Written questions by Berry.

Whether she will publish environmental impact assessments for plans to expand (a) Heathrow, (b) Luton and (c) Gatwick airports that include Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

A scheme promoter is responsible for producing an environmental impact assessment, which includes an assessment of any likely significant climate factors. Both the Luton and Gatwick environmental impact assessments are available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website and were considered as part of the Secretary of State’s decision. For Heathrow, the applicant’s assessment and any mitigation measures they may put forward will be considered as part of the Secretary of State’s decision on an application.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of airport expansion on tourism in coastal towns.

Airports are key gateways into the UK for international tourists and airport expansion will help to facilitate their ability to visit the United Kingdom, including our coastal towns.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitting crop-based biofuels to be eligible under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate on (a) the environment and (b) food security.

In August 2025 the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that a call for evidence on the eligibility of crops in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate would be published by the end of this year. This followed a call for evidence on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).Crops encompass a variety of feedstocks with different impacts. It is right that we gather up-to-date evidence and information on emerging developments, including on the sustainability risks associated with crop-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel and how regulation could mitigate these risks.The call for evidence does not propose any changes to the SAF Mandate nor does it signal the future direction of the SAF Mandate; it is intended to support assessment of the potential impacts, including on the environment and food security, of crop-based biofuels by the Department for Transport.

Whether her Department plans to allocate a proportion of support from the Revenue Support Mechanism to power-to-liquid fuel projects.

We recognise the importance of Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM) contracts supporting a range of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production technologies. Power-to-liquid (PtL) SAF projects present significant opportunities for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions compared to fossil jet fuel, and this, along with other factors such as the cost of production for PtL SAF projects in the UK, is being considered as we design our approach to allocating RCM contracts. The Department will consult with industry in due course to gather stakeholder views on the approach to allocating RCM contracts.

How many full-time equivalent staff are working on responding to the Managing Pavement Parking consultation.

My Department currently has a 0.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) policy lead working on pavement parking. This individual is supported by officials from various Civil Service professions across the Department, including analysts and lawyers, who provide occasional support as necessary as part of their jobs. The timing of the consultation response publication is not dependent on resource, but rather on ensuring the policy decision is correct. A policy announcement is expected imminently and plans are in place to resource the work necessary after an announcement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66780 on Transport: Disability, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting access panels to create a national network.

The Sustrans Transforming Mobility Report recommends that local leaders, who best understand their communities, use access panels to engage disabled people in shaping, reviewing, and monitoring transport policies and projects. Paid access panels are one potential method for ensuring meaningful involvement.The government recognises that accessibility improvements require collaboration across national and local authorities, transport operators, and industry. Central to this effort is the voice of disabled people. For nearly 40 years, the Department for Transport has led by example, being advised by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, which mandates that at least half its members are disabled.More broadly, the government is committed to making public transport more inclusive, enabling disabled people to travel safely, confidently, and with dignity. As part of this commitment, it is working with disabled people’s organisations, service providers, and stakeholders to develop an Accessible Transport Charter. This charter will set out clear, shared commitments based on the principles of accessible and inclusive travel.

If she will publish an update of recent progress in meeting the objectives of the second cycling and walking investment strategy.

The latest National Travel Survey figures published on the 27th August revealed that in 2024 43 percent of short journeys in towns and cities were walked or cycled; 339 walking stages were walked per person; the estimated total number of cycling stages was 0.94 billion stages and 51% of children aged 5 to 10 reported usually walking to school.

With reference to paragraph 3.36 of the policy paper entitled UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, published on 19 June 2025, when she plans to request the Climate Change Committee's advice on whether a third runway at Heathrow airport is consistent with the UK's net zero framework.

The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding climate change commitments. The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement. As part of this process, we will consider how and when to engage with the Climate Change Committee.

When she plans to bring forward legislative proposals under the Environment Act 2021 on the compulsory recall of vehicles and engines on the grounds that relevant environmental standards are not met.

Vehicle manufacturers are required by law to ensure that the vehicles they place on the market in the UK meet rigorous environmental standards and to recall or fix vehicles if they are found to not meet those standards when on sale. Where vehicle manufacturers do not comply with their obligations, the Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is already empowered to take restrictive measures to prevent vehicles from being made available on the market, or to recall them. The Government is currently considering how a mandatory recall regime under the Environment Act 2021 could strengthen enforcement of vehicle environmental standards.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29617 on Heathrow Airport, if she will update her Department's Appraisal of sustainability for the proposed Airports National Policy Statement, published 5 June 2018, as part of her review of the Airports National Policy Statement.

