19/05/2016

:00:00. > :00:07.that a humble address be presented to her Majesty as on the order

:00:08. > :00:10.paper. I call the Secretary of State for Transport, secretary McCloclan.

:00:11. > :00:22.I would like to make a brief statement about the loss of Egyptian

:00:23. > :00:27.flight flight. The Airbus 320 was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew

:00:28. > :00:31.between Paris and Cairo, disappeared from radar at approximately 1. 30am

:00:32. > :00:35.over the waters of the eastern Mediterranean. We understand that

:00:36. > :00:40.one of those passengers on board is a UK national and that consu lar

:00:41. > :00:44.staff are in contact with the family and providing support. I know the

:00:45. > :00:47.House will want to join me in saying our thoughts are with the family and

:00:48. > :00:51.friends of all of those on board T Government is in touch with the

:00:52. > :00:55.Egyptian and French Government, the French authorities and has offered

:00:56. > :00:58.full assistance. The air accident investigation branch has offered to

:00:59. > :01:07.assist with the investigation in anyway that it can.

:01:08. > :01:14.I am extremely grateful to my Right Honourable friend, as party of the

:01:15. > :01:18.all party Egypt group, may I thank him and associate myself and the

:01:19. > :01:22.group with the condolences he has expressed. Can I ask one question,

:01:23. > :01:27.will the Government be seeking to discuss with the French authorities,

:01:28. > :01:32.in particular, whether the French authorities are satisfied that the

:01:33. > :01:36.measures that they are taking to screen passengers and luggage at

:01:37. > :01:40.Paris meets the kind of requirements that we in the United Kingdom feel

:01:41. > :01:45.are necessary, bearing in mind that I believe a number of people

:01:46. > :01:49.air-side in Paris have had their authorityisation revoked because of

:01:50. > :01:53.their association with Islamic association? As I said, it is far

:01:54. > :01:57.too early yet to make any assumptions as to what has happened.

:01:58. > :02:01.Of course we will be wanting to look at all of these issues and discuss

:02:02. > :02:04.them with the French authorities and others as well. I can assure my

:02:05. > :02:11.honourable friend that is something that we will want to take further

:02:12. > :02:18.further. Mr -- further forward. It is a pleasure to open the debate on

:02:19. > :02:25.Her Majesty's gracious speech. I welcome the talks of transport and

:02:26. > :02:29.infrastructure. Yesterday was about building a stronger and modern

:02:30. > :02:32.economy, which provides security for all people and opportunity at every

:02:33. > :02:35.stage of life. A country fit for the future. No matter what the

:02:36. > :02:40.challenges it faces, because if we have learnt anything from the past

:02:41. > :02:44.decade, it is that we need to be better prepared, more responsible

:02:45. > :02:47.during the times of plenty, so that when, so we can weather the more

:02:48. > :02:51.difficult times. In the last Parliament we had to take some tough

:02:52. > :02:56.economic decisions. But they were the right economic decisions. We

:02:57. > :03:05.earned a hard-fought recover fri recession and the financial crisis N

:03:06. > :03:09.2014, Britain was the fastest major advance economy in the world N 2015

:03:10. > :03:14.we were the second fastest after the United States. Mr Speaker, 2016, the

:03:15. > :03:20.employment rate hit another record high. More families are benefits

:03:21. > :03:24.from the security of regular wages. And unemployment has fallen once

:03:25. > :03:30.again. The deficit is down by two-thirds as a share of GDP from

:03:31. > :03:35.2010. And the OBR have forecast it will be eliminated by 2019-2020.

:03:36. > :03:40.That recovery is still going on today. And with the global economy

:03:41. > :03:44.slowing, it is even more vital that we stick to our long-term economic

:03:45. > :03:49.plan. But it is not just responsible

:03:50. > :03:54.fiscal statutory we need, we also need to invest for Britain's future,

:03:55. > :03:59.to create the capacity and space we need to grow. For decades, we have

:04:00. > :04:04.been slipping down with global infrastructure league tables. Mr

:04:05. > :04:10.Speaker, if I were to take an example from recent history, and let

:04:11. > :04:16.me pluck two years out of thin air, say between 1997 and 2010, it is

:04:17. > :04:23.true to say that in those 13 years that I take at random, Mr Speaker,

:04:24. > :04:28.Britain has slipped from seventh to 33rd in the world infrastructure

:04:29. > :04:34.league tables. The result, we watched as our roads

:04:35. > :04:39.have grown congested, our railways overcrowded and our town centres

:04:40. > :04:44.choked with traffic. We cannot move goods and people efficiently from

:04:45. > :04:47.one place to another, how can we expect businesses to invest in

:04:48. > :04:51.Britain? Building the infrastructure Britain needs to compete is one of

:04:52. > :04:55.the defining challenges of the age. So, we have spent the past six years

:04:56. > :05:00.in Government turning things around. Now I could, Mr Speaker, take a

:05:01. > :05:04.lesson from the Leader of the Opposition yesterday, but I hope my

:05:05. > :05:08.speech will not be as bad thaz, so I give way to my honourable friend. I

:05:09. > :05:12.am grateful to the Secretary of State. I wonder if he would

:05:13. > :05:17.recognise that one of the areas of gaining employment is the

:05:18. > :05:22.infrastructure from where you live to where you want to work. I wonder

:05:23. > :05:28.if he will recall standing on the platform of a former railway stages

:05:29. > :05:32.and whether he could bring forward plans to extend the robinhood line

:05:33. > :05:35.in the future. I remember being with my honourable friend just over 12

:05:36. > :05:39.months ago. I cannot remember what was happening at the time, but I

:05:40. > :05:44.well remember my visit to his efficient and I well remember the

:05:45. > :05:48.fantastic result he had at the subsequent general election and the

:05:49. > :05:51.way in which he's always pushed for more infrastructure in his area. I

:05:52. > :05:58.would like to see us working with him and the local authority to see

:05:59. > :06:03.what other systems of transport we could give. Nottingham has not done

:06:04. > :06:07.too bad as far as infrastructure investment is concerned. The fact is

:06:08. > :06:12.we have seen a huge amount of investment as far as the new station

:06:13. > :06:17.is concerned. And the dualing of the A 457, which I am very grateful that

:06:18. > :06:25.the honourable lady was able to join me at when it was opened. Well, she

:06:26. > :06:31.says, thanks to a Labour County Council. Actually those plans were

:06:32. > :06:37.progressed by a Conservative county council when it was in office and

:06:38. > :06:42.had not been progressed as she well knows. I will give way to my

:06:43. > :06:46.honourable friend. I thank the Secretary of State for giving way.

:06:47. > :06:53.He knows whatly raise with him and he picked the years of 1997 to 2010

:06:54. > :06:59.at random. In 1997, my predecessor said a by pass would get built. In

:07:00. > :07:05.2010 it was no longer a spade in the ground. Promised before the last

:07:06. > :07:10.election that we build the relief road and spur and we are looking at

:07:11. > :07:14.that to deal with the problem. Can he confirm to me we are prepared to

:07:15. > :07:18.press ahead with that as fast as possible because we talk about

:07:19. > :07:24.growing the economy and growing jobs, that is very vital for my

:07:25. > :07:29.area. My honourable #23re7bd is a neighbour. We border -- friend is a

:07:30. > :07:33.neighbour. We border a lot of the constituencies. I am pleased to

:07:34. > :07:38.confirm our road investment strategy. And the pointed we want to

:07:39. > :07:42.go further and we have commissioned a report from quol lin Matthews

:07:43. > :07:46.about connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield, which

:07:47. > :07:50.would have a huge beneficial effect for his own constituency. I am

:07:51. > :07:54.slightly worried about the amount of time I will take and the amount of

:07:55. > :07:57.people who are seeking to intervene on me. I cannot resist the

:07:58. > :08:07.honourable lady. I hope the secretary of state will

:08:08. > :08:11.comment on the woeful transport situation in my constituency. There

:08:12. > :08:15.are no plans to improve Ahki road network and the three motorways

:08:16. > :08:20.there, there are no plans for substantial goods to our real

:08:21. > :08:26.services through Eccles, our bus services are woeful and we've had a

:08:27. > :08:29.3.6% increase in traffic in Salford, three times the greater Manchester

:08:30. > :08:32.average and on Monday I'm missing the register speak about them

:08:33. > :08:35.building their fifth garden which will bring 1 million visitors in

:08:36. > :08:39.Salford every year, how will they be brought in? I will come on to say

:08:40. > :08:42.more about the infrastructure wouldn't want roads and the

:08:43. > :08:45.devolution were given to local authorities and I think offer should

:08:46. > :08:51.be a strong position to take advantage of some those measures. Mr

:08:52. > :08:57.Speaker, thing for the final time at this stage I will give way. Grateful

:08:58. > :09:04.for giving way, can I pick two years out of thin air? 2010-2020 will mark

:09:05. > :09:09.a decade of zero investment on the entity six in Chester when the

:09:10. > :09:12.Government is not refusing to that -- to upgrade the motorway but has

:09:13. > :09:16.refused to take a responsible tea for even installing police and

:09:17. > :09:21.Highways Agency cameras so that we can know what problems there are.

