Corporate report

DfT Outcome Delivery Plan: 2021 to 2022

Published 15 July 2021

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Secretary of State for Transport

The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP

Permanent Secretary

Bernadette Kelly CB

Foreword by the Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary

The transport industry has risen magnificently to the challenges posed by COVID-19 over the past year, and we’ve been proud to lead a department that has worked tirelessly to support and steer that industry in serving the public through the pandemic.

The people in our department and agencies, and arm’s length bodies deserve credit for the role they have played on COVID-19 and through EU Exit. Together with partners across the transport sector, they’ve kept Britain moving, ensuring that critical services carrying people and goods continue to operate, whilst ensuring public health is protected. While challenges remain, particularly for international travel, other unexpected problems – such as restrictions on hauliers travelling to France in December and a shift to remote and digital working - have been successfully navigated.

Delivering on our wider commitments for transport is even more important now as we seek to level up across the country and build back better, fairer, greener and stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next year we will make further progress on our priority outcomes:

Improving connectivity across the UK and growing the economy by enhancing the transport network, on time and on budget.

Building confidence in the transport network as the country recovers from COVID-19 and improving transport users’ experience, ensuring that the network is safe, reliable, and inclusive.

Tackling climate change and improving air quality by decarbonising transport.

We will also play our part in increasing the global impact of the UK, boosting our influence and maximising trade.

This outcome delivery plan sets out how we will achieve these priorities. It explains how resource will be allocated and workstreams managed to deliver results, and how we will measure and manage progress and risks through the year.

The next 12 months will be no less challenging than 2020, as we seek to bounce back from the pandemic and power up our economy. Transport will be vital to our recovery and the government’s goals on levelling up and net zero. We are confident that this plan will set us on the right path, guiding the work of the department, and helping the government deliver its agenda for the UK at this crucial time.

A. Executive summary

Vision and mission

See priority outcomes

Our priority outcomes

This delivery plan sets out in detail how we will continue to deliver our priority outcomes, how we will measure our success, and how we will ensure we continuously improve^{[footnote 1]}. As agreed at the Spending Review 2020 DfT’s priority outcomes are to:

1. Improve connectivity across the UK and grow the economy by enhancing the transport network, on time and on budget.

2. Build confidence in the transport network as the country recovers from COVID-19 and improve transport users’ experience, ensuring that the network is safe, reliable, and inclusive.

3. Tackle climate change and improve air quality by decarbonising transport (this outcome reflects DfT’s contribution to the BEIS-led cross-cutting net zero outcome).

In addition to these priority outcomes (covered more fully in part B), the department is delivering an additional strategic objective:

Increase our global impact

This objective is about boosting our influence and maximising trade by having an innovative, outward-facing approach. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, an independent Global Britain can take advantage of the opportunities that come with our new status as a fully sovereign trading nation. We can reinvigorate international transport cooperation, work with other countries to address global challenges and influence the work of the international fora which have an impact on the UK’s domestic transport priorities.

DfT has a vital part to play to increase the UK’s global impact and leadership in the international multilateral system. We will implement our new International Strategic Framework designed to coordinate DfT’s activity under the Global Britain agenda. Maritime, aviation and well-functioning freight and logistics services remain fundamental to the UK’s global trade, whilst exports and investment are key to the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic. We will ensure a strong transport presence at Expo 2020 and we will enhance our global leadership in tackling transport’s contribution to climate change by helping to deliver a successful COP26 in Glasgow. We will support the government commitment to make the UK a science superpower by 2030 through our work on developing leading edge transport research and innovation.

The department is also supporting the delivery of the following priority outcomes led by other departments:

Priority Outcome	Lead department
Reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Increase economic growth and productivity through improved digital connectivity	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Improve the environment through cleaner air and water, minimised waste, and thriving plants and terrestrial and marine wildlife	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Raise productivity and empower places so that everyone across the country can benefit from levelling up	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)

Strategic enablers

To deliver our priority outcomes – and reinforce the ambitions of the Declaration on Government Reform – we will focus on 4 key enablers:

• workforce, skills and location
• innovation, technology and data
• delivery, evaluation and collaboration
• sustainability

We will continue to be an excellent department by:

• being well-run and focused on delivery
• demonstrating excellence in transport policy
• driving value for money
• embodying our values in all that we do

B. Introduction

Context

DfT is a medium-sized department with over 3000 people although we have a much broader reach through our arm’s length bodies (ALBs) and we have one of the largest and most complex capital portfolios in government. We work to keep transport running safely and securely, both in the UK and internationally, while at the same time building resilience to issues such as extreme weather events and pandemics.

