Contributions
805 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAirport ExpansionI wish to update the House on the Government’s position regarding airport expansion and the transition to greener aviation. The Government recognise that air connectivity plays a…29 Jan 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsTransport is at the heart of this Government’s plan for change. Since I joined the Department more than a month ago, we have introduced the Bus Services Bill, which will give…09 Jan 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI, along with the Rail Minister, will be meeting the management of Northern Rail before the end of this month.09 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway CapacityI congratulate my hon. Friend on her election as Chair of the Transport Committee. She will be formidable and I look forward to working with her. I am pleased that my hon. Friend…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway CapacityI understand how passionately the hon. Lady feels about the scheme, and the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway CapacityMay I extend my condolences and those of the Government to the family of Baroness Randerson? I know she was a deeply loved and highly respected colleague to many. On the hon.…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway CapacityTransport is central to this Government’s plans for rebuilding Britain and growing our economy. We are committed to investing in the rail capacity needed to support that growth.…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceThe truth of the matter is that when this Government came to office, we inherited a raft of half-baked, unfunded schemes that we are having to work through to provide a sensible…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceWe are more than matching the commitments made by the previous Government. Let me say gently to the hon. Gentleman that his commitment in respect of resurfacing roads falls into…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI will ask my colleague the Minister for the Future of Roads to have that meeting with the council. However, the additional money that we have provided, and the individual…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI disagree slightly with the hon. Gentleman, because I think a £500 million uplift is proper funding—it represents, on average, a 40% increase, and it takes the overall amount of…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI have been clear that local transport authorities should use the money in a way that provides excellent value for money for the taxpayer, and the situation that the hon. Member…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI totally agree with my hon. Friend. We need to get the basics right as a country, and fixing our roads is the first step to getting our economy firing on all cylinders. We did…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceOur broken roads have long been a national embarrassment, and a proper fund to fix our roads has long been overdue. In answer to my hon. Friend’s specific question, RAC data shows…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceWe agree that local authorities should not just patch potholes, but focus on long-term preventive programmes for repairing and maintaining all parts of the highway network,…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about the damage that potholes can cause for all road users. We have committed record money to fixing this issue and to enabling councils to get…09 Jan 2025HANSARDLocal Transport Authorities and Mayors: Financial SupportWe consider business cases for rail enhancements fairly, and no undue advantage would be given to the areas that the hon. Gentleman suggested. I was fortunate in my first couple…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI can assure the hon. Gentleman that we have nothing against car drivers and truck users. We appreciate the long-standing local desire for dualling the A1 from Morpeth to…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceThe Government are determined to help local authorities in England to tackle the highways maintenance backlog that is the result of a decade of under-investment by the previous…09 Jan 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am happy to speak further with the hon. Gentleman about his concerns regarding local bus services. I know how critical bus services are for young people wanting to get to…09 Jan 2025