Contributions
805 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHS2 ResetI can assure my hon. Friend that we are determined to see the main works civil engineering contracts completed as soon as possible. That is the element of construction that…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetWe are not going to be a country that spends over £30 billion on rail infrastructure but then never sees a train running on it. We have already seen too much waste, and I am…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI share my hon. Friend’s anger. He is a powerful advocate for his constituents, who have endured disruption, and I agree entirely that the way this project was handled was a…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetThere are challenges across the rail network, and I readily accept that improvements are needed in many parts of the country. I do not necessarily accept that the south-west is…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetWe have appointed new leadership. We are establishing new governance. We are looking at the incentives contained in the contracts on the civil engineering works. We will make sure…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetThe right hon. Lady may have heard the Chancellor announce in the spending review over £400 million of investment in the Welsh railways over 10 years. That will enable work to…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI would be very happy to ask the Rail Minister to meet the hon. Gentleman to talk about the stations in Birmingham that he mentions.18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI am aware that the Mayor of the West Midlands and the Mayor of Greater Manchester have put proposals to the Government on this issue. In the mid-2030s, we are likely to see…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI can assure my hon. Friend that the Government 100% recognise the need to improve rail connectivity in the midlands and the north. He is also right to highlight the need for a…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetDawlish is a very beautiful part of the country, so I am very tempted to take the hon. Gentleman up on his invitation. This is the second time in this statement that the Dawlish…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetWe have a really important programme of work across all arms-length bodies of the Department for Transport, including the DVSA. It is really important that we provide public…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetWe are exploring finance options for the lower Thames crossing. On Monday we announced that there would be £590 million of public funding this year to take forward utility works…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI can assure my hon. Friend that the estimated cost of the bat structure is £95 million in 2019 prices. I agree that we cannot have an environmental mitigations regime that allows…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetAs I said in my statement, the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to investigate whether the James Stewart report raises any questions for the civil service or the…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetWhile the delivery of the Elizabeth line was one of my proudest achievements as deputy mayor for transport in London, I must admit that it was not without its challenges. The…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetEast West Rail is fundamentally different from the construction of HS2. The hon. Gentleman will know that it is being delivered in three phases, and that it is only the latter…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI am very conscious of the need to invest in and improve public transport in Stockport, and if the council would like to write to me with any relevant information, I will gladly…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetIf the hon. Gentleman had bothered to read the spending review last week, he would have seen that the Government have committed £25 billion over the next four years, which enables…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI thank the hon. Gentleman for his response, and indeed for the tone with which he made his comments. I was pleased to hear him acknowledge that mistakes had been made on HS2 by…18 Jun 2025HANSARDHS2 ResetI thank the Chair of the Transport Committee for her comments. She is right to recognise the excellent work that HS2 has done on skills and the workforce. We have over 300,000…18 Jun 2025