Contributions
565 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage for the new clause, which would require GBR to produce annual reports and technical studies relating to road crossings, with the aim…10 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage for speaking to the new clauses. New clause 12 would require the Secretary of State to publish a report on the restoring your…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 (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)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 (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)The hon. Lady raises another valid point. It is right that train operators manage and enforce the byelaws and that GBR will have the added benefit that I have identified of…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)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 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessIt is a privilege to respond to this important debate on the potential merits of step-free upgrades at Leagrave railway station. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Luton…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessThe hon. Member pre-empts me, as I will turn to how this particular issue to do with the rail service intersects with the needs of the aviation sector. He is of course right to…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessHowever, we have heard powerfully from my hon. Friend about how dealing with Luton traffic is a key barrier to people accessing those accessibility benefits. I will give way to…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessAbsolutely. The Government want to realise the benefits of the aviation sector—its economic potential, but also, as my hon. Friend pointed to so powerfully as it pertains to rail,…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessI appreciate and respect the sentiment that lies behind the new clause that the hon. Member has tabled to the Railways Bill. I would say to him that, through clause 18 of the…09 Feb 2026HANSARDLeagrave Station: Step-free AccessMy hon. Friend is right to enlighten me as to the reality of motoring your way through Luton to access certain areas. She sets me a formidable challenge, which I dare not take on,…09 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Twelfth sitting)I will respond first to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East. The point about confusion does not pertain to confusion created through arbitration in the courts on the principles…05 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eleventh sitting)Good morning, Mr Western. It is once again a pleasure to serve under your chairship. I thank the hon. Member for South West Devon for these amendments, which all seek to make…05 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eleventh sitting)The hon. Member is of course right to be wary about the involvement of open access in the railway, because although such provision forms a comparatively small proportion of…05 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eleventh sitting)It is my pleasure to speak to this long-awaited group of amendment to what are arguably some of the most critical aspects of the legislation. Clause 60 will require GBR to set out…05 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eleventh sitting)I beg to move amendment 174, in clause 61, page 34, line 38, at end insert— “(4A) Agreement under subsection (4) may be general or specific, and the ways in which it may be given…05 Feb 2026