Communiqué from the Interministerial Group for Transport Matters: 5 March 2025
Published 11 June 2025
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The Inter-ministerial Group (IMG) for Transport met virtually on 5 March 2025 The meeting was chaired by Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales.
The attending ministers were from the:
- Scottish Government: Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport.
- UK government: Simon Lightwood MP, Minister for Local Transport.
- Northern Ireland Executive: Liz Kimmins MLA, Minister for Infrastructure.
The chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting.
The discussions focused on matters surrounding ports resilience, motoring tax reform and e-scooters and micro-mobility.
Ministers discussed the impact of the recent Storm Darragh, both to port connectivity and to the local community. They identified the need for improved UK-wide resilience following the resulting temporary closure of Holyhead Port. Ministers welcomed the establishment of the taskforce on sea connectivity between Wales and Ireland and agreed to explore possibilities for developing cross-government protocols for ports resilience.
Under the agenda item on motoring tax reform, ministers discussed the relationship between motoring taxes and the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), as well as the potential impact of developing technology on the EV charging landscape. Ministers agreed to keep an open dialogue on the matter and to share details with His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).
Finally, ministers considered the use of e-scooters with an update on progress of policy development and current Department for Transport trials. Discussion highlighted that ministers representing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were keen to monitor the outcomes of the trials in England and to be kept up to date with progress and timescales. There was agreement to work collaboratively on potential extensions of trials and associated policy development.
In closing, ministers discussed the opportunity to consider road safety, decarbonisation and the UK-EU reset of relations at a future IMG meeting.