Written questions by Campbell.

Whether she will hold discussions with the her Indian counterparts on the need for the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau investigation into the crash of Air India flight 171 to be independent, including commercial considerations.

The Government has engaged with counterparts in India regarding the tragic accident of Air India Flight 171. The Indian Air Accident Investigation Bureau is the lead investigating authority, in line with standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization and must be given the time and space to undertake a thorough investigation. The UK welcomed the preliminary report which was published in July 2025. I want to reaffirm my deepest sympathies to those who lost their lives in this accident, as well as to their loved ones.

How many jobs were created in the past twelve months through the Support for Maritime Training fund.

We are strongly supportive of the Support for Maritime Training fund (SMarT). 680 new cadetships were supported by SMarT in the financial year 2023/24. There are approximately 1500 cadets currently in training. Statistics for the 2024/25 financial year are expected to be published on 25th February. The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of jobs created through SMarT.

Whether consideration is being given to granting Critical National Priority status to ports across the United Kingdom.

Ports play an essential role in the supply chain and in enabling energy developments. The advancement of Critical National Priority (CNP) projects will stimulate ports to meet demand. In practice CNP projects will bring about a demonstrable need for port capacity, and in conjunction with the strong weight attached to the need to service such demand in the National Policy Statement for Ports (NPSP), will provide sufficient priority for port development.

When she expect to publish details of each implementation project arising from the publication of the cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce.

The cross-government taskforce’s final report highlights the wider range of areas in which government is taking action; including taking steps to address vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. The government will continue to deliver against the actions set out in this report. The departments leading on specific actions are responsible for providing updates on the work being undertaken.

Pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025 to WPQ 94153, what steps she is taking to help reduce insolvencies in Road Freight Transport companies.

Department for Transport officials regularly meet representatives of the road haulage industry, including through the Freight Council and the Road Freight Industry Engagement Group. These discussions are wide ranging and include the market conditions for road freight and cost pressures. Government measures that support the road freight sector include the extension of the 5 pence cut in fuel duty until the end of August 2026 and for Great Britain, discounts of up to £120,000 on new electric trucks are available thanks to an additional £18m to increase the Plug-in Truck Grant until the end of March 2026. Existing rates apply to Northern Ireland. The Small Business Plan outlines how the Government will support small and medium sized businesses to grow and thrive across the UK through reforms to tackle late payments; finance to support start-ups and scale ups; removing unnecessary red tape and delivering growth boosting support for Digital and AI Adoption. The new Business Growth Service makes it easier for SMEs to access the right support for any stage of their growth journey.

What estimate she has made of how much fuel lifecycle Greenhouse Gas emissions will be reduced within the next four years.

The Department for Transport does not hold overall forecasts for lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of fuels. Projections for the lifecycle emissions impact of individual low carbon fuels policies are primarily set out in their associated cost-benefit analyses such as that published in 2024 before the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate was introduced or published in March 2025 for the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published 29 October, included detail on policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels used in surface transport and aviation, and estimates of the emission reductions they would achieve. These projections are on the basis of the carbon accounting protocol used to produce the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, rather than lifecycle GHG emissions savings. For surface transport, this analysis estimated an 18.0 MtCO2e reduction in emissions between 2025 and 2030 (17% reduction). For aviation, this analysis estimated a 3.3 MtCO2e reduction in emissions between 2025 and 2030 (9% reduction).

Whether she expects to publish the next National Road Traffic Projections in 2026.

The National Road Traffic Projections were last published in December 2022. The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and does not expect to publish the next National Road Traffic Projections in 2026.

Pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2025 to WPQ 98745, how many (a) vehicle owners and (b) people on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers have been (i) charged, and (ii) convicted of offences connected with illegal number plates in the last four years.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information about the number of vehicle keepers who have been convicted for number plate offences as enforcement of number plates offences is a matter for the police. The DVLA does not have the relevant powers to take forward prosecutions of number plate suppliers. Such prosecutions are taken forward by the police and Trading Standards. The DVLA’s enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to carry out educational and compliance visits to registered number plate suppliers. Enforcement officers carry out inspections to check working practices and inspect number plates on the premises. Enforcement officers can also inspect records held, take copies and/or seize the records. The DVLA’s enforcement officers carry out intelligence led enforcement activities to tackle a wide range of offences, actively working with partners to investigate potential offences. While the DVLA does not take forward prosecutions, its enforcement officers may attend court as an expert witness in any such proceedings.

What has been the change in the volume of sustainable aviation fuel production in the UK between 2019 and 2024.