The Secretary of State will determine the scope of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement. She will comply with any statutory requirements relating to carrying out an appraisal of sustainability of an amended National Policy Statement set out in the Planning Act 2008.

What estimate her Department has made of the amount of agricultural land required for bio-aviation fuels to meet (a) existing and (b) potential demand to allow for expansion of (i) Heathrow airport and (ii) other UK airports.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate scheme is driving the uptake of lower carbon fuels used in aviation. The scheme does not support the supply of biofuels made from food, feed or energy crops. SAF must be made from sustainable wastes or residues (such as used cooking oil or forestry residues), recycled carbon fuels (e.g. unrecyclable plastics), or be power to liquid fuels made using low carbon (renewable or nuclear) electricity. Given these feedstocks do not require land, no estimate has been made of the amount of agricultural land required for bio-aviation fuels, under current or future demands.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies on food production of the report by the Royal Society entitled Net zero aviation fuels: resource requirements and environmental impacts, published on 28 February 2023.

The report in question concluded that a significant proportion of the UK’s land would be required for fuel production if crops were used to decarbonise aviation. The UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate, which is designed to increase the amount of sustainable fuels used in aviation, prevents the diversion of resources away from food production. The Mandate includes strict sustainability criteria and SAF produced from food, feed or energy crops are not eligible under the scheme.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential cost of building one new runway at Heathrow Airport.

The Government is clear that any expansion scheme will be financed in its entirety by the private sector. The exact cost of the runway will be determined by the parameters of any scheme brought forward by scheme promoters.

With reference to the Independent report by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee entitled DPTAC position on the eligibility criteria for concessionary bus travel, published on 17 August 2022, whether she plans to carry out a review of the eligibility criteria for bus passes for disabled people.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and, while the Department keeps the scheme under review, any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

What data she holds on the (a) age, (b) gender, (c) disability status and (d) other demographic make-up of users of micromobility services.

The term micromobility can be defined in different ways. For the purposes of this question, we have taken it to refer to rental e-scooters and cycles.DfT's Transport and Transport Technology Tracker survey is designed to be representative of the wider population of adults aged 16 and over across England. The most recent published data from Wave 11 (data collection - Dec 2023) of the tracker surveyed 3,622 adults.Rental e-scootersThe survey found that of 244 respondents who said they had used a rental e-scooter at least annually: Age: young people are much more likely to use rental e-scooters at least annually (20% of 16-24s vs 1% of those aged 55 or older)Gender: men are more likely than women to use rental e-scooters at least annually (8% vs. 5%)Disability status: 5% of people with a health condition that reduces their activity use rental e-scooters at least annually (vs. 7% of those that do not have a health condition that reduces their activity)Other demographic make up: ethnic minorities are more than three times as likely to use rental e-scooters at least annually (16% vs 5% of white people)Urban vs rural: urban residents (8%) were more likely than rural residents (3%) to have used a rental e-scooter at least annually. E-cycles10% of respondents (355 people) said they have used an e-cycle at least annually. Of these:Age: young people are more likely to use e-cycles at least annually than older people (13% of 16-24s vs 8% of 55-74 year olds).Gender: men are more likely to use e-cycles at least annually than women (12% vs 7%).Other demographic make-up: ethnic minorities are more likely to use e-cycles at least annually compared to white people (16% vs 9%). Standard Cycles:36% of respondents (1298 people) said they have used a standard cycle at least annually. Of these:Age: younger age groups are more likely to use a standard cycle at least annually compared to other age groups (47% of 16-24s vs 36% of 55-64 year olds)Gender: men are more likely to use a standard cycle at least annually compared to women (44% vs 27%)Disability status: people without a health condition that reduces their activity are more likely to use a standard cycle at least annually compared to those without (38% vs 29%)Other demographic make-up: ethnic minorities are more likely to use a standard cycle at least annually compared to white people (41% vs 35%).

What steps she plans to take to (a) reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants from ships at ports in England and (b) incorporate the requirements of the environmental principles policy statement into maritime policy.

Greening transport, which includes tackling air pollution, is a key priority for the Secretary of State. The UK has consistently supported ambitious international efforts to limit air pollutant emissions from global shipping at the International Maritime Organization, including adopting the North Sea ECA for SOx emissions in 2005 which was expanded to include NOx emissions in 2021. Since April 2010, the UK has also applied equivalent SOx regulations to inland-water vessels and ships at berth in all ports.The Department considers the environmental principles policy statement across all policy areas, in line with our legal duty.

What steps she plans to take to improve (a) step-free and (b) disabled access at railway stations; whether the Access for All funding scheme will continue; and what her planned timeline is to tackle access issues within the rail network.

We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.