Contributions
1,335 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)The answer is no, because money was involved. A shining example of the restoring your railways project is the Northumberland line, which was created under and funded by the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I seek a bit of advice here, Sir Alec: I presume this is the right time to talk about new clause 35 as well.10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)The Conservatives are very supportive of the intention behind the new clause. The replacement for Network Rail within GBR cannot bring the same, frankly uninterested, culture to…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I have nothing to add. Question put and agreed to. New clause 61 accordingly read a Second time, and added to the Bill. New Clause 62 Transfer schemes made by Scottish Ministers…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)The Minister asserts that the amendments would make the process inefficient. Will he please explain why giving mayoral combined authorities or the Scottish or Welsh Ministers the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)New clause 31 seeks to reimpose minimum service levels. It would require the Secretary of State to make regulations to impose minimum service levels on passenger rail services,…10 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessI am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way. This is an important debate. If she has been following the proceedings of the Public Bill Committee for the Railways Bill, she will…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLord MandelsonThe hon. Member says that he would not buy a second-hand car from Mandelson. Would he have made him ambassador to the United States?04 Feb 2026HANSARDLord MandelsonThe Prime Minister made a huge deal about the process that had been gone through when he answered questions from the Leader of the Opposition earlier today. If I understand it…04 Feb 2026HANSARDLord MandelsonI was just thinking about the response that my right hon. Friend got from the permanent under- secretary. Does he think that was a permanent under-secretary trying to be helpful…04 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)The clause requires GBR to provide a discount fare scheme for passengers who are “young, elderly or disabled”—that is it—to ensure they can access cheaper rail fares and tickets.…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)The Minister says that he wants GBR to remain agile, but does he foresee a situation in which it is agile by removing the veterans railcard? If he says no, as I suspect he will,…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)I beg to move amendment 46, in clause 34, page 18, line 20, after “are” insert “UK veterans,”. This amendment, alongside Amendments 47 to 50 would require GBR to continue to offer…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)I am wholly unpersuaded. The Minister did his best, but he cannot hide from the huge disparity between setting up a stand-alone arm’s length business, which is meant to run itself…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)The Minister says that he wishes to have flexibility. The whole point is that we are trying to remove flexibility, so that GBR cannot take away discounts for 26 to 30-year-olds in…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)This should be a short debate, since amendments 56 to 60 serve a single function: to defend the long-term provision of discounts for 26 to 30-year-olds. Although clause 34 refers…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)As I intimated, I am happy to withdraw amendment 61, which is more of a probing amendment, and I will not move amendment 62. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)In the normal course of events I would not seek to have repeated amendments on variations of a theme. However, this matter is politically salient because it deals with a live…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)This may shock the Committee, but I listened carefully to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford, and his expertise has exposed a lack of knowledge on my part. I was not…03 Feb 2026