Contributions
565 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage for tabling the new clauses, which I will address in turn. New clause 14 would require the Secretary of State to lay before…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)It is continuously important to bear in mind where the last Government may have strayed from the path of productive policymaking, and we have done so robustly in reflecting on the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)The shadow Minister makes a valid point about the need to ensure value for money for taxpayers and to ensure productivity as part of GBR’s processes. We differ on the mechanism by…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for that important clarification and I happily correct my remarks to reflect that. However, I do not believe that it changes the substance of my point:…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for that. Question put and agreed to. Clause 87 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Schedule 3 Minor and consequential amendments Amendments…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)Clause 87 points towards schedule 3, which contains minor and consequential amendments arising from the Bill. The Bill has broadened its scope, and much of the related previous…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Members for Didcot and Wantage and for Broadland and Fakenham for tabling the new clauses, which relate to enhancements on the rail network or the impacts of…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)My hon. Friend is right to have the aspiration that public sector workers, who keep the wheels of our economy turning by facilitating connectivity and allowing the private sector…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Good morning, Sir Alec; it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship once again. I thank the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham for amendments 103 to 106, which would…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western, in what could well be our final session, unfortunately, on this big and beautiful Bill, as somebody across the pond…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourteenth sitting)May I begin by thanking everyone personally for the way that they have conducted themselves and approached the Bill? As a relatively new Minister taking on my first major piece of…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)The Government are committed to a more locally focused railway under GBR, and provisions in the Bill, and ongoing engagement with local government partners, demonstrate the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I beg to move amendment 161, in clause 83, page 49, leave out line 11 and insert— “(a) railways in the body’s area, or (b) railway services— (i) between places in the body’s area,…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Enabling mayoral combined authorities to be consulted on GBR’s proposals creates a basis on which MCAs and GBR can engage with each other to explore challenges as could relate to…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Later in the Bill, we will turn to different forms of traction, but I doubt whether we will cover the horse-drawn variety, so I am glad that the shadow Minister found the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Amendments 201 and 202 in my name will allow the Government to extend clause 86, on the Cape Town convention and the Luxembourg protocol to the convention as they relate to…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. The clause will ensure that network or station operators can recover the costs of removing a road vehicle that is causing…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)The shadow Minister is right to champion the interests of users of the railway and to ensure that the people who enforce such charges are scrupulous. Network and station…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I will begin by attempting to assuage some of the shadow Minister’s concerns in this space as it relates to the ORR and licensing. There are no plans to transfer the train driving…10 Feb 2026