:09:22. > :09:26.What can my constituents look forward to? The honourable member is

:09:27. > :09:30.calling for more spending on infrastructure and I join him insane

:09:31. > :09:34.week to spend more money when of the structure and make sure that when we

:09:35. > :09:37.spend it we spend it properly and do it in a planned manner. Of the

:09:38. > :09:42.investment we are doing we will look at some of the places that even with

:09:43. > :09:47.the extra investment we've given, will speak more about that, in areas

:09:48. > :09:52.with not be able to cover providing the get the other sides of the

:09:53. > :09:57.economy in good order. Mr Speaker, as I was saying before I took those

:09:58. > :10:00.interventions, in the past six years we've turned things around as far as

:10:01. > :10:04.infrastructure is concerned, we've climbed the global infrastructure

:10:05. > :10:10.investment league table and were in the top ten ahead of France, Japan

:10:11. > :10:17.and Germany. Action is on the way, wider roads, faster trains, better

:10:18. > :10:24.urban transport, south-west widening A30 and Afeels great. Brand-new

:10:25. > :10:25.trains on order and the north-west Manchester Victoria station

:10:26. > :10:31.transformed an electric trains on the northern half and motorways

:10:32. > :10:36.whitened. In East Anglia, A11 opened at Norwich distributor road under

:10:37. > :10:39.construction and finally to act on the A47, was a nose of great

:10:40. > :10:44.interest, honourable friend who will wind up this debate and the A14 in

:10:45. > :10:50.the Midlands. A transformation at Birmingham new Street station, the'

:10:51. > :10:56.one partly covered and the four lane running, could go on, the Crossrail

:10:57. > :11:00.in an -- in London, action right around the country. Time will not

:11:01. > :11:05.allow me to take more interventions and carry on with my list of

:11:06. > :11:10.improvements. I will give way. Thank you for his mention of the

:11:11. > :11:14.south-west and the real key issue for us is making sure we have an

:11:15. > :11:21.alternative railway line from the one gender doll which allowed we get

:11:22. > :11:26.the A303 so we have better transport and have a better productivity,

:11:27. > :11:30.which is lamentable. Thank you. I'm grateful to honourable friend. I

:11:31. > :11:33.remember him deliver party manifesto that they were going to cancel some

:11:34. > :11:37.of the road programmes we were speaking about in south-west and

:11:38. > :11:43.they mentioned specifically something that we all remind them of

:11:44. > :11:47.time and time again. A Treasury report last year revealed over 400

:11:48. > :11:51.billion of infrastructure workers currently planned across the country

:11:52. > :11:55.and the biggest slice of that is transport. Overall cross-border

:11:56. > :12:00.infrastructure spending will rise by 50% during this parliament. That

:12:01. > :12:04.means we can invest ?50 million to maintain and improve our roads. The

:12:05. > :12:08.largest figure for a generation. ?6 billion from local highways

:12:09. > :12:11.maintenance, double the spending of the last Labour Government, and

:12:12. > :12:15.giving local authorities are multi-year funding settlement for

:12:16. > :12:21.the first time this has ever been done with an additional ?250 million

:12:22. > :12:29.to find a local portals. Contrast that with the Labour record, between

:12:30. > :12:34.2001 and 2010, an extra 574 Extra Lane miles were added to our

:12:35. > :12:38.motorways. We are adding 1/1000 300 miles, Labour only electrified ten

:12:39. > :12:44.miles of railway track, already we've done five times that amount

:12:45. > :12:48.and anyone who goes on the great Western line can see there are many

:12:49. > :12:52.more to come very soon. We are delivering the most ambitious rail

:12:53. > :12:58.modernisation programme since the Victorian era, the ?40 billion

:12:59. > :13:01.investment. Crossrail, Thames link electrification, intercity IEP

:13:02. > :13:06.programme, new carriages being built and new factories opened by the

:13:07. > :13:10.Prime Minister in the north-east, by a company that has moved its global

:13:11. > :13:17.headquarters to Britain, Hitachi. And HS2, which starts construction

:13:18. > :13:20.next year. This is a new staff infrastructure which will make

:13:21. > :13:27.Britain one of the leading transport investors. The gracious speech also

:13:28. > :13:29.supports legislation to back infrastructure commission, the

:13:30. > :13:33.commission was much influence is already being felt. These

:13:34. > :13:39.recommendations we've invested an extra 250 million to improve what --

:13:40. > :13:44.northern transport connectivity. And it is on top of the record ?13

:13:45. > :13:48.billion already committed across the North, we've given the Green light

:13:49. > :13:52.to HS2 E between Leeds and Manchester and allocated an extra

:13:53. > :14:00.?80 million to help fund the development of Crossrail. Obi

:14:01. > :14:04.pleased to say by the end of this Parliament Crossrail one will be

:14:05. > :14:08.operating, the Elizabeth line, which will be a significant investment in

:14:09. > :14:13.transport in London for many generations I think it will make a

:14:14. > :14:19.very welcome addition to the infrastructure in the capital. I

:14:20. > :14:24.give way. Thank you. I'm just worried about Sheffield's position

:14:25. > :14:28.in that list of schemes. HS three was referred as going from digester

:14:29. > :14:34.to Leeds, not connecting to Sheffield, as that dispute the

:14:35. > :14:38.Government's raider, Whiley secretary confirmed there is no trip

:14:39. > :14:43.-- truth in the stories of consideration being given to abandon

:14:44. > :14:49.the -- abandoning decision Sheffield for HS2, there will be a station and

:14:50. > :14:54.will get NHS to be as well? And coming on to say something is wet

:14:55. > :14:59.HS2 and if the honourable member does the live as it is question I

:15:00. > :15:03.will give way later on. As Mike does not think I answer. I hope you will

:15:04. > :15:07.be reassured. This all adds up to an ambitious pipeline of schemes that

:15:08. > :15:11.will not only free of capacity, boost freight and improve travel,

:15:12. > :15:15.but will also help us to attract jobs, rebalance the economy and make

:15:16. > :15:19.us a more prosperous country. Of course, well some of this is

:15:20. > :15:23.happening there will be disruption, there will be inconvenience, but

:15:24. > :15:27.when the work is done you get the benefits, adult Reading station was

:15:28. > :15:32.the new Wakefield station or at Nottingham station, infrastructure

:15:33. > :15:36.that will prepare Britain for the future. That is what is behind the

:15:37. > :15:38.modern transport Bill, Bill to pave the way for the technologies and

:15:39. > :15:47.transport of tomorrow, we already developing the charge it

:15:48. > :15:52.infrastructure for electric and hybrid vehicles, space flight and

:15:53. > :15:56.drool -- drivers cause might be science fiction but these boys are

:15:57. > :15:59.vast and were damaged Britain will benefit by leading their

:16:00. > :16:02.development, driverless cars will come under new legislation so they

:16:03. > :16:09.can be insured under ordinary policies, those new laws will help

:16:10. > :16:13.toddlers and driverless vehicles become an option for private by --

:16:14. > :16:17.buyers and fleets. -- autonomous. The Giza tablet is one of the best

:16:18. > :16:21.kisses to research and develop those vehicles, just as we are leading the

:16:22. > :16:24.way with words testing to ensure cars meet emissions standards,

:16:25. > :16:27.cleaning up the air quality in our cities. Through this bill we will

:16:28. > :16:33.strengthen our position as a leader in the intelligence more stability

:16:34. > :16:37.sector that is currently growing by next to make -- estimated 16% and

:16:38. > :16:45.which some experts could be worth up to ?900 billion worldwide by 2020.

:16:46. > :16:50.Despite my initial gloom that's descended on me when he mentioned

:16:51. > :16:56.HS2, can I say how delighted I am to hear about the growth in, strive and

:16:57. > :16:58.May I congratulate my honourable friend and the Government for

:16:59. > :17:05.promoting this. There is no question that the UK leads the way in this

:17:06. > :17:11.area working alongside Japan on this area. I would simply say this will

:17:12. > :17:14.increase the density of traffic potentially by fourfold on our

:17:15. > :17:21.motorways. Let's stick to it and I will resist the temptation to say

:17:22. > :17:26.that with autonomous drive cars we would not need HS2. That would be

:17:27. > :17:32.the wrong thing to say and I think. I'm never sure when my friend

:17:33. > :17:36.magnate and integration of I should regard it that something is helpful

:17:37. > :17:41.or not. I think that one the jury 's still out. The bill will also allow

:17:42. > :17:46.for the construction of the first commercial spaceport, a full range

:17:47. > :17:49.of viable options have been put forward and we support those bits.

