Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Transport Decarbonisation

Thursday 21 November 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department has a 200 million programme to fund hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric HGVs and their infrastructure.
  • The Minister committed to meet Richard Holden and other MPs to address concerns over job cuts and support for electric vehicles.
  • The Secretary of State met with Ford yesterday to discuss issues related to the automotive industry and job security.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jeevun Sandher Lab Loughborough
Transport Climate
Context

The question arises from the need to accelerate decarbonization efforts in the transport sector, noting that while car emissions have decreased by 20% since 1990, haulage emissions have barely changed.

Question

What steps she is taking to decarbonise the transport sector. While car emissions have fallen by 20% since 1990, haulage emissions have barely moved. My constituency hosted the East Midlands Hydrogen summit where heavy goods vehicles can be powered through green hydrogen. What steps is the Department taking and what will it take to support green hydrogen in HGVs?

Answer from Mike Kane

My hon. Friend champions hydrogen, and the Department's £200 million zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstration programme funds hundreds of hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric HGVs alongside their refuelling and recharging infrastructure. To support the transition to zero emission HGVs, data will be published and widely shared with the haulage and logistics industry.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not provide specific steps or timelines for supporting green hydrogen in heavy goods vehicles beyond mentioning funding availability.

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Q2 Jeevun Sandher Lab Loughborough
Transport Climate Energy
Context

The question is prompted by a recent summit discussing heavy goods vehicle decarbonization through green hydrogen, highlighting the slow progress of haulage emissions reduction despite improvements in car emissions.

Question

What steps will be taken to support green hydrogen for heavy goods vehicles? My constituency hosted an East Midlands Hydrogen Summit where we saw how HGVs can be powered by green hydrogen. What is the Department doing and what more will it do?

Answer from Mike Kane

My hon. Friend champions hydrogen, and the £200 million zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstration programme funds hundreds of hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric HGVs alongside their refuelling and recharging infrastructure. To support the transition to zero emission HGVs, data will be published and widely shared with the haulage and logistics industry.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not specify timelines or further concrete actions beyond mentioning existing funding for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

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Q3 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Employment Energy Business & Trade
Context

Yesterday, Ford announced a significant job cut across Europe including Basildon and Billericay. Concerns have been raised about the lack of electric vehicle take-up due to insufficient long-term government support and additional taxes on ICE and EV vehicles.

Question

Would the Minister meet me and other affected MPs regarding issues like the 4,000 job cuts across Europe including 800 in my constituency? Concerns are raised about the lack of clear long-term support for electric vehicle take-up and extra taxes imposed on ICE and EV vehicles. Can we address these issues?

Answer from Mike Kane

The right hon. Member is correct; the Secretary of State met Ford yesterday. We understand this is concerning for Ford workers, especially as it plays a crucial role in our automotive industry. £200 million was committed at Budget to support work in this area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not provide details on immediate steps or further actions beyond confirming a meeting and committing funding.

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