Transport is largely a devolved policy area. The UK government develops policy and provides funding for local transport in England, but much of the funding and policy decisions are made at a local level, including buses, walking, cycling, local road maintenance and parking. At a national level, the Devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have responsibility for transport operations and transport infrastructure within their borders. Maritime and aviation transport are primarily run by the private sector, with ports and airports being privately operated and maritime freight, ferry services and commercial airlines operating in a largely unregulated market. Transport is a fundamental part of everyone’s life and in recent years travel habits have been changing. However, COVID-19 stands to have a transformational societal and economic impact, with new implications for the UK’s transport system, changing travel demands and patterns, as well as shifting the role of DfT in transport markets.

The emergence of COVID-19 in the first part of 2020 required unprecedented action to ensure that there was sufficient capacity across the network for crucial frontline workers to travel to their jobs safely. Both the core department and our arm’s length bodies have worked with our partners across the industry to support critical transport links so vital journeys of people and goods could still take place. We have done this alongside delivering on our portfolio and have accelerated the government’s priority projects, helping put the country in a strong position to grow the economy and recover from the pandemic.

Indeed, the commitment to unite and level up the country remains a central theme of the government’s agenda as we Build Back Better from COVID-19. The aim is for every region and nation of the UK to have at least one globally competitive city, acting as hotbeds of innovation and hubs of high value activity, whilst building on the strengths of the Union. Transport will play a vital role – from building a better national network, through to local services provision.

It is therefore crucial that we drive forward and deliver transport improvements with greater speed and efficiency. To this end, the Acceleration Unit was formed by the Transport Secretary in October 2020 with a mission to speed-up the delivery of transport infrastructure projects and the implementation of policy initiatives. With the support of an expert panel of industry leaders, the unit has been working to identify and plan ways to compress processes, focusing on the government’s agenda to build back better, greener and faster from COVID-19, level-up the UK and decarbonise transport.

The last year has also been hugely significant for the sector with the application of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), following the UK’s departure from the European Union. DfT has played an important role both in managing potential impacts of the transport system arising from new border checks, and in ensuring the TCA is implemented and complied with. Dedicated resources have been established to support Specialised Joint Committees in air transport, aviation safety and road transport.

The next 12 months will see further challenges as we continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the transport system and society more broadly, and we will need to work closely with the transport industry and local and regional government to address these challenges. We recognise the vital role transport will play in our recovery and we are confident that this plan will guide the efforts of the department, supporting the delivery of our priority outcomes and the government’s broader agenda.

Governance and delivery bodies

The Secretary of State for Transport, appointed by the Prime Minister, has overall responsibility for the department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs). The Secretary of State is supported by ministers, the Permanent Secretary, Non-Executive Board Members, and executive Directors General and the officials within their business groups. The DfT family consist of:

• the central Department (DfT)
• 27 ALBs that deliver, regulate or advise on a range of transport services and infrastructure

The DfT and its ALBs have established governance structures, which will play an important role in delivering the ODP.

Within the Department each Priority Outcome is led by a Senior Sponsor (a Senior Civil Servant), has input from a designated Non-Executive Director and is overseen by a lead Minister.

Senior Sponsors are coordinating, monitoring and championing the work of their Priority Outcome within the department. Priority outcomes are also coordinated through Boards reporting to DfT’s Executive Committee. The membership of these Boards includes the Senior Sponsor (who in most cases will also chair) and the Directors responsible for the key work contributing to the delivery of the Priority Outcome. The designated Non-Executive directors are also invited.

Overview of strategic risk

For 2021-22 DfT has identified key strategic risks relating to:

1. COVID-19 recovery planning: Insufficient and uncoordinated transport sector/wider UK infrastructure recovery planning.
2. Restart activities: Failure to effectively manage the scheduling and arrangement activities to ensure safe travel for the public, including communication plans to encourage public travelling.
3. Reduction in public confidence in domestic travel: Future UK transport modes becoming uneconomic, unviable or otherwise adversely affected by the changing travel patterns of the public. Either through post-pandemic safety or broader public confidence in policies and programmes, including environmental impact e.g. HS2 or road building.
4. Future international travel: The potential reluctance of UK, and other international, travellers to resume travelling abroad, could lead to the travel industry facing a continuing, unprecedented, and long-term fall in demand, affecting the viability of UK airline, business travel and other tourism industries (e.g. cruise liners), as well as having a wider economic impact on the UK.
5. Decarbonisation: Delivering the decarbonisation and clean air agenda while building up UK transport infrastructure and the economy.
6. Capacity and capability: Having the staffing capacity and capability to deliver DfT’s priorities and objectives.
7. Major incident: that affects either our staff, or a security or resilience incident/s that impacts the transport network.
8. Major project delivery problems: One or more major programmes or projects not delivering to time or cost.
9. Critical transport market or supplier failure.
10. Affordability: DfT not being able to afford to deliver all of its priorities in the medium to long-term.
11. Failure to exploit and promote innovation: DfT fails to effectively promote and support innovation in the transport sector, missing opportunities to reduce unit technical costs and ensure that the growth of our transport infrastructure and the UK economy is accelerated sustainably.

