Contributions
2,622 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSpace Industry (Appeals) Regulations 2021My Lords, these regulations relating to the space industry are made under the powers conferred by the Space Industry Act 2018, which I will call the SIA. The contracting-out order…29 Jun 2021HANSARDSpace Industry (Appeals) Regulations 2021That the Grand Committee do consider the Space Industry (Appeals) Regulations 2021. Relevant document: 4th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee29 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI am sure all noble Lords will agree that, just because something is old, that does not mean it is useless. We must look at all technologies, and that is precisely what we do. My…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemMy Lords, the Government have thoroughly investigated whether our forthcoming major investment in connectivity between northern cities should be maglev rather than rail. We…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI can reassure the noble Lord that the Government are considering all options as part of the integrated rail plan and of course, Northern Powerhouse Rail is a very important part…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemThe Government are working extremely hard on setting out plans as to how we will improve connectivity in the north. As I mentioned previously, the integrated rail plan will be…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI can reassure my noble friend that we are of course looking at connectivity across the regions. A number of urban centres need to be connected, and it is really important that we…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI accept that there are capacity constraints on the East Coast Main Line, which is why we are investing more than £1.2 billion to upgrade it. On 11 June, LNER launched a…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemMy Lords, I suspect that it will not be an either/or situation in the future, as indeed it is not now. We are actively considering opportunities for automation and AI. We want to…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI, too, am extremely excited by technology. The noble Baroness said that there has been widespread take-up of maglev technology across Asia, but that is not the case. The…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemI think that that is a rather extreme assessment of what I have said so far. I reiterate that the integrated rail plan must come first. Without it, it is pointless having a plan…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemThe absolute priority for this Government is to get it right. Endless amounts of pressure—questions such as “When will it be published?”—is probably not particularly helpful and…28 Jun 2021HANSARDNorth of England: Rapid Mass Transport SystemNow we are all very jealous—I too would love to go on that maglev. The noble Lord makes an important point: it is not just about the cost of infrastructure, but of operation,…28 Jun 2021HANSARDGreat British Railway PlansMy noble friend is quite right but HS2 is not just about speed, as I so often need to say in your Lordships’ House. As he mentions, it is about bringing our regions closer…22 Jun 2021HANSARDGreat British Railway PlansSadly, I do not remember that from the Express. One of the words that the noble Lord said was absolutely critical: “construction”. HS2 and East West Rail are indeed both in…22 Jun 2021HANSARDHuman Rights at SeaAs the noble Lord will be aware, the Government have good relationships with many countries in the Middle East and we work very closely with them in order to minimise the loss of…22 Jun 2021HANSARDGreat British Railway PlansMy Lords, there are no such plans. In reference to the noble Lord’s statements about HS2 and East West Rail being separate infrastructure managers, I say that there are 13…22 Jun 2021HANSARDGreat British Railway PlansGoodness—I think we are a little early in the game to be discussing those sorts of arrangements, but I have answered the question about Northern Powerhouse Rail. The integrated…22 Jun 2021HANSARDGreat British Railway PlansMy Lords, HS2 Ltd and East West Rail Ltd are currently separate from Network Rail and are delivering important additions to our rail network. The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail is…22 Jun 2021HANSARDHuman Rights at SeaI can certainly agree that states predominantly have the responsibility for enforcing and making sure that human rights at sea are indeed followed. Of course, the Government share…22 Jun 2021