:17:50. > :17:54.The bill will create the right framework for the market to select

:17:55. > :17:57.what the best location will be. The also legislate to encourage British

:17:58. > :18:01.entrepreneurs to make the most of the commercial opportunities of

:18:02. > :18:04.space, forming part of the Government's wider support for the

:18:05. > :18:11.UK space sector aimed at raising revenues for almost 12 billion to 40

:18:12. > :18:17.billion by 2030. That is around 10% of the global space economy. We are

:18:18. > :18:20.also preparing for HS2. The biggest infrastructure scheme this country

:18:21. > :18:25.has seen for a generation. The transformation of rail travel across

:18:26. > :18:30.Britain to free up capacity on the rest of the network and rebalance

:18:31. > :18:33.our economy and our economic geography. Already before a single

:18:34. > :18:41.track has been leaked HS2 factor is having an impact we've seen a

:18:42. > :18:45.blue-chip companies like Burberry choosing to move to Leeds while HSBC

:18:46. > :18:50.has relocated its banking headquarters from London to

:18:51. > :18:55.Birmingham. They have cited HS2 Everton -- significant factor in

:18:56. > :18:59.these decisions are busy ambitious regeneration plans around places

:19:00. > :19:03.like Curzon Street in Birmingham and oral common. As it is like Leeds,

:19:04. > :19:14.Manchester, crew and Sheffield are preparing for phase two. On that

:19:15. > :19:22.very point! Will this be helpful lot -- helpful or not? My honourable

:19:23. > :19:26.friend mentioned Curzon Street and given that there will be HS2, could

:19:27. > :19:30.I did mention to him and put down a marker perhaps that he will know

:19:31. > :19:37.there is a cross city line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Redditch,

:19:38. > :19:47.if HS2 eventually links up with the continent and doesn't have to go via

:19:48. > :19:52.Saint pancreas, it would be hugely advantageous if they were a halt at

:19:53. > :19:56.Curzon Street on the cross city line because that rail line goes

:19:57. > :20:08.immediately adjacent to that terminus prayer HS2 goes. -- were.

:20:09. > :20:11.Well, Mr Speaker, I think although my honourable friend was against HS2

:20:12. > :20:16.I'm pleased to see he's already thinking of how he can benefit his

:20:17. > :20:19.area and region so much, and I join him in his partial conversion. I

:20:20. > :20:27.will take that as a helpful intervention. Mr Speaker, for HS2

:20:28. > :20:32.businesses, that means they will be able to access new markets, drawing

:20:33. > :20:35.their employees for a much wider catchment area and perhaps for the

:20:36. > :20:41.first time consider moving offices away from London. When HS2

:20:42. > :20:45.construction begins next year, we will build something much bigger

:20:46. > :20:49.than a new railway, we will invest in the economic prosperity of the

:20:50. > :20:53.next half a century or more, training a New Generation of

:20:54. > :20:57.engineers, developing new skills for a New Generation of apprentices and

:20:58. > :21:02.rebalancing the growth that for far too long is because treating the

:21:03. > :21:09.Simic has been concentrated in London and the South East. I'm

:21:10. > :21:14.delighted to hear the honourable Jesmond talk of such great Panther

:21:15. > :21:19.England. What progress has he made with electrification to my

:21:20. > :21:22.constituency in Swansea East? I'm glad to say to the honourable lady

:21:23. > :21:30.I've made a lot more progress than was being made in the 13 years of

:21:31. > :21:33.the last Labour Government because to get to Swansea we've first got to

:21:34. > :21:38.get to Cardiff, and we will get to Cardiff and then to Swansea, as has

:21:39. > :21:43.been promised. Work is on the way, she will be a traveller on the great

:21:44. > :21:48.Western Railway line and she will be seeing all the work that is going

:21:49. > :21:53.on. She will be a regular traveller through Reading and will have seen

:21:54. > :21:58.the 800 million pounds spent on that scheme. I think we are doing a fair

:21:59. > :22:01.job insuring her constituents and that of my honourable friend for

:22:02. > :22:11.Gareth, who has often made the case for going to Swansea, actually to

:22:12. > :22:14.fruition. I can't resist. I thank the Transport Secretary forgiving

:22:15. > :22:18.way, would you like to confirm that a letter vocation of the great

:22:19. > :22:22.Western mainline was set out by the former Transport Secretary in 2009

:22:23. > :22:29.and cookie confirming that you how long it has delayed and how much

:22:30. > :22:40.overbudget? Well, she says it was set out in 2009, might have been set

:22:41. > :22:45.out then, ... One has to wait while they waited for 12 years on knowing

:22:46. > :22:51.they are about to lose office in 2010, they came out with some plans

:22:52. > :22:55.that carried them through in substance and, yes, the costs have

:22:56. > :22:58.gone up, regret the fact they've gone up but I still think overall

:22:59. > :23:03.it's worth a project that is well worth well during and if it had been

:23:04. > :23:08.studied 15 or 20 years ago it would not cost what it is costing today.

:23:09. > :23:14.-- started. Anyone can lay out plans.

:23:15. > :23:21.It fails of delivery of those particular plans and it is left to

:23:22. > :23:25.us to deliver those plans. So, Mr Speaker, as I was saying, we will be

:23:26. > :23:29.firing up the north and the Midlands to take advantage of this

:23:30. > :23:33.transformational project. After overwhelming support in this House t

:23:34. > :23:38.bill has moved to another place. I look forward to the Lords Select

:23:39. > :23:46.Committee stages. I am a strong supporter of remaining in the

:23:47. > :23:51.European Union. But I am glad, Mr Speaker that will I not only be able

:23:52. > :23:57.to get a high-speed train to London or Brussels but soon to Manchester,

:23:58. > :24:02.Leeds or Sheffield and no matter how big the scheme it is now vital for

:24:03. > :24:07.Britain's national infrastructure. We will always remember that the

:24:08. > :24:13.vast majority of journeys people make are local in nature. So, local

:24:14. > :24:17.transport and infrastructure is no less crucial to preparing Britain

:24:18. > :24:21.for the future. Backing safer routes for more cycling and better buses.

:24:22. > :24:25.We involving powers out to our cities and regions to give

:24:26. > :24:31.communities a bigger stake in local planning. Transport is just one

:24:32. > :24:35.aspect of that. As we heard yesterday the neighbour #450d

:24:36. > :24:40.planning and instra structure bill will make local planning process

:24:41. > :24:46.easier beyond quickly, to deliver new instra structure and support our

:24:47. > :24:51.ambition to build one million new homes, while protecting the areas

:24:52. > :24:54.such as the greenbelts. It has resulted in councils granting

:24:55. > :24:58.planning applications for more than a quarter of a million homes in a

:24:59. > :25:02.past year. Our plans go further, to become a country where everybody who

:25:03. > :25:08.works hard can have a home of their own. The gracious speech featured

:25:09. > :25:12.the local jobs and growth bill. This will allow local authorities to

:25:13. > :25:17.retain 100% of local taxes to spend on local services by the end of this

:25:18. > :25:22.particular. That is worth an extra ?13 billion from the business rates.

:25:23. > :25:25.Councils have called for more fiscal autonomy, now they are getting it. A

:25:26. > :25:31.real commitment from central Government. Real devolution and real

:25:32. > :25:36.self-sufficiently for regions across England. Arguably the biggest change

:25:37. > :25:42.to local Government finance for a generation. The bill will give

:25:43. > :25:46.authorities the power to cut business rates, to boost enterprise

:25:47. > :25:51.and to grow their local economies. As announced in the budget, we will

:25:52. > :25:54.pilot the new system in Greater Manchester and Liverpool and

:25:55. > :26:00.increase the share retained in London. Madam Deputy Speaker it is

:26:01. > :26:05.little wonder that the members operate are giving up the life of

:26:06. > :26:12.opposition and seeking to find new roles in life. I do offer today the

:26:13. > :26:15.Shadow Home Secretary my best wishes for his mayoral nomination bid. He

:26:16. > :26:21.obviously doesment think he will be Home Secretary after the next

:26:22. > :26:25.general election, nor do I. I thank the Secretary of State for

:26:26. > :26:29.giving way on this issue. I am very proud on this Conservative majority

:26:30. > :26:33.Government that we actually are looking at the whole issues when it

:26:34. > :26:36.comes to serving our local communities. Infrastructure,

:26:37. > :26:40.retaining the business rates and where we have no local plans this

:26:41. > :26:46.Government is giving us an opportunity to intervene and get

:26:47. > :26:50.more local plans. Almost 50% of commuting is out of Eastly and

:26:51. > :26:53.standing traffic and air pollution is a big problem. Thank you,

:26:54. > :26:59.Secretary of State. I am very grateful to my honourable friend. I

:27:00. > :27:02.know how important transport connectivity is in our efficiency.

:27:03. > :27:07.We have discussed it on many occasions. I hope some of the

:27:08. > :27:11.measures we are taking out, as I set out today in the overall transport

:27:12. > :27:17.policies, will go someway to bring some of the changes she may want.