Our resources

DfT (including ALBs) 2021/22 budget:

• Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL): £9.0 billion
• Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL): £19.5 billion
• Total Annually Managed Expenditure (AME): £3.3 billion^{[footnote 2]}

Control totals included in this document are in line with those presented in the Main Supply Estimates 2021/22^{[footnote 3]}.

Source: Main Supply Estimates 2021/22.

Our people

The central department plans to employ 3840 full time equivalents (FTEs) in 2021/22.

Breakdown of resource by work

The DfT has one of the largest Capital portfolios in government and our Comprehensive Spending Review settlement in 2020 reflected this and ensured we had the resources to support our delivery programme.

Workforce is not split across priority outcomes, as often our staff are supporting more than one outcome simultaneously. In lieu of providing a breakdown of staff by the 3 priority outcomes in this plan, the table below shows how our workforce will be spread across the department, and how this relates to our total budget responsibility.

Area of responsibility	21/22 budget (£m)	21/22 DfTc workforce plans (FTE). Excluding ALBs, agencies and public bodies.
Aviation, Maritime, International, Security	661	1002
Rail Strategy and Services	4,252	728
Rail Infrastructure	10,855	201
Roads, Places and Environment	10,142	954
High Speed Rail	5,382	173
Corporate Delivery	488	782

21/22 budget ^{[footnote 4]}

C. Priority outcomes delivery plans

Improve connectivity across the UK and grow the economy by enhancing the transport network on time and on budget

Lead minister

Andrew Stephenson MP, Minister of State

Senior Sponsor

Nick Bisson, Director

Outcome strategy

The Prime Minister has committed to levelling up and uniting the country ensuring that no community is left behind. The approach to levelling up will need a cross-government plan, with improvements to transport connectivity being an essential element in the creation of high-performing markets, and increased agglomeration and linkages between key sectors of the economy. Increasing the efficient delivery of major programmes such as the Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the North, HS2 and the Roads Investment Strategy is fundamental to supporting job creation, driving economic growth and our recovery from COVID-19.

We are therefore enhancing the national strategic transport network, shifting the focus of investment towards major projects that link towns, cities and left behind places outside of London and the South East.

Our performance metrics

Delivery of the outcome will be measured, in part, through data collected against the following metrics:

Transport infrastructure projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio that are on track to delivery, as assessed by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (per cent)

82% on track to delivery

The Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) gives an overall summary of how likely each project is to deliver its outcomes successfully and is reported via a traffic light system ranging from green (for the projects judged with the lowest risks to success) to red (for those projects facing the most serious challenges).

Source: Annual Report on Major Projects 2019-20, Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).
Release schedule: annually.

Travel time to reach nearest large employment centre (region)

Average minimum travel time to reach the nearest large employment centre (5000 or more jobs) by public transport / walking, region, England

	2015	2016	2017
North East	30.9	31.4	31.6
North West	29.9	30.3	29.4
Yorkshire and the Humber	32.3	32.3	31.6
East Midlands	38.0	37.8	36.2
West Midlands	30.5	30.5	29.7
East	37.7	37.8	38.2
London	23.4	23.6	22.4
South East	34.5	35.0	34.2
South West	41.2	41.2	42.0

Theoretical ‘morning peak’ journey times based on public transport and highways data. See Notes and definitions for more information.

Source: JTS0103, Journey Time Statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

How our work contributes to the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Priority Outcome	Link to SDGs
Priority Outcome 1	SDG 4 - Quality Education (Targets 4.4)
	SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth (Targets 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.9)
	SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Targets 11.4, 11a)

Projects and programmes

Some of the workstreams that will contribute to this priority outcome are:

Increase the productivity of cities and towns by accelerating projects that support the regeneration of left-behind places. Investment in local transport, especially in the North and Midlands, and through Beeching re-openings, will increase interconnectivity and drive greater local investment. Settlements for the new Intra-City Transport £4.2 billion capital grant will be agreed for 8 of England’s largest city regions, further supporting improvements to sustainable public transport infrastructure.

Support local growth and regeneration through investment in local transport. The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail will ensure our railways are more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers. Investment in the Transforming Cities Fund will deliver new active travel routes and will support improvements to bus services, bus and rail station upgrades and smart-ticketing innovation. We will embed sustainable transport in housing development through collaboration with MHCLG and Homes England, contributing towards wider cross-government levelling-up priorities including the MHCLG led commitment to ‘raise productivity and empower places’.