We do not hold statistics on volumes of SAF produced in the UK. SAF volumes are reported to the Department by fuel suppliers to discharge their obligations under the SAF mandate, and between 2019 and 2024, under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). SAF is not yet produced globally at a large scale. In the UK the only commercial scale SAF producer is at Phillips 66’s Humberside refinery.Looking forward, the Government is taking decisive action to scale up UK SAF production. From 1 January 2025, the SAF mandate came into effect, setting a clear trajectory for growth – 10% of UK aviation fuel is required to be SAF by 2030 and 22% by 2040. To help deliver this, £63 million in grant funding has been allocated through the Advanced Fuels Fund for the current year to support UK SAF plants, with continued support for SAF production through to 2029/30. We have also introduced a SAF Bill that will establish a Revenue Certainty Mechanism, giving investors confidence to build and operate SAF facilities in the UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of use of illegal number plates between 2021 and 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold data on the level of use of illegal number plates. On road enforcement is a matter for the police. The DVLA works with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. The law requires that anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK must be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied. Selling a number plate without carrying out these required checks carries a maximum penalty of a fine of £1,000 and the potential removal from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS). The DVLA is considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable RNPS process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers.

What assesment she has made of the potential impact the Windsor Framework on the operations of the Civil Aviation Authority.

While the Windsor Framework does contain provisions related to the movement of people, animals and goods, including by air, we assess that the Windsor Framework has no direct impact on the UK-wide regulatory role of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Pursuant to WPQ 94153, what discussions she has had with representatives of the road haulage industry to help ensure sufficient capacity exists to meet demand given the change in numbers declaring insolvency.

Department for Transport officials regularly meet representatives of the road haulage industry to discuss a wide range of issues impacting the industry. These meetings include the Freight Council and the Road Freight Industry Engagement Group. In addition, officials hold ad hoc meetings with road haulage businesses and trade associations to discuss issues raised by the sector, including those relating to the capacity of the industry.

Pursuant to WPQ 95613. whether she has had confirmation from Stellantis that all vehicles have been checked, declared safe to drive and returned to owners.

Stellantis have advised the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) they have dealt with the majority of vehicles. They have currently rectified circa 122,000 of an estimated 148,000 on the road overall. Stellantis are also taking further steps to ensure greater awareness to ensure the remaining vehicles are reworked, including integration with DVSA’s MOT reminder service and also looking at strategies regarding further mailings to vehicle owners who have not yet engaged with Stellantis.

On how many occasions in the past three years has cargo being transported in UK waters been found to contain oil sourced in or through Russia.

The UK Government constantly monitors UK waters to uphold the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security, which includes monitoring of ships that are suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ships of all States have the right, subject to conditions laid down in UNCLOS, to innocent passage through UK territorial sea (the sea within 12 nautical miles of the UK coastline). As the UK is party to UNCLOS, the UK Government adheres to international maritime law and protects the passage rights of vessels transiting through UK waters.

Whether she has had discussions with Stellantis on the (a) recall and (b) check of (i) Citroën and (ii) DS Automobiles branded cars potentially affected by a airbag safety fault.

As set out in the answer to Question 74957 on 9 September, the Secretary of State wrote to Stellantis to express serious concerns about the customer impact of the stop-drive recall currently affecting Citroën and DS Automobiles cars in the United Kingdom. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency officials continue to have regular engagement meetings with representatives from Stellantis about the Citroën/DS recall and continue to support Stellantis, prioritising safety while minimising economic and social impact.

What steps is she taking to support the development of electric vertical take off and landing vehicles in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is committed to the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry and to delivering on the future of flight objectives, which include piloted commercial electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operations from 2028.The Future Flight Challenge was a £300m investment programme designed to support the development of new aviation systems — including electric and autonomous aircraft, drones, advanced airspace management, and supporting infrastructure. This year, over £4.4m of investment is funding projects to demonstrate progress towards commercialisation of Future of Flight technologies. These investments included projects in devolved administrations, such as SATE 1 and SATE 2, which explored the application of eVTOL aircraft.

If the Future of Flight Industry Group will consider air taxi routes in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland.

Future of Flight Industry Group is the joint government and industry group for the future of flight in the UK. It acts as a senior decision-making body and provides insights to support the delivery of Future of Flight policy and recommendations on how to address challenges and opportunities facing the industry. One of the group’s aims is to deliver the objective of commercial electric vertical take-off and landing operations from 2028. Whilst civil aviation is a reserved matter for the UK government, local transport is devolved. Decisions on specific routes will be taken by industry, in consultation with devolved administrations, regional bodies and local authorities, within a framework that ensures accountability and supports the development of Future of Flight in a way that benefits communities.

Whether she plans to announce additional measures to support young and novice drivers.

We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign. We are considering other measures to address this and protect young and newly qualified drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety.

What estimate has been made of the reduction in shipping emissions by the end of the Parliament.

Under the planned scenario presented in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, the greenhouse gas emissions from UK domestic and international shipping are estimated at around 10.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2029, an estimated reduction of around 4.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), or 29%, from the 2008 base year of our emissions goals. Our approach to deliver these emission savings are set out in our Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy [2]. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-budget-and-growth-delivery-plan-2025 [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maritime-decarbonisation-strategy

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 85702 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, what information his Department holds on whether the 127 additional electric vehicle charging points will be (a) publicly available and (b) implemented during the four year period.

The On-Street Residential Charging Scheme funds publicly available chargepoints. Installation timescales will be agreed between the funded councils and their appointed chargepoint operator.