To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assistance her Department provides to local authorities or directly elected mayors to participate in the European Commission’s Civitas programme promoting sustainable energy cities. (192813)

We welcome the involvement of towns in the UK in the Civitas programme which is helping to drive local transport innovation and sharing of best practice about sustainable travel initiatives. On 3 March, I met representatives from Civitas initiatives across Europe and helped them celebrate the launch of the UK and Ireland Civitas network.