Support jobs and skills for existing British industries and open up opportunities for new technologies through the delivery of major infrastructure projects, new delivery and regulatory frameworks such as for commercial spaceflight and drones This will create co-benefits for labour supply as we recover from COVID-19, supporting people entering or re-entering the labour market. Programmes such as the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy will help support new shared capabilities and expertise through the more effective roll-out of Modern Methods of construction, such as off-site construction methods, and the recently launched Aviation Skills Retention Platform will help to boost employment and upskill candidates in the industry.

Improve networks between major economic centres and with international gateways, focusing on protecting vital regional and international air connectivity and onward connections, building more effective regional networks outside of London, ensuring quality transport connections to enable these areas to function as economic clusters, thereby reducing the cost of doing business. Publication of the Integrated Rail Plan will set out the decisions on the next phases of work for major rail schemes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 Phase 2b and Midlands Rail Hub, and will define which parts of the rail network will be enhanced with new lines and new stations. Work will continue on HS2 to connect the country’s biggest economic regions. The Acceleration Unit, formed in October 2020 with a mission to speed-up the delivery of transport infrastructure projects, will continue to deliver projects identified under the Northern Transport Acceleration Council, ensure the accelerated delivery of projects on the Restoring Your Railway programme, and undertake a programme of acceleration of rail and road projects.

Strengthen the Union by considering the quality and reliability of major transport connections across the UK, future demand for transport links, the environmental impact of policy options and a review of existing UK connectivity activity. A report of findings from Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review will be published in 2021.

Outcome evaluation plan

The principal evaluations that will inform this outcome are listed below.

• our national evaluation of the Transforming Cities Fund will co-ordinate and synthesize local evidence about the impacts of its investments in infrastructure to improve public and sustainable transport links – its findings will inform future local transport investment
• our national evaluation of the Future Transport Zones will collect evidence about the effectiveness of its trials of new transport innovations, to inform future transport programmes
• we will continue to require Local Authority Major Scheme promoters to undertake evaluation to assess whether their schemes have delivered value for money and to ensure that lessons are learned for future investment decisions
• we will use evidence from Highways England’s Post Opening Project Evaluations of major road schemes to inform future road investment decisions – this evidence will be supplemented by an evaluation of the economic performance impacts of road schemes
• we will evaluate significant rail projects including High Speed 2 and Crossrail to make sure they maximise benefit to passengers when they open

Build confidence in the transport network as the country recovers from COVID-19 and improve transport users’ experience, ensuring that the network is safe, reliable, and inclusive

Lead minister

Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Minister of State

Senior Sponsor

Stephen Fidler, Director

Outcome strategy

We will put the needs and expectations of current and potential users at the heart of the operation of the transport system: ensuring that our infrastructure and the services that use it meet the varied needs of businesses and the public, and are attractive, affordable and sustainable. Our approach focuses on:

• building confidence and improving the public transport experience – this is especially important given the significant impact COVID-19 has had on both usage and perceptions of public transport
• improving the experience for road users
• building a transport network that works for everyone
• continually improving the safety, security and resilience of the transport system

Our performance metrics

Delivery of the outcome will be measured, in part, through data collected against the following metrics:

Percentage of users satisfied with their most recent journey, England (Strategic road network and bus)

	2017	2018	2019
Strategic Road Network	89%	88%	89%
Bus	88%	88%	89%

Source: Bus Passenger Survey, Strategic Roads User Survey – TransportFocus.
Release schedule: annually

Percentage of non-frequent bus services running on time, England

74.7% 2018-2019

2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
88.5%	85.6%	83.1%

Source: Bus reliability and punctuality (BUS09), DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Percentage of users very or fairly satisfied with their local roads, England

42% very or fairly satisfied with local roads, 2019

2016	2017	2018	2019
44%	46%	38%	42%

Source: NTS0802, National Travel Survey, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Average (mean) delay on strategic roads, England

On the Strategic Road Network (SRN) for 2020, the average delay is estimated to be 6.7 seconds per vehicle per mile compared to speed limits travel times, a 29.5% decrease compared to 2019.

Percentage of users very or fairly satisfied with provision in their local area, England (cycling, walking)

29% very or fairly satisfied with cycling provision, 2019

68% very or fairly satisfied with walking provision, 2019

	2016	2017	2018	2019
Cycling	33%	33%	27%	29%
Walking	76%	77%	67%	68%

Source: NTS0802, National Travel Survey, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Average (mean) delay on local A roads, England

On local ‘A’ roads for 2020, the average delay is estimated to be 33.9 seconds per vehicle per mile compared to free flow travel times. This is a decrease of 22.8% on 2019.