:27:18. > :27:21.Yesterday did illustrate how we are devolving powers for local transport

:27:22. > :27:24.services. The bus services bill will provide new powers to local

:27:25. > :27:28.authorities, to improve bus services and increase passenger numbers. It

:27:29. > :27:32.will deliver for passengers, local authorities and bus companies, all

:27:33. > :27:39.working in partnership together to improve services. We will replace

:27:40. > :27:43.the disastrous quality contract scheme, pieron neared by the party

:27:44. > :27:47.opposite when they were in office. A failed theory that has not been

:27:48. > :27:51.successfully applied over the past 16 years. Stronger partnerships will

:27:52. > :27:55.allow local authorities to agree a new set of standards for bus

:27:56. > :27:58.services, including branding, ticketing and how often buses run.

:27:59. > :28:03.Passengers will want to know when they next bus will turn up and how

:28:04. > :28:09.many it will cost. So, the bill will mandate the release of fares, pun

:28:10. > :28:14.cualty routes and real time bus ofgs. It will help with more

:28:15. > :28:19.transport as it has in London, right across the country. New journey

:28:20. > :28:26.planners and others products to help passengers get the most out of their

:28:27. > :28:31.buses. This is about delivering for customs and empowering local

:28:32. > :28:35.communities. My honourable friend is being generous. Will he confirm the

:28:36. > :28:40.buses bill will enable communities in devolved areas such as mine in

:28:41. > :28:44.the west of England to integrate smart car ticketing which will

:28:45. > :28:49.encourage more people to use buses for less? I want to see more use of

:28:50. > :28:55.smart ticketing and I think the bus companies are now addressing that.

:28:56. > :28:58.There will be certain criteria as to where bus companies can apply, local

:28:59. > :29:03.authorities can apply for the franchising. We will need to see if

:29:04. > :29:07.my honourable friend's area lives up to those sort of priorities. Mr

:29:08. > :29:17.Speaker, this is... I am hearing of a train that runs

:29:18. > :29:23.once a week. No. No. In one direction only.

:29:24. > :29:28.And of course I would quite like to have a train service that goes into

:29:29. > :29:32.Manchester. Really on the issue of smart ticketing, can he knock some

:29:33. > :29:36.common sense into some of the transport planners who are trying to

:29:37. > :29:40.reinvent the wheel? We've had a bit of a farce in Greater Manchester,

:29:41. > :29:45.where millions of pounds have been spent trying to develop the

:29:46. > :29:51.technology of the get-me-there card, when we actually already have some

:29:52. > :29:56.technology in our own pockets - called a contactless card. Why do we

:29:57. > :30:00.have to reinvent the wheel, why not use technology that exists? I agree

:30:01. > :30:04.that there are new technologies. One has to say that is a fairly new

:30:05. > :30:09.technology and those who are able to use it in London see it being used

:30:10. > :30:13.regularly now. These are the areas we should look and move further

:30:14. > :30:18.forward. I hope it is one of the things that we will be able -- that

:30:19. > :30:24.will be able to happen. Madam Deputy Speaker, this is about delivering

:30:25. > :30:29.for customers. New powers to franchised services will be able to

:30:30. > :30:35.combine the services with newly elected mayors as there are in

:30:36. > :30:38.London. Together, these measures demonstrate the Government's

:30:39. > :30:44.ambition to deliver transport which helps the public get around and get

:30:45. > :30:46.about. The coalition Government and this one-nation Conservative

:30:47. > :30:53.Government have a record to be proud of. Investment is up. Projects under

:30:54. > :30:58.way, journeys getting easier. Backing growth, jobs and new

:30:59. > :31:04.technology. Helping local people get the homes and infrastructure they

:31:05. > :31:11.need. Striking a fairer deal, giving delow lugss to local -- devolution

:31:12. > :31:17.to local... And transport infrastructure is playing its part.

:31:18. > :31:27.Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I begin by echoing the Transport

:31:28. > :31:31.Secretary in relation to the lost of the EgyptAir flight. Our thoughts

:31:32. > :31:35.are also with the family and friends of the passengers and crew and we

:31:36. > :31:37.await the outcome of the investigations under way.

:31:38. > :31:41.While we are not discussing the Queen's speech that I would have

:31:42. > :31:46.won'ted to see -- wanted to see, it is fitting we are starting on

:31:47. > :31:50.transport T challenges facing this country's network systems are

:31:51. > :31:53.profound and there are some important cross-party points of

:31:54. > :31:56.agreement for meeting them. I welcome the Transport Secretary to

:31:57. > :32:01.his place. I must point out his speech was a timely reminder of the

:32:02. > :32:06.need for ministers to mind the gap between their rector rit and

:32:07. > :32:12.reality. He said the Government is delivering investment. Let's look at

:32:13. > :32:18.the real Conservative record. Bus and rail fares up by a quarter.

:32:19. > :32:23.Billions cancelled from road investment schemes. New projects

:32:24. > :32:27.under threat. The hard shoulder stripped from the motorways, the

:32:28. > :32:32.wheels falling off the cycling revolution. A ?12 billion road

:32:33. > :32:40.maintenance backlog on our local roads. Rail pun cualty at its worst

:32:41. > :32:44.in a decade and of course, Madam Deputy Speaker, they promised a

:32:45. > :32:49.Northern Ireland powerhouse, but they inflicted a northern power cut

:32:50. > :32:54.instead. That said, we welcome the Government's stated intention to

:32:55. > :32:58.introduce new local transport powers, extending to the country the

:32:59. > :33:03.ability to employ the successful models in the capital. Now I am sure

:33:04. > :33:09.the whole House will want to extend its congratulations to Mr Khan, the

:33:10. > :33:12.former member for Tooting and now the London Mayor of London. It is a

:33:13. > :33:18.little known fact that the new mayor is the son of a bus driver and the

:33:19. > :33:21.proposal in the bus service's bill to extend London-style bus powers to

:33:22. > :33:26.the rest of the country is long overdue.

:33:27. > :33:30.It is perhaps no coincidence that the Transport Secretary didn't even

:33:31. > :33:34.mention buses until he got 27 minutes into his speech, because of

:33:35. > :33:40.course these plans could have been made in the last Parliament, but

:33:41. > :33:46.ministers consistently opposed any proposals for the tendering of bus

:33:47. > :33:54.services to reverse the disastrous consequences of the 1985 transport

:33:55. > :33:58.act. Well, Madam Deputy Speaker, can I join the honourable lady in

:33:59. > :34:03.congratulating Mr Khan on his election as Mayor of London. Does

:34:04. > :34:07.she agree with his words when he was Transport Minister, when he said one

:34:08. > :34:12.of the reasons we are able to invest record sums in our railway services

:34:13. > :34:16.is the revenue that franchises bring in and the premiums they pay. That

:34:17. > :34:21.was his view in 2009 when he was doing this job.

:34:22. > :34:25.I was very pleased that under the last Labour Government there was

:34:26. > :34:30.record investment in our railways. So many of the things that the

:34:31. > :34:37.Transport Secretary forgets to talk about when every week I travel up to

:34:38. > :34:41.the Midlands on the middle main line through St Pancras railway station,

:34:42. > :34:47.which has been transformed and was under the Labour Government, but he

:34:48. > :34:51.never mentions that. I welcome the Transport Secretary's conversion to

:34:52. > :34:56.the cause of bus regulation. You might call it a stretching U-turn

:34:57. > :35:05.mad dom Deputy Speaker. But the devil will be in the detail.

:35:06. > :35:11.I I would remind the Government benches that last year's Queen's

:35:12. > :35:18.Speech promised to introduce a buses bill. You wait five years for a

:35:19. > :35:22.Conservative Queen's speech that mentions buses and then two come

:35:23. > :35:26.along at once, even if they are running late. We will subject the

:35:27. > :35:31.bill to close scrutiny and it is vital that it provides a legal

:35:32. > :35:34.framework that protects local authorities from eye-watering

:35:35. > :35:40.compensation claims and safeguards work and conditions.

:35:41. > :35:45.I am grateful to my honourable friend and she talks about local

:35:46. > :35:48.authorities. Of course if she had been listening carefully to the

:35:49. > :35:53.Queen's Speech yesterday Her Majesty said these powers would be extended

:35:54. > :35:57.to the areas of England with directly elected mayors only. Given

:35:58. > :36:02.that, does she think that actually the powers in the buses bill that we

:36:03. > :36:06.expect to be published soon should extend to all parts of England,

:36:07. > :36:10.whether or not they have a mayoral model? I thank my honourable friend

:36:11. > :36:15.for that question. I shall address his point just in one moment.

:36:16. > :36:21.Because the bill must address the decline in rural bus services, which

:36:22. > :36:25.have seen some of worst cuts and highest fare rises in the country.

:36:26. > :36:28.We need to make sure that the powers are available to any area that wants

:36:29. > :36:33.them, as my honourable friend has just sasmtd I welcome the concession

:36:34. > :36:36.the Transport Secretary has made. The Queen's Speech briefing

:36:37. > :36:41.published yesterday said the bill will allow communities without a

:36:42. > :36:45.directly elected mayor to apply for contracting powers. It is unclear

:36:46. > :36:49.why those powers should remain within the gift of the department.

:36:50. > :36:56.He and I represent areas which have so far not agreed a devolution deal.

