Contributions
805 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]There are not specific criteria and provisions in this Bill, but I can assure my hon. Friend that my ministerial colleagues and I are very aware of those issues. Although…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]I will make some progress. I am conscious that a number of Members want to speak, and I would like to allow as many people as possible to make contributions. I want to say…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]If I may, I will write to the hon. Gentleman to confirm that point, but I understand why he is keen to raise it. In conclusion, I would say that for too long and in too many…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I start by thanking my friend, the Minister of State for Rail, for being an excellent advocate and custodian of the Bill as…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]The Bill will improve the ability of local transport authorities to deal with precisely that sort of situation.02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]We will be looking carefully at this issue. I am very conscious of the needs of the visually impaired community, but I am also very conscious of the need to protect cyclists and…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]Through the Bill, we will be giving local transport authorities the power to determine socially necessary local services. That relates to access to employment, jobs, things like…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]I will make some progress. Before I come to the Bill’s key measures, I will briefly set out the context. Although it may be tempting for me to lay the blame for the current state…02 Jun 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]I am going to make some progress. However, in some areas such as franchising, the last Government did not go far enough, so this Bill will not only build on previous reforms but…02 Jun 2025HANSARDSouth Western Railway: Transfer to Public OwnershipFollowing my statement in December last year, I can confirm to the House that on Sunday 25 May 2025, South Western Railway’s services will transfer into public ownership. South…22 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Lady mentioned this to me a couple of days ago when I bumped into her, but I regret to inform her that the Department does not currently have any plans to take forward a…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs tempting as the hon. Lady’s invitation is, I regret that I will not be able to do that, and I will not commit the Roads Minister to it either, but we will look at the matters…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am aware that feasibility studies have been done on 50 Access for All stations, and we are reviewing the outcomes of those studies. I apologise to the right hon. Gentleman for…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsWith the transfer of South Western trains into public ownership in 10 days’ time, the Government are determined to turn this situation around, but I have to say that we have…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsA review is being conducted by the National Energy System Operator on the Heathrow substation fire. The interim report has been published, and we expect the full report in June.…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe answer I gave to the shadow Secretary of State’s previous question was that if, as an operator of the railway, we felt it was necessary to take a strike on grounds of safety,…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI appreciate the importance of aviation to the Northern Ireland economy and thank the hon. Gentleman for his interest in this matter. As the Minister responsible for aviation, my…15 May 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsAfter years of dither and delay, we are taking bold action to take the brakes off growth, create jobs and get Britain moving. Last week, we announced a lower minimum age for train…15 May 2025HANSARDLower Thames CrossingI would be very happy to have that meeting with my hon. Friend and his colleagues.15 May 2025HANSARDLower Thames CrossingIn March, we took the decision to approve National Highways’ planning application for the lower Thames crossing, which is a big step forward for the project and ends decades of…15 May 2025