Source: Road congestion and reliability statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Percentage of rail journeys rated satisfactory, Great Britain

	National score, (%) Autumn 2016	National score, (%) Autumn 2017	National score, (%) Autumn 2018	National score, (%) Autumn 2019
Overall satisfaction with journey	81	81	79	82
Overall satisfaction with the station	81	81	80	80
Overall satisfaction with the train	80	77	76	78

Source: Transport Focus National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS), Autumn 16, Autumn 17, Autumn 18, Autumn 19.
Release schedule: twice annually.

Percentage of trains running on time, Great Britain

80.4% Q4 2020

2018 Q1	2018 Q2	2018 Q3	2018 Q4	2019 Q1	2019 Q2	2019 Q3	2019 Q4	2020 Q1	2020 Q2	2020 Q3	2020 Q4
64.7%	63.1%	58.8%	66.8%	69.4%	65.0%	59.2%	65.6%	86.4%	79.3%	74.7%	80.4%

Source: Passenger rail performance, Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Release schedule: quarterly.

Number of people killed or seriously injured in reported road traffic collisions, by road user, Great Britain

	2017	2018	2019
Pedestrians	7,267	7,412	7,158
Pedal cyclists	4,650	4,618	4,433
Motorcycle users	6,762	6,638	6,198
Car occupants	12,418	12,700	12,623
Bus and coach occupants	390	440	359
Goods vehicle occupants	818	861	854
Other vehicles	288	300	272
All road users	32,593	32,970	31,896

Source: KSI (adjusted), RAS30001, Reported road casualties by road user type and severity, Great Britain (2009-2019), DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Percentage of local authority roads considered for maintenance, England

3% LA maintained ‘A’ roads and motorways considered for maintenance, 2019

6% LA maintained ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads considered for maintenance, 2019

	2016/2017	2017/2018	2018/2019
‘A’ roads and motorways	3%	3%	3%
‘B’ and ‘C’ roads	6%	6%	6%

Source: RDC0121, Road Condition Statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

How our work contributes to the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Priority Outcome	Link to SDGs
Priority Outcome 2	SDG 3 - Good health and well-being (Targets 3.6)
	SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities (Targets 11.2)

Projects and programmes

Some of the workstreams that will contribute to this priority outcome are:

Build confidence and improve the public transport experience by delivering bus and rail services that work for both passengers and taxpayers. We will deliver on the National Bus Strategy, supporting transformational improvements through ambitious, locally-led Improvement Plans that lead to faster and better journeys. Within rail, the publication of the William-Shapps Plan for Rail white paper sets out a new deal for passengers, overhauling fares and ticketing, improving accessibility and providing a modern customer offer on trains and at stations. In the short term, we will provide essential financial support to ensure that services people rely on continue to operate through the pandemic.

Improve the experience for road users, promote efficiency and innovation in the maintenance and management of our roads, target improvements for longer term resilience and ensure that the fastest movement of the most people is prioritised by delivering bus priority infrastructure and cycling links. We will work with Transport Focus to resume user surveys following the pandemic, working together to better understand road user perspectives.

Build a transport network that works for everyone, investing in improved accessibility as part of the ‘Inclusive Transport Strategy: Achieving Equal Access for Disabled People’ through improvements to audio and visible information for public transport and by increasing the number of changing places across most motorway service stations in England by 2023. We will also deliver our Reach for the Sky programme to improve diversity and accessibility in aviation careers.

Continue to improve the safety, security and resilience of the transport system, playing a key role in delivering the objectives of ‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age’: the government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. We will produce a long-term Road Safety Transport Strategy that includes the outcomes from the Roads Policing Review, the Highway Code Review of cycling and walking and delivers improvements to road safety.

Outcome evaluation plan

The principal evaluations that will inform this outcome are listed below.

• we will evaluate projects and programmes which contribute to the government’s National Bus Strategy to deliver better bus services for passengers – our evaluations will generate evidence on services, vehicles and ticketing to support the implementation of this vision
• we will continue to monitor the condition and treatment of local roads to inform spending decisions relating to maintenance and renewals
• our evaluation of the Inclusive Transport Strategy will monitor and evaluate progress towards the government’s ambitions for disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone else
• our Driver 2020 study will identify which new training, education and technology-based interventions for learner and novice drivers are the most effective in improving road safety

Tackle climate change and improve air quality by decarbonising transport

(this outcome reflects DfT’s contribution to the BEIS-led cross-cutting net zero outcome).