:36:57. > :37:00.Perhaps The Right Honourable member for Derbyshire Dales can explain why

:37:01. > :37:04.the powers are good enough for Manchester, but may not be good

:37:05. > :37:08.enough format lock. We saw the announcement of what the Government

:37:09. > :37:15.calls its modern transport bill. Given the minister of state, who is

:37:16. > :37:20.sad not in his place now drives a 126-year-old car seasoned a noted

:37:21. > :37:26.steam engine enthuz yass tick perhaps we should -- enthusiastic,

:37:27. > :37:31.perhaps we should look at that. It is short on details. The Queen's

:37:32. > :37:35.Speech briefs said the law on drones would be reformed, but in answers to

:37:36. > :37:38.my honourable friend, the member for Birmingham North field, the

:37:39. > :37:43.Government have consistently said that the EU is leading in this area.

:37:44. > :37:48.It is unacceptable that ministers seem to be waiting for a serious

:37:49. > :37:50.drone strike to occur before taking action. It is vital that we don't

:37:51. > :38:02.wait for an accident to happen. Electric cars will place a crucial

:38:03. > :38:04.role in driving donations but we are playing catch-up because the

:38:05. > :38:07.Government fails to deliver its promise of a coalition agreement is

:38:08. > :38:10.to establish a national charging network. We welcome the development

:38:11. > :38:17.of personal autonomous vehicles, which could be a boon for our car

:38:18. > :38:21.manufacturing industry and I know they're a fully anticipated for many

:38:22. > :38:27.to save the people. Given that insurance premiums have risen by 20%

:38:28. > :38:32.over the last year, Government's Postal to insure drivers cause on

:38:33. > :38:37.the same basis as existing policies might not offer much reassurance to

:38:38. > :38:39.prospective buyers. That said, the focus on driverless cars is perhaps

:38:40. > :38:46.understandable given the Government's tendency to run on

:38:47. > :38:50.autopilot. I thank my honourable friend forgiving way but before we

:38:51. > :38:53.leave the question of bosses on the bus services bills and wonder as she

:38:54. > :38:57.is talking about velvet and technology if she would really bus

:38:58. > :39:01.services bill provides an option to make all new buses accessible for

:39:02. > :39:05.people with sight loss through talking buses with next stop and

:39:06. > :39:07.final destination announcements. 2 million people would really

:39:08. > :39:13.appreciate that it's a move we should make for it with new buses.

:39:14. > :39:17.My honourable friend is right to draw attention to the lack of

:39:18. > :39:21.accessibility on buses. A number of buses do have audiovisual announcers

:39:22. > :39:29.which it is really only in London and outside of London there are few

:39:30. > :39:33.examples. That should be addressed. It Mr Stater said the UK should

:39:34. > :39:36.adopt a light touch approach to bribe -- driverless car development

:39:37. > :39:41.but we need to make sure the risks have been fully analysed. It's

:39:42. > :39:45.important the ministers are not moving to find too fast. It should

:39:46. > :39:50.be said that is just about the only are where the Government could be

:39:51. > :39:53.accused of acting too quickly. There is difference to supporting the

:39:54. > :39:58.growing space industry by constructing the first spaceport in

:39:59. > :40:03.the UK. I'm grateful to the honourable lady forgiving way but

:40:04. > :40:08.will she accept that Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes and BMW have all welcomed

:40:09. > :40:13.the Government's initiatives to see driverless cars or autonomous cars

:40:14. > :40:21.being tested on British roads, they think Britain is a leader. I think

:40:22. > :40:24.the -- thank you member for his intervention and I believe it offers

:40:25. > :40:29.a great opportunity for our excellent automotive industry but we

:40:30. > :40:35.do need to be aware of the present difficulties of these at ology and

:40:36. > :40:39.the safety implications. In fairness, it is impressive he can

:40:40. > :40:44.put a rocket in space even though he can't fix our pothole ridden roads.

:40:45. > :40:48.We also need to look at the bills that were not announced yesterday.

:40:49. > :40:53.The department has had two years to respond to look -- the Law

:40:54. > :40:57.Commission 's report on taxes and private hire vehicles, the rise of

:40:58. > :41:01.Aruba and other services makes the need for reform of the more urgent.

:41:02. > :41:04.Yesterday during the debate on the well addressed the honourable member

:41:05. > :41:09.for marriage and said that personal safety on transport services was

:41:10. > :41:12.women's highest priority. And there can be no excuse for the delay in

:41:13. > :41:19.reforming licensing and regulation this area. I'm grateful to my

:41:20. > :41:24.honourable friend, she will know I had debate on the adjournment on the

:41:25. > :41:29.4th of May about precisely this issue. Is she is concerned as I am

:41:30. > :41:35.that there are some taxi licensing authorities that are effectively

:41:36. > :41:38.handing out licences to taxi drivers across the country who have been

:41:39. > :41:44.legitimately refused to taxi licences by their all local

:41:45. > :41:48.authorities? I thank my honourable friend for his intervention, there

:41:49. > :41:53.are real concerns about taxi licensing and regulation and those

:41:54. > :41:56.were very carefully addressed by the Law Commission in its report. That

:41:57. > :42:01.is why it is so disappointing that the Government have yet to respond

:42:02. > :42:05.properly and act in this area. Ministers have also had almost three

:42:06. > :42:09.years to respond to the Law Commission on reforming level

:42:10. > :42:13.crosses, the single greatest cause of risk on the railways. In the

:42:14. > :42:21.Department's level crossing reform action plan legislation was planned

:42:22. > :42:27.but that does not make Queen's speech. It sporting such safety

:42:28. > :42:32.critical legislation has not been treated as a priority by the

:42:33. > :42:35.Government. -- it is disappointing that the returning to the wider

:42:36. > :42:40.record on passport, time and again promises are broken, investment is

:42:41. > :42:45.delayed and the interests of passengers and road users are not

:42:46. > :42:48.preferred. -- record on transport. There was a light breeze the

:42:49. > :42:51.Chancellor in the Queen's speech, saying the Government will continue

:42:52. > :42:56.supporting the development of a northern powerhouse. You can tell

:42:57. > :43:01.the honourable member for Tatton is a wallpaper salesman, these days he

:43:02. > :43:05.spends most of his time papering over the cracks. Let's look at this

:43:06. > :43:09.Government's real record on transport in the North. Rail

:43:10. > :43:16.spending in the north-west has fallen from ?97 bread to ?93 per

:43:17. > :43:21.head. In the north-east is followed from ?59 per head to ?52 per head,

:43:22. > :43:27.less than half the national average. Under the bus services in Yorkshire

:43:28. > :43:30.and Humber is down 31%, traffic police numbers have fallen by over

:43:31. > :43:36.10% across the North. And shamefully, ministers hiked real

:43:37. > :43:41.first death metal rail fares by up to 162% and they allowed more than

:43:42. > :43:43.Trans Pennine trains to be transferred from the north to the

:43:44. > :43:52.South, costing taxpayers ?20 million. The Transport Secretary

:43:53. > :43:54.initially wanted causes railway pledges the real investment plan.

:43:55. > :44:02.Until a civil servant pointed out that would be shortened to RIP.

:44:03. > :44:07.Delays to electrification schemes were shamefully covered up before

:44:08. > :44:11.the election and only confessed once the ballot boxes have close. There

:44:12. > :44:16.are real concerns that promised Rory Best Mint could suffer the same

:44:17. > :44:22.fate. -- Road investment could suffer. We have publicly discussed

:44:23. > :44:24.the challenges on the current construction programme, including

:44:25. > :44:28.the level of uncertainty about projects due to begin in the final

:44:29. > :44:35.year and the potential knock-on effect on funding RIS two. Those

:44:36. > :44:41.plans include the trans-Pennine route, and spending on existing

:44:42. > :44:47.links on the Acity six, A6 night and' 64 stop you cannot trust the

:44:48. > :44:52.Tories on road rail for local transport. Northern cities are

:44:53. > :44:55.succeeding under Labour leadership in spite of this Government. I thank

:44:56. > :45:01.my honourable friend forgiving way. 200 workers in Sheffield listened to

:45:02. > :45:06.transport sector incredulously when he spoke about HS2 benefiting

:45:07. > :45:09.Sheffield and that HS2 should be a reason for companies to look at

:45:10. > :45:14.transferring jobs out of London to northern cities. Yet the Business

:45:15. > :45:20.Secretary is currently transferring 200 jobs from Sheffield down to

:45:21. > :45:22.London in a reverse of that process transferring down the Midland

:45:23. > :45:27.mainline said of back-up the HS2 line. How will workers in Sheffield

:45:28. > :45:33.feel about that contradiction to his own colleague? My honourable friend

:45:34. > :45:36.makes a good point and it is no surprise that people in the city of

:45:37. > :45:42.Sheffield reject this Government completely. The North was a

:45:43. > :45:48.powerhouse long before the Chancellor arrived and it will be a

:45:49. > :45:51.powerhouse long after he has gone. An HS2, the Government's delivery

:45:52. > :45:57.has been anything other than high-speed. A decision on the route

:45:58. > :46:00.of phase two has been delayed by two years. And I would like to remind

