 and 2025.

HMG does not hold specific data on buses ordered by devolved English authorities during the period between 2011 and 2025. However, it is estimated that since 2011, approximately 1,494 buses were ordered from UK-based bus manufacturers with full or partial support. This estimated total accounts for the following funding schemes: Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme, Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes, Transforming Cities Fund, City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements and All Electric Bus City (Coventry). It is estimated that 60% of Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA)-supported buses will be procured from UK-based bus manufacturers.

What steps she is taking to encourage bus manufacturers to produce zero-emission buses.

The full transition to zero emission buses (ZEBs) is a vital part of the Government’s plan to make buses better for passengers and to realise the benefits of lower running costs, cleaner air and smoother, quieter journeys. The Department has supported the bus sector with almost £500m in direct funding support for ZEBs in recent years, including £38m announced in April to deliver an additional 319 ZEBs through the ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas) programme. We also continue to support the sector with funding. The recent announcement of £15.6bn over five years, to improve local transport in some of our largest city regions, allows local leaders to play a more active role in the delivery of local bus services and allocate some funding toward decarbonising their local fleets. To support the domestic ZEB industry, the Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, was launched earlier this year. This Panel regularly brings industry experts and local leaders together to discuss ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. A key Panel outcome will be the development of a pipeline of future bus orders to give better planning certainty to the sector.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility of feedstocks in the SAF mandate to include dedicated energy crops.

We have been clear that fuel supplied under the SAF Mandate must have the highest sustainability credentials. This is why SAF derived from biomass must be made from wastes or residues, as these offer high greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential, whilst also minimising negative environmental impacts. This means that SAF produced from food, feed or energy crops are not eligible under the Mandate. We are continuing to examine the direct and indirect impacts of non-food crop use, including impacts on the environment and on food production.