Lead minister

Rachel Maclean MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Senior Sponsor

Caroline Low and Richard Bruce (Job Share), Director

Outcome strategy

Transport is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gases in the UK, contributing 27% of domestic emissions in 2019. Our transport system must change to deliver the government’s Net Zero ambition and DfT will drive forwards that change through our longer-term green transport agenda. We have published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, setting out the steps we will take to deliver the necessary carbon reductions across every form of transport. Sustainability will be at the heart of levelling-up. People everywhere will feel the benefits - villages, towns, cities and countryside will be cleaner, greener, healthier and more prosperous and pleasant environments in which to live and work.

Departments supporting the outcome delivery

DfT’s progress towards a decarbonised transport system will play a vital role in delivering net zero across the wider economy by 2050. The department will continue engaging with colleagues across government, including the net zero lead BEIS and nature lead Defra, to ensure decarbonisation and environmental strategies and policies are aligned.

Our performance metrics

Delivery of the outcome will be measured, in part, through data collected against the following metrics:

Greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport, including HGVs (million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent), UK

122.2 MtCO₂e (million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent), 2019

2017	2018	2019
126.1	124.4	122.2

Source: Table 1, UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions, BEIS.
Release schedule: annually.

Total projected greenhouse gas emission savings from estimated DfT policies, inc. in Energy and Emissions Projections (million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent)

(2008-12)	(2013-17)	(2018-22)	(2023-27)	(2028-32)
11	21	55	99	158

Savings represent the total difference in emissions between current ‘firm and funded’ policies and a no-policy counterfactual.
Source: Annex D, Energy and Emissions Projections: 2019, BEIS.
Release schedule: annually.

New registrations of zero and ultra-low emission vehicles, proportion of new registrations, UK (per cent)

2.7% zero and ULE vehicles as proportion of new registrations, 2019

2017	2018	2019
1.7%	2.1%	2.7%

Source: VEH0150, Vehicle Licensing Statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: quarterly.

Average (mean) number of cycling trips as proportion of total trips, England (per cent)

2% cycling trips as proportion of total trips, 2019

2017	2018	2019
2%	2%	2%

Source: NTS0303, National Travel Survey, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Total number of cycling stages, England

964 million total stages cycled, 2019

2017	2018	2019
991	1,006	964

total stages^{[footnote 5]}

Source: CW0403, Walking and Cycling Statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Average (mean) number of walking trips as proportion of total trips, England (per cent)

26% walking trips as proportion of total trips, 2019

2017	2018	2019
26%	27%	26%

Source: NTS0303, National Travel Survey, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

Average (mean) annual number of walking stages per person, England

332 walking stages per person, 2019

2017	2018	2019
343	347	332

Source: CW0402, Walking and Cycling Statistics, DfT.
Release schedule: annually.

How our work contributes to the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Priority Outcome	Link to SDGs
Priority Outcome 3	SDG 3 - Good health and well-being (Targets 3.9)
	SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities (Targets 11.6)
	SDG 13 - Climate action (Targets 13.1, 13.2, 13.3)
	SDG 15 - Life on land (Targets 15.1, 15,2, 15.5, 15.9)

Projects and programmes

Some of the workstreams that will contribute to this priority outcome are:

Build on from the publication of the Decarbonising Transport Strategy: Setting the Challenge and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, detailing how we will deliver the emissions reductions needed to put transport on a credible pathway to net zero by 2050. Carbon impacts will continue to factor in transport policy and investment decisions.

Decarbonise road vehicles, working to eliminate all vehicle exhaust emissions before 2050. Publish a Delivery Plan for meeting 2030/5 target for Zero Emission Cars and Vans and a Green Paper on future UK regulatory framework. E10 petrol (i.e. petrol with up to 10% ethanol) introduced as standard fuel in the UK – September 2021. DfT will also work with local authorities to support setting up public charging networks, design the new £90 million infrastructure scheme and start to deliver upgraded grid connections across motorways and A-Roads, future-proofing the network by building on the 3,530 rapid chargers already available. We have recently launched a funding competition for Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas.

Accelerate modal shift to public and active transport, helping to make them the first choice for daily activities. Deliver commitments set out in the Prime Minister ‘Gear Change’ strategy, published in July 2020, which sets out 33 commitments and £2 billion of investment. This will include the launch of Active Travel England.

Decarbonise how we get our goods and pioneer new powertrain technologies across the sector, including hydrogen, embracing new industrial opportunities, existing zero emission technologies and low carbon fuels. This includes a new competition for work packages to develop the Zero Emission Road Freight Trials to pioneer zero emission long-haul HGV technology in the UK. We will publish a consultation on phase out dates for the sale of new diesel HGVs.