:46:01. > :46:04.the ministers opposite of the Conservative Party press release

:46:05. > :46:12.that was issued in Yorkshire on April the 2015, it's not about camp

:46:13. > :46:15.are's campaign bus expenses. No question from the local media were

:46:16. > :46:20.allowed and it's not difficult to see why, it said: Phase two of HS2

:46:21. > :46:25.will also start construction from the northern end, with the leads to

:46:26. > :46:30.Sheffield Meadowhall section made a priority to open even before the

:46:31. > :46:36.line as a whole balance. Those plans to build HS2 from the North have

:46:37. > :46:39.already been dropped, the ever existed, and once again we are faced

:46:40. > :46:44.with a Conservative election promise that is being broken. Over the last

:46:45. > :46:47.fortnight it's been reported that phase two is under review and the

:46:48. > :46:53.prominent critics of HS2 have been invited into the Treasury to set out

:46:54. > :47:00.the case against the project. That stations at Sheffield and Manchester

:47:01. > :47:04.airports could be dropped along with the link that will allow high-speed

:47:05. > :47:07.trains to run to Stoke and Staffordshire, even though the

:47:08. > :47:11.Secretary of State has given his civic assurances in this house on

:47:12. > :47:15.the link's future. There are specific questions that the

:47:16. > :47:21.Government will still answer, if those reports have no basis, then

:47:22. > :47:28.why did the Business Minister say on Sunday that we need to sort this out

:47:29. > :47:35.or Sheffield might miss out on HS2? And the Government calls the

:47:36. > :47:38.appropriate third party as a contribution which the transport

:47:39. > :47:43.sector is said Manchester Airport station was dependent on been

:47:44. > :47:48.agreed? Two months ago this house voted overwhelmingly in favour of

:47:49. > :47:52.HS2 are specific understanding of the project. Of course costs must be

:47:53. > :47:56.kept under control but it will be totally unacceptable if the plans

:47:57. > :48:02.for high-speed rail in the Midlands and North were downgraded by a

:48:03. > :48:08.regrettable and secretive review there's not forget the record on

:48:09. > :48:15.aviation. In 2009 the Prime Minister famously said that the third runway

:48:16. > :48:20.at Heathrow will not go ahead, no ifs, no buts. By last July this had

:48:21. > :48:25.morphed into guarantee that I can give is that a decision will be made

:48:26. > :48:30.by the end of the year. It's difficult to take the latest pledge

:48:31. > :48:39.to report by the summer's -- seriously. While this is our failing

:48:40. > :48:42.to deliver on local transport seems -- International schools, local

:48:43. > :48:47.services are squeezed. More than 2400 bus routes have been downgraded

:48:48. > :48:50.or cut altogether. The rail minister said a Christmas that our part of

:48:51. > :48:56.passengers is improving journeys for everyone. But the Galletier 's

:48:57. > :49:03.commuters are being honest buses and trains and some season tickets cost

:49:04. > :49:06.?2000 more than they did in 2010. -- but the reality is. Actuality is at

:49:07. > :49:09.its worst in a decade, worse than when the network was recovering from

:49:10. > :49:14.the Hatfield disaster and ministers are considering further cut to

:49:15. > :49:19.Network Rail's maintenance plans. The possible crisis on local roads

:49:20. > :49:26.gets worse by the day after local upkeep budgets fell by 27% in real

:49:27. > :49:30.terms. And even on walking and cycling, an area where the Prime

:49:31. > :49:33.Minister had a personal interest, I'm worried that ministers might

:49:34. > :49:38.have misinterpreted their brief. That can be the only explanation for

:49:39. > :49:45.publishing a cycling and walking investment strategy that is so

:49:46. > :49:51.utterly pedestrian. Targets for increasing walking journeys have

:49:52. > :49:53.been inexplicably dropped and I hope it didn't make the secular state

:49:54. > :49:58.will take advantage of national walking month to reduce that

:49:59. > :50:03.session. One year ago the premise is that it was his aim to increase

:50:04. > :50:09.spending on cycling further to ?10 a head. -- secretary of state.

:50:10. > :50:13.Analysis of spending figures shows that Government funding for cycling

:50:14. > :50:20.is due to fall to just 72p per head outside London. It is clear that the

:50:21. > :50:25.Government has produced a cycling and walking investment strategy with

:50:26. > :50:31.no investment and the promise to raise spending on cycling has been

:50:32. > :50:34.broken. I'm grateful for the Lady forgiving way, is one of the

:50:35. > :50:38.problems of going first and not being able to follow, asking a

:50:39. > :50:43.number of questions I'm unable to answer but I do find it odd that she

:50:44. > :50:49.talks about the capital investment when David Miliband said in the 2010

:50:50. > :50:53.general election we will have to halve the share of national income

:50:54. > :50:59.going into capital spending, that was on five live in July 20 ten.

:51:00. > :51:02.That is what he said then and that is what their plans were, plans have

:51:03. > :51:09.been to massively increase the investment in public transport and

:51:10. > :51:13.transport across. Wouldn't it make a change if he took some

:51:14. > :51:19.responsibility for the six years and their failings in this place. Across

:51:20. > :51:24.the Government, this Government is failing to deliver the investment we

:51:25. > :51:27.need and is failing to support local sustainable transport. But there can

:51:28. > :51:33.be no doubt the situation would be made even worse if we left the EU.

:51:34. > :51:38.We are on the verge of making a decision that will affect countless

:51:39. > :51:42.generations. Europe has made real improvements to the quality of

:51:43. > :51:46.journeys within the UK and from it to the continent and beyond.

:51:47. > :51:47.Although we need to urgently move to real-world testing of overall

:51:48. > :51:51.emissions from new vehicles had been emissions from new vehicles had been

:51:52. > :51:59.reduced by 95% in the last few years. Next European standards. The

:52:00. > :52:03.EU is a vital source of funding for international and local projects,

:52:04. > :52:07.whether it is Crossrail, new trains or major ports and upgrades, who is

:52:08. > :52:11.often European funded by the transport improvements we

:52:12. > :52:15.desperately need. -- there is often. If we voted to leave airlines would

:52:16. > :52:18.lose their current rights to access the American market, spelling chaos

:52:19. > :52:23.for jobs in the aviation industry and some of our largest car and

:52:24. > :52:26.train manufacturers have made it clear that inward investment and

:52:27. > :52:32.jobs depend on access to the single market. I will close by saying that

:52:33. > :52:38.the transport case for staying in the EU is a whelming, as it is in

:52:39. > :52:41.other policy areas. I hope that when we plan transport services over the

:52:42. > :52:44.coming decades that it is on the basis of a new -- renewed mandate

:52:45. > :52:52.from Embassy of the EU. Before I call the honourable member,

:52:53. > :52:55.there are 18 members wishing to speak in this debate, that works out

:52:56. > :53:00.at about ten minutes, so if everybody takes ten minutes,

:53:01. > :53:05.everybody will get in. This does exclude the SNP spokesperson. Bill

:53:06. > :53:11.Ratcliffe. It is a pleasure to rise in support of the humble address.

:53:12. > :53:15.The programme of government for the upcoming session contains many

:53:16. > :53:18.welcome measures, for example my constituents will be welcoming of

:53:19. > :53:23.the universal service obligation for internet providers to be brought in

:53:24. > :53:27.through the Digital Economy Bill. This will mean that every UK

:53:28. > :53:31.household will have the right to an affordable, fast broadband

:53:32. > :53:34.connection with minimum guaranteed connection speeds, something I have

:53:35. > :53:38.been campaigning for my constituency for some years, one of my pledges at

:53:39. > :53:43.the general election. The more rural areas of my constituency will, I

:53:44. > :53:47.hope, particularly welcome this policy, as many living there over

:53:48. > :53:53.22nd rate internet connections services for far too long. I am

:53:54. > :53:55.pleased also that through the in the direction of the neighbourhood

:53:56. > :53:59.planning and infrastructure built there will be an opportunity to give

:54:00. > :54:05.local communities more power to shape their own areas. I am proud of

:54:06. > :54:09.the diligent work undertaken by members of civic societies across

:54:10. > :54:13.the country, including my own constituency, of which I am a

:54:14. > :54:17.member. Let me be clear neighbourhood planning is not about

:54:18. > :54:21.nimbyism, we're not against development, and indeed I praise Her

:54:22. > :54:25.Majesty's Government's ambition for house-building. It is about working

:54:26. > :54:28.constructively with communities, determining sites for appropriate

:54:29. > :54:32.development and providing the infrastructure necessary to make it

:54:33. > :54:35.viable. Neighbourhood planning is a way to bring communities on board

:54:36. > :54:40.with developers and therefore get more built. A case in point was a

:54:41. > :54:44.recently established neighbourhood forum in order to establish a

:54:45. > :54:51.network band. I'm sure honourable members will have experience of this

:54:52. > :54:54.in their own constituencies. -- a neighbourhood plan. Whilst I may

:54:55. > :54:57.regret the Government could not accept the amendment from the Lords

:54:58. > :55:03.on the community right of appeal in the recent housing and planning act,

