Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Thursday 27 March 2025 · 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Gareth Bacon asked the Secretary of State about the cost implications of nationalising the rail system, citing a loss of 850 million due to strikes.
  • Rachel Taylor petitioned for Warwickshire county council to take control of local bus services, citing issues with punctuality and accessibility for constituents.
  • Euan Stainbank inquired about the Department's consideration of delaying the HEFA cap as recommended by Project Willow for sustainable aviation fuel production.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gareth Bacon Con Orpington
Employment Transport
Context

Following the Department's recent rail consultation, trade unions have welcomed the plan for a just transition to nationalisation with improved pay and conditions for rail workers. This could result in significant costs to taxpayers.

Question

The Secretary of State will be aware that in response to her Department’s recent rail consultation, the trade unions welcomed her plan and said that a just transition to nationalisation would mean the levelling up of pay and conditions for rail workers. The cost of that to the taxpayer could be considerable. Would she consider a strike over harmonising pay and conditions to be a necessary strike?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

Let us be clear: the cost of those national rolling strikes over two years was £850 million in lost revenue. I am sorry, but I am not going to take any lessons from the shadow Secretary of State on industrial relations on the railway.

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Q2 Rachel Taylor Lab North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Transport
Context

The petition launched by the Member of Parliament calls for the buses to be taken back under public control due to poor punctuality and service unreliability.

Question

I have launched a petition in my constituency asking Warwickshire county council to take our buses back under public control. Almost 30% of buses do not run on time, and my constituents are sick and tired of being stranded if they do not have a car. Does the Minister agree that Warwickshire county council must do the right thing and improve the dismal service that my constituents are currently stuck with?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)

We know that too often local bus services are late or, worse, do not turn up at all, blocking passengers from accessing vital services. Our reforms to the bus sector, combined with that £1 billion investment in buses, will give local leaders the tools they need to ensure that services truly reflect the needs of passengers.

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Q3 Euan Stainbank Lab Falkirk
Climate Energy
Context

The Project Willow report was released last week, proposing various options for sustainable fuel production at Grangemouth. One option is the establishment of a hydrogenated esters and fatty acids plant to produce sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.

Question

Among the options proposed by Project Willow is a hydrogenated esters and fatty acids plant producing sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, with the report recommending a delay in implementing the HEFA cap. Is the Department currently considering this action?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Kane)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his commitment to Project Willow at Grangemouth. We introduced a 2% mandate from 1 January, so 2% of all aviation fuel has to come from sustainable sources. We will be legislating on the revenue certainty mechanism and looking at how we can contribute to the future of that great site.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Delaying implementation of the HEFA cap

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