Develop place based solutions that reduce environmental impacts so that every place in the UK can decarbonise its own transport network before 2050, serving the unique needs of its communities. Sustainability will be at the heart of levelling up. We will continue to work with local authorities to develop air quality plans to tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations and provide support for implementation of their charging Clean Air Zones. DfT will continue its efforts to address the broader environmental impacts of transport construction such as embedded carbon and biodiversity. We will also work with MHCLG and Homes England to support the delivery of housing developments with good access to sustainable transport – especially where these are on sites within the wider DfT estate.

UK as a hub for green transport, technology and innovation, consolidating our position as an internationally recognised leader in green technology, science and research. We are increasing funding to support government’s target to increase R&D spend to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. The UK government will demonstrate global leadership at key events as we build towards COP26 in Glasgow, and will take ambitious action to meet our Paris Agreement commitments and reverse global biodiversity loss.

Reducing carbon in a global economy. UK aviation and shipping will achieve a drastic reduction in emissions by 2050. Our domestic lead will act as a showcase to the world and bolster our call to action internationally, where co-operation and collaboration will continue to be vital to decarbonise these industries. We will publish a Net Zero Aviation Strategy to deliver a cleaner and more sustainable aviation sector for the public. Within maritime we will implement an ambitious suite of commitments which were announced in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, provide grant funding through the £20 million Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, continue our efforts internationally to build a global consensus to strengthen the level of climate ambition at the IMO, and progress our implementation of the 2019 Clean Maritime Plan.

Outcome evaluation plan

The principal evaluations that will inform this outcome are listed below.

• we are developing an evaluation approach for the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
• through the Joint Air Quality Unit, we are evaluating local authority plans to tackle nitrogen dioxide concentrations by implementing measures to improve air quality, including Clean Air Zones
• we are developing an evaluation of the Active Travel Fund, which supports high-quality long-term projects to increase levels of cycling and walking – the evaluation will draw together findings from specific projects to understand the scheme’s effectiveness, impact and value for money
• a national evaluation of e-scooter rental schemes is underway – we are gathering evidence about the safety, benefits, public perceptions and wider impacts of e-scooters to guide future decisions about sustainable travel options

D. Strategic enablers

To deliver our priority outcomes – and reinforce the ambitions of the Declaration on Government Reform – we will focus on 4 key enablers.

Workforce, skills and location

Our work to deliver workforce, skills and location is based around 5 themes:

• building a flexible workforce for the future
• learning for all
• inspiring and effective leaders and managers
• inclusive and supportive workplace
• people centred systems and policies

We will:

• focus on DfT’s talent and performance management systems to meet personal and professional development needs as well as ensure performance is rewarded
• ensure DfT reflects the country it serves by growing its presence outside of London. We will also embrace new hybrid ways of working to enable inclusive and sustainable working practices
• continue to remove barriers to recruitment, development and promotion of a diverse workforce by delivering our inclusion strategy and testing new attraction and selection methods to improve our recruitment processes

Metrics

People survey engagement score

Year	Engagement score
2020	67%
2019	64%
2018	64%

Source: Civil Service People Survey.
Release schedule: annually.

Representation of female staff, ethnic minority staff and disabled staff

Year	Total Number of Staff	Female	Ethnic minority	Disabled
2020	2937	42.6%	21.9%	7.5%
2019	2786	41.2%	21.1%	6.9%
2018	2488	39.9%	20.7%	6.5%

Source: Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Dashboard.
Release schedule: quarterly.

Innovation, technology and data

Data is at the heart of DfT’s decision-making; we aim to be at the centre of a data-driven digital government. Our digital and data plans support our ambition to open transport data to everyone, allowing the delivery of innovative online services. As a “cloud first” department we will continue to modernise legacy IT, leveraging cloud native technologies and developing new services that support and exploit our data holdings, models and data analytics. The use of automation offers not just immediate efficiencies, but long-term benefits of an upskilled workforce supported by modern technology.

We will:

• invest in the tools, processes, standards and frameworks needed to enable safe, secure data sharing across the department to support decision making and enhance the citizen’s experience
• modernise core technologies and legacy IT systems to improve digital capability, enable automation, deliver efficiencies
• protect DfT’s digital services from information and cyber threats

Delivery, evaluation and collaboration

DfT is committed to delivering for the travelling public. Our project delivery capabilities, commercial role and corporate sponsorship of 27 ALBs all play an essential part in achieving those outcomes.

Project delivery

Through DfT’s Project Delivery Professionals and our Improvement Programme, we will enhance our capabilities to manage delivery of our large, complex and interrelated project portfolio.