:55:04. > :55:07.an amendment many of us supported, I hope the Neighbourhood Planning and

:55:08. > :55:11.Infrastructure Bill would go some of the way to achieving the same

:55:12. > :55:15.sentiment. I also welcome the education, and I commend the goal of

:55:16. > :55:19.continuing to increase the number and quality of academy schools in

:55:20. > :55:23.the coming years. I do, importantly, however, welcomed the fact that this

:55:24. > :55:26.will no longer be on a compulsory basis, as previously proposed,

:55:27. > :55:30.following a rethink from the Government. I wish to extend my

:55:31. > :55:34.thanks to the Secretary of State for Education for taking the time to

:55:35. > :55:37.listen to the concerns of myself and other colleagues about the programme

:55:38. > :55:41.and this important change of tack. I look forward to working with her and

:55:42. > :55:45.others to progress this bill, which includes the vital new national

:55:46. > :55:49.funding formula for schools, which will end the entrenched disparities

:55:50. > :55:52.in school funding and bring about fairness for all pupils. On a

:55:53. > :55:56.related note, I was pleased to hear that measures will be introduced to

:55:57. > :55:59.strengthen social services for children in care, and to increase

:56:00. > :56:03.the number and speed of adoptions in this country. But I say gently that,

:56:04. > :56:08.in desiring greater speed, we should be careful not to sacrifice the

:56:09. > :56:12.suitability of placements or, as the intention of adoptions to find a

:56:13. > :56:17.permanent, stable, loving home, a rushed process could lead to harm in

:56:18. > :56:23.long-term process of systems being overly streamlined. The Children and

:56:24. > :56:25.Social Work Bill will also improve social work provision through better

:56:26. > :56:28.training and standards of social workers and mean that children

:56:29. > :56:33.leaving care will be made aware of the ongoing services they are

:56:34. > :56:39.entitled to, including access to a personal adviser until the age of

:56:40. > :56:43.25. This is particularly welcome, coming just after a report on the

:56:44. > :56:49.disparities in mental health care provision for looked after children.

:56:50. > :56:52.And of course mental health performance is prevalent amongst the

:56:53. > :56:55.prisoner population, and the current levels of mental health care and

:56:56. > :56:59.service for prisoners is not to be standard and should be. I hope that

:57:00. > :57:04.the Government will put a particular focus on improving this as it works

:57:05. > :57:09.to build new reforming presence. The Queen's Speech also contains welcome

:57:10. > :57:12.plans to introduce the NHS Overseas Visitors Charging Bill, which will

:57:13. > :57:16.mean overseas visitors and migrants will be charged for using NHS

:57:17. > :57:22.services that they are not entitled to. Entitled residence will mean

:57:23. > :57:26.that fewer visits from the EU and EEA countries will be able to access

:57:27. > :57:29.free health care. In the NHS, we have one of the greatest and most

:57:30. > :57:35.envied systems in the world, but it has led to the NHS becoming the

:57:36. > :57:39.victim of its own success, with a Charente of health tourism. Overseas

:57:40. > :57:42.visitors coming to the UK to visit from our excellent NHS services

:57:43. > :57:48.without making a contribution and with the British taxpayer paying the

:57:49. > :57:51.bill. Health tourism has been particularly prevalent among

:57:52. > :57:56.visitors from the EU, abusing the AHI scheme for too long. Hundreds of

:57:57. > :58:02.thousands of overseas visitors as per train on our health service.

:58:03. > :58:13.Many Britons receive treatment overseas, but the number is far

:58:14. > :58:19.fewer than those who come here. And of course another way we could

:58:20. > :58:24.provide a huge boost for our NHS is to stop the ?350 million we send

:58:25. > :58:27.every week to the EU, and I fear I may be in Sanders agreement with my

:58:28. > :58:38.right honourable friend on the front bench about this matter. -- in some

:58:39. > :58:43.disagreement. Those contributions are enough to build a fully staffed

:58:44. > :58:47.NHS hospital every week. However, Madam Deputy Speaker, this is not

:58:48. > :58:52.the only way that the EU is currently threatening our NHS, and

:58:53. > :58:56.unfortunately the Gracious Speech did not address it. The

:58:57. > :59:01.Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, which the EU

:59:02. > :59:05.was determined to pass, May but the UK Government and the NHS facing

:59:06. > :59:08.legal challenge from foreign corporations if we refuse to put

:59:09. > :59:16.some of our public services, including the NHS, and to tender for

:59:17. > :59:19.privatisation. TTIP could forced the partial privatisation of the NHS,

:59:20. > :59:24.and there would be nothing for the UK Government or the British people

:59:25. > :59:27.to do about it, were we to stay as a member of the EU. We on these

:59:28. > :59:32.benches must not be blind to the issue and leave it to other parties

:59:33. > :59:35.to make the case. Now, the symbols and surest way, therefore, to

:59:36. > :59:43.protect the NHS from the unbearable strain of visitor costs, forced

:59:44. > :59:48.privatisation, and the amount of money that would be the new hospital

:59:49. > :59:52.every week, would be for Britain to leave the EU. There is going to be

:59:53. > :59:55.at some stage a trade agreement between the EU and the United

:59:56. > :00:00.States. If we want to protect ourselves from any unintended

:00:01. > :00:03.consequences, it is best to be in there, arguing the case as part of

:00:04. > :00:08.those negotiations, rather than having to stay on the outside and

:00:09. > :00:13.then except the negotiation once it is done, whatever is included in

:00:14. > :00:17.that agreement. I thank the honourable gentleman for his

:00:18. > :00:20.intervention, but if it was a risk of sacrificing our own sovereignty

:00:21. > :00:25.and the ability of this demand to determine its own public policy in

:00:26. > :00:28.the process of international tribunal is determining matters

:00:29. > :00:34.between governments and companies, then I would quite frankly except

:00:35. > :00:38.President Obama's offer to be at the back of the queue for such an

:00:39. > :00:41.agreement. I will go further, because I was delighted to hear in

:00:42. > :00:44.the Queen's Speech that the Government will continue to

:00:45. > :00:47.strengthen national security for investment in the Armed Forces and a

:00:48. > :00:52.commitment to the Armed Forces covenant, and a promise to fulfil

:00:53. > :00:56.our Nato commitment of 2% spending on defence. Let us not forget that

:00:57. > :01:00.it is first and foremost our work and friendship with allies through

:01:01. > :01:05.Nato, not the European Union, that maintains our security on the

:01:06. > :01:08.international stage. The world is a turbulent place, Madam Deputy

:01:09. > :01:12.Speaker, but our security and defence forces keep as strong, and

:01:13. > :01:16.it is right that the Queen's Speech recognises and protect that. Now is

:01:17. > :01:20.not just the time for strengthening our national governance is. We will

:01:21. > :01:23.soon come to a time and the British people will need to sew the strength

:01:24. > :01:29.of their convictions, and I hope they will do the right thing for

:01:30. > :01:32.Britain and vote to leave the European Union next month, allowing

:01:33. > :01:36.us to forge new and prosperous relationships with neighbours all

:01:37. > :01:41.around the world, and not just the ones on our doorstep. However, I am

:01:42. > :01:43.heartened by Her Majesty's Government Gracious Speech, as it

:01:44. > :01:48.lays out a positive programme for government for the next year. It

:01:49. > :01:53.means that after the referendum vote on June 23, I am confident, and

:01:54. > :01:56.indeed hopeful that on the 25th of June we will have a strong

:01:57. > :02:02.Conservative majority government who will go on and lead is united to a

:02:03. > :02:07.Britain brighter and better both at home and abroad. Drew Hendry. Thank

:02:08. > :02:11.you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I associate the SNP group the comments

:02:12. > :02:16.from the Secretary of State about the Egyptian air incident, and of

:02:17. > :02:20.course those of the shadow minister as well this morning. During my

:02:21. > :02:25.remarks, I will focus on three themes, firstly the measures that we

:02:26. > :02:28.in the SNP welcome, at least in their outline descriptions.

