Contributions
402 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)The hon. Gentleman and I are members of the same Select Committee and we tend to agree on most things, and I think that I agree with him again. In the here and now, however, and…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)I think we just heard an Opposition Member ask, “What were they doing?” in respect of the 1997 to 2010 Government. The answer, of course, is that capital investment had to be…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)As in this morning’s sitting, I draw attention to the fact that I am a member of Unite. I did not intend to speak in this particular debate, but I wish to respond briefly to some…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)Okay, perhaps we will come back to that. However, the hon. Member also mentioned the restoring the your railway fund, which he talked about as a success. When the last…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Third sitting)I must start by slightly disagreeing with the Minister on his approach to railway puns. The shadow Minister referred to the discussion on amendment 257 as a dispute; I reassure…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)Two per cent.22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Third sitting)It was 1948.22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Third sitting)The hon. Gentleman said a few moments ago that Trainline and other online retailers are not seeking to make ill use of their market position, but the Advertising Standards…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Third sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. At the outset, I wish to declare that I am a member of Unite. It is a privilege to speak at the start of these…22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Fourth sitting)The hon. Member particularly mentioned workforce productivity.22 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Third sitting)I absolutely agree, and we could point to other examples where franchises being taken in-house under previous Governments led to a service improvement. The Opposition’s problem…22 Jan 2026HANSARD Waste Collection: Birmingham and the West MidlandsI am sorry to have missed the start of the right hon. Lady’s speech. I am listening carefully to what she says. I am curious to know whether she raised concerns about the…21 Jan 2026HANSARD Waste Collection: Birmingham and the West MidlandsWill the right hon. Lady give way?21 Jan 2026HANSARD Waste Collection: Birmingham and the West MidlandsI am most grateful to the right hon. Lady for giving way; she is indeed being generous with her time. I listened to her comments about the former Mayor of the West Midlands with…21 Jan 2026HANSARDEngagementsQ2. NHS waiting lists in Birmingham are down by almost a quarter under Labour, and they are still falling. That is more than 28,000 people no longer stuck waiting for essential…21 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (First sitting)Q Moving on, the ORR will remain the regulator in Northern Ireland, as I understand it. It is quite a general question, but how does the role of the regulator under the Bill…20 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (First sitting)Q Is it correct that, in theory, it has an appeals function? John Larkinson: I think this is the thing: in theory, yes, but in practice there are very few issues that come to us…20 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (First sitting)Q The ORR has taken an interest in the transfer of ownership to DFTO of individual franchises—I think that is recorded in the board minutes from last year. As far as I can see, it…20 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (First sitting)Q I have one final question for Mr Hynes and Mr Westlake. We talked on the Transport Committee some time ago about progress with shadow GBR and the preparations for…20 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (First sitting)Q I have a follow-up about passenger growth targets and freight growth targets. This question is not new: the freight growth target is inherited and was included or announced in…20 Jan 2026