We will:

• provide transparent accountability through regular reporting within the department, Cabinet Office, and Parliament, including through portfolio analysis
• champion Programme and Project Management (PPM) best practice and support staff to deliver to the highest standard
• strengthen our approach to incorporating lessons, assuring business cases, engaging with projects, enhancing approaches to benefits management and providing support throughout the project lifecycle

Commercial

By focusing on priorities of capability, growth, assurance and value for money, DfT’s commercial function will deliver the commercial solutions that will enable the department to deliver. Our Commercial Function will support sustainable commercial delivery through early stakeholder engagement and effective commercial lifecycle leadership.

We will:

• enhance DfT’s spend and engagement with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through its SME Action Plan and working with stakeholders
• focus on ensuring regular cashflow for the supply chain by paying all valid invoices within 5 working days of receipt^{[footnote 6]}

Shareholding and corporate sponsorship

DfT operates in a large and complex landscape and many of its policy and delivery outcomes are delivered via its 27 ALBs. DfT’s sponsor, client and shareholder capabilities are critical in managing these complex relationships.

We will:

• Work with ministers to provide clear objectives for our ALBs. Support our ALBs to deliver effectively and efficiently against Ministers’ objectives and to provide Value for Money for the taxpayer;
• Work with our public bodies to ensure our ALBs’ boards comprise capable and diverse directors who are empowered, accountable and effective;
• Work with our ALBs to ensure effective governance, controls and risk management.

Sustainability

As a departmental Priority Outcome, reducing the environmental impact of transport is at the heart of DfT’s strategy. In addition to publishing our Transport Decarbonisation Plan to deliver net zero emissions across all modes of transport by 2050, we will ensure that the Department’s wider policy programme is sustainable, and that the UK’s transport infrastructure remains resilient to climate change. This will be complemented by our work to reduce DfT’s own environmental impact through the Greening Government Commitments (GGC).

We will:

• deliver the work outlined as part of our priority outcomes to reduce the environmental impact of transport
• track DfT’s performance against the GGC targets for 2021-2025 and work to drive down our internal environmental impact^{[footnote 7]}

Metrics

Greenhouse gas emissions

Year	Total emissions reduction from 2009/10 baseline
2020	52%
2019	42%
2018	35%

Source: Greening Government Commitments annual reports, Defra.
Release schedule: annually.

E. Our equality objectives

For the travelling public

DfT’s aim is to develop and deliver a transport network that works for everyone. The Department is committed to its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and has embarked on a broad programme of work to ensure that all “protected characteristics” are considered in DfT policy making from an early stage.

Over the past year, the department has published details of new grant funding for innovative solutions to accessible travel challenges, announced the first companies to receive accreditation under the Inclusive Leaders Scheme and launched freely available disability equality training for transport operators. Building on the successes of last year, the Department continues to work towards making the transport network fully inclusive and accessible, including:

• disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone else – they will travel confidently, easily and without extra cost
  • by 2030, we envisage equal access for disabled people using the transport system, with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier – this will be achieved through our Inclusive Transport Strategy which brings together a range of commitments and equality objectives across all transport modes
• build in wider consideration of all protected characteristics in policy development practices by April 2022 through rolling out PSED training for DfT staff and embedding PSED considerations in current policy and project development structures
• develop a Centre of Excellence on equality issues for DfT and its ALBs that is fully operational by September 2022

For DfT’s staff

Our refreshed inclusion strategy will focus on 3 aims; being confidently diverse, being inclusive for everyone and maximising potential for all. The Department also has a dedicated Race Action Plan and delivery of our objectives is supported by strong networks.

DfT’s priorities include:

• increasing representation of our under-represented groups with a focus on BAME, gender, and disability particularly at our senior grades^{[footnote 8]}
• ensuring our recruitment processes and practices are inclusive^{[footnote 9]}
• building manager capability in leading diverse teams and new ways of working
• reducing our gender pay gap

1. Provisional priority outcomes and associated metrics will be adjusted through the next Spending Review as necessary, including to deliver the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. ↩

2. Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) is comprised of Resource AME (RAME) and Capital AME (CAME). ↩

3. Main Supply Estimate is currently subject to Parliamentary approval. Any changes arising from the Parliamentary approval process will be reflected in due course. ↩

4. Reflects main supply estimates for the department and its arms-length bodies (which includes executive agencies and public bodies). ↩

5. A trip consists of one or more stages. A new stage is defined when there is a change in the form of transport or when there is a change of vehicle requiring a separate ticket. ↩

6. The DfTc and its executive agencies (DVLA, DVSA, VCA and MCA) are committed to paying 90% of undisputed and valid invoices within 5 days and 100% of all undisputed and valid invoices to be paid within 30 days. Government departments are required to report their performance against these payment targets on a quarterly basis. ↩

7. New GGC targets for period 2021-25 will be published in spring 2021 ↩

8. Civil service workforce statistics ↩

9. DfT’s equality monitoring data is published annually ↩