Contributions
1,117 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure Bill24 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure BillI thank the noble Lord, Lord Gascoigne, for tabling this amendment. The Chief Whip on our side is no longer present, but I can hear him saying, “Get on with it”, so I shall. I…24 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure BillMy Lords, in respect of lane rental schemes, the Government are committed to reducing disruption from street works and improving the efficiency of our road networks. Lane rental…24 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure BillMy Lords, it was of course a pleasure to hear the noble Lord, Lord Gascoigne, introduce these amendments. He referred to the success of the Thames Tideway project, and there were…24 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure BillMy Lords, I apologise: I prematurely terminated the journey of this part of the Bill. I will seek to be very brief. The Government are committed to ensuring effective planning,…24 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewMy noble friend probably knows the answer, but I am happy to give it anyway. Open-access operators can charge what they like, and no doubt will continue to do so.17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewThe long-term answer is that the railway deserves to be run by competent, professional people. The involvement of Ministers in decisions about timetables and fares is extremely…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewThe noble Lord has a point of view, but I do not agree with it. Currently, the ORR is independent. In the future, the Government’s proposals will leave it independent. It will…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewTicketless travel is a real problem. Operators have to be on their toes, because leaving gates open at times when people travel means that they will just walk through them. It is…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewIt needs to be sorted and it will have to be sorted, over time. I refer to my experience at Transport for London, where we radically changed the fare system and introduced…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTransport Act 2000 (Air Traffic Services) (Prescribed Terms) Regulations 2025That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 3 June be approved. Relevant document: 28th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Considered in Grand…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewMy Lords, deliberate fare-dodging has no place on our railways and is being tackled, but it is vital that passengers are treated fairly and consistently. We are urgently…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewThe noble Lord knows as much about the December east coast main line timetable as I do now. I compliment him because he asked the flexible public sector operators to add a stop at…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewThe new east coast main line timetable includes several big improvements, such as knocking over a quarter of an hour off the direct journey to Edinburgh and a service to Newcastle…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTrain Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices ReviewThe noble Baroness is right to describe it as a mess. We are not waiting for Great British Railways. LNER’s changes to long-distance fares, which have been introduced…17 Jul 2025HANSARDTransport Act 2000 (Air Traffic Services) (Prescribed Terms) Regulations 2025I thank the noble Lord for his intervention. I will write further on what we can say about the projected timescales of conclusion. It is enough to note for now that this work is…14 Jul 2025HANSARDTransport Act 2000 (Air Traffic Services) (Prescribed Terms) Regulations 2025My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their consideration of these draft regulations. I will now attempt to respond to the specific points raised. I was pleased to hear the noble…14 Jul 2025HANSARDRail FreightMy Lords, the Government are committed to supporting rail freight growth, recognising its significant economic and environmental potential and its critical role in the UK’s…14 Jul 2025HANSARDRail FreightTaxation, as my noble friend well knows, is a matter for His Majesty’s Treasury, so I will not comment further on that. Access charges paid by freight for utilising the network do…14 Jul 2025HANSARDRail FreightThe noble Baroness may know that, actually, that is not a new scheme. In respect of rail freight to Europe, the Government clearly have an interest in promoting it. The Channel…14 Jul 2025