:02:29. > :02:31.Secondly, the areas where we feel that other options and measures

:02:32. > :02:36.could have and should have been incorporated, or should be

:02:37. > :02:39.incorporated, and it is never too late, of course, for ministers to

:02:40. > :02:43.take heed of these ideas and take them forward, so I hope they are

:02:44. > :02:46.listening carefully. Thirdly, the actions and examples and lessons to

:02:47. > :02:51.be learned to take the steps required to deliver for the people

:02:52. > :02:54.of the nations of the UK. Before that, however, I'm sure that the

:02:55. > :02:59.Secretary of State will join me in welcoming Fergus Ewing MSP to his

:03:00. > :03:02.new position of Cabinet Secretary for rural economy and connectivity,

:03:03. > :03:10.and also the new Minister for transport in the islands. I would

:03:11. > :03:15.also like to put on record my thanks to the former cabinet secretary and

:03:16. > :03:20.Minister Derek Mackay for their work, some of which I will refer to

:03:21. > :03:24.today, both now performing new roles in the Scottish and Cabinet, and I

:03:25. > :03:27.am sure that UK Government ministers will agree they have worked

:03:28. > :03:31.positively with them during their time in office. Madam Deputy

:03:32. > :03:36.Speaker, I am happy to give way. Can I echo what the honourable member

:03:37. > :03:39.says? Can I also say that I had heard of the appointments just

:03:40. > :03:43.before I came into the chamber but very much hope that we can work

:03:44. > :03:47.together positively in the future on a number of issues which affect both

:03:48. > :03:52.Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. And I'm sure that weather

:03:53. > :03:56.is a progressive move, that will be the case. Madam Deputy Speaker, I

:03:57. > :04:00.said that I wanted to start with the areas weather is a common purpose,

:04:01. > :04:06.and there are some innovative measures on transport, or at

:04:07. > :04:10.promises of innovative measures in transport. That said, to gain

:04:11. > :04:13.support, the rhetoric will need to be followed with an inclusive vision

:04:14. > :04:18.that benefits all of the nations of the UK. An area where this is not

:04:19. > :04:22.yet clear if the investment in further research into autonomous

:04:23. > :04:26.vehicles. Obviously, safety implications and deployment will be

:04:27. > :04:29.considerations, and, Madam Deputy Speaker, this investment is most

:04:30. > :04:34.welcome but will be meaningless to most of the UK nations if it is not

:04:35. > :04:39.supported by the required investment in delivering a truly universal

:04:40. > :04:46.Mobile complications network. Let's not yet again take the approach

:04:47. > :04:50.where the benefits are only seen in some urban areas of the UK. Future

:04:51. > :04:53.network licensing deals should have the conditions of contract as a

:04:54. > :04:59.requirement for rural areas to be prioritised. In these areas all

:05:00. > :05:02.across the nations of the UK, they have suffered for decades because of

:05:03. > :05:07.ill thought out strategy and indeed the ignorance of the needs of those

:05:08. > :05:11.outside the larger cities. Linked closely to this is the need for

:05:12. > :05:15.broadband infrastructure. Madam Deputy Speaker, the SNP have

:05:16. > :05:19.campaigned for a universal service obligation for broadband and are

:05:20. > :05:23.pleased that this is included in the Digital Economy Bill. The Scottish

:05:24. > :05:27.Government is committed to superfast broadband to 100% of premises, all

:05:28. > :05:33.businesses and homes, and when I recently at the Leader of the House

:05:34. > :05:36.in this chamber to match that ambition, he said he did not know

:05:37. > :05:39.how it could be done. It is hoped that the UK Government have figured

:05:40. > :05:42.this out and will roll-out and demonstrate action that matches the

:05:43. > :05:48.words. If it does, that is positive news. UK infrastructure commission

:05:49. > :05:52.is also welcome, but only if it looks beyond the old horizons and

:05:53. > :05:56.prioritises infrastructure for, as I say, all the nations of the UK. To

:05:57. > :05:59.achieve this, more ambition is required in the development and

:06:00. > :06:03.deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure, and I agree with the

:06:04. > :06:07.remarks made earlier by the Labour front bench on this. In addition to

:06:08. > :06:11.autonomous vehicle investment, the two must go hand-in-hand. If that is

:06:12. > :06:17.to happen, it is good, but let's see the detail and that ambition

:06:18. > :06:20.matching what is being said. We possibly entering a point and

:06:21. > :06:23.development where, counterintuitively, roads may

:06:24. > :06:26.actually have the potential to provide another vision for the

:06:27. > :06:32.future of transport. I would like to see the explored more by the UK

:06:33. > :06:39.Government. Green travel, indeed greener travel measures in general,

:06:40. > :06:42.we would have sort greater ambition from the UK Government. While the

:06:43. > :06:47.recent Budget did not remove salary sacrifice games aiding the promotion

:06:48. > :06:52.of cycling, and that is to be welcomed, there is huge opportunity

:06:53. > :06:55.for further investment in cycling. This leads to how the atoms for

:06:56. > :07:02.people and healthier economic benefits. But the lack of a detailed

:07:03. > :07:06.implementation plan for accelerating cycling infrastructure is something

:07:07. > :07:10.we would urge ministers to reconsider. -- healthier outcomes

:07:11. > :07:15.for people. Where is the promised strategy? Given the stated

:07:16. > :07:20.objectives, why is it not a headline this time? What is needed is greater

:07:21. > :07:25.vision, greater urgency, proof that the words equal a true commitment.

:07:26. > :07:28.The SNP Scottish Government are investing ?1 billion annually into

:07:29. > :07:31.public transport and other sustainable transport options to

:07:32. > :07:37.encourage people to get out of their cars. But since 2011, Scotland has

:07:38. > :07:39.built 190 calamities of cycling and walking paths to match the

:07:40. > :07:43.commitment to healthier lives for the people of Scotland where we have

:07:44. > :07:46.seen an increase of around a third of people cycling since 2003. -- 190

:07:47. > :07:59.kilometres. The Secretary of State mentioned HS2

:08:00. > :08:03.earlier. But he ominously omitted Scotland from his list. The Scottish

:08:04. > :08:08.Government are committed to working in partnership with the UK

:08:09. > :08:12.Government on HS2, but the UK Government must demonstrate that

:08:13. > :08:17.their commitment is factual. Will he confirm that is correct and he will

:08:18. > :08:22.commit with this and he will go to Scotland with the full investment

:08:23. > :08:28.needed? HS2 is not the only possibility for a cross-border rail

:08:29. > :08:31.development. The Borders rail link, a programme delivered on time and

:08:32. > :08:37.under budget by the Scottish Government is now open for

:08:38. > :08:41.investigation for going all the way to Carlisle. The Scottish Government

:08:42. > :08:45.will support a feasible study will stop with the UK Government match

:08:46. > :08:54.that to see if it can be realised for the people of the Borders? Was

:08:55. > :09:00.the future of green travel exists for service users through active

:09:01. > :09:04.travel and the development of road, rail and electric, especially if

:09:05. > :09:08.powered by renewable sources, there remains no vision for the UK

:09:09. > :09:13.Government on alternative air travel. The UK is stuck in the

:09:14. > :09:20.vapour trails on this issue. Oslo has become the world's first airport

:09:21. > :09:25.to offer a sustainable biofuels to all airlines with Lufthansa, SAS and

:09:26. > :09:30.KLM already signed up. In the UK there is no such commitment. The UK

:09:31. > :09:34.Government can change this and I would urge ministers to include

:09:35. > :09:40.aviation in the renewable transport fuel obligation. We welcome the UK

:09:41. > :09:46.Government's commitment to do more to the UK airspace strategy. It is

:09:47. > :09:51.overdue. We ask that action in this area be accelerated to address the

:09:52. > :09:54.deficit of more than 40 years. To ignore this poses an increased risk

:09:55. > :10:01.of delays and a damaging impact on commerce. Tackling this and coming

:10:02. > :10:05.into line with the European Commission initiative offers an

:10:06. > :10:11.opportunity to boost the UK economy and provide a benefit for all of the

:10:12. > :10:16.UK nations. But, speaking of things up in the air, whilst nobody will be

:10:17. > :10:22.shocked by a lack of commitment to decide on airport expansion, it

:10:23. > :10:27.remains the elephant in the room. Our frustration is shared by the

:10:28. > :10:31.ministers on these benches. I am certain freed from the internal

:10:32. > :10:35.pressures they would have made a decision, but they remain paralysed

:10:36. > :10:39.by the orders of internal party politics. Madame Deputy Speaker, you

:10:40. > :10:44.were in the chair on a previous occasion when I overran on a

:10:45. > :10:52.response to the statement on yet another delay to airport expansion,

:10:53. > :10:56.whether government ministers and the Prime Minister promised a full and

:10:57. > :11:03.final decision, promises broken over and over. When a person sees and

:11:04. > :11:06.hears that long catalogue of missed opportunities for leadership, what

:11:07. > :11:10.becomes understandable is the frustration and anger of these

:11:11. > :11:16.delays. Rather than repeat the exercise, let me quote the words of

:11:17. > :11:20.the Secretary of State from way back on October 2000 and 12. He said in

:11:21. > :11:25.the South east of the runways are filling up and the Jets are circling

:11:26. > :11:29.our skies. That is hitting our prosperity, it is bad for the

:11:30. > :11:34.environment, it is bidding of investors, it is costing jobs and it

:11:35. > :11:40.is holding Britain back. Madame Deputy Speaker, he was right. Nearly

:11:41. > :11:45.five years ago he was right and in spite of those sage words of the

:11:46. > :11:47.runways are fuller, more Jets are circling and the environment

:11:48. > :11:51.continues to be damaged and investors have been put off. Who

:11:52. > :11:58.knows how many jobs it could have cost? I am grateful to the

:11:59. > :12:04.honourable gentleman. He has now had time to study the Davis report,

:12:05. > :12:07.perhaps he will now tell us which option he supports? I would be

:12:08. > :12:12.delighted if the Secretary of State and the UK Government wants to hand

:12:13. > :12:19.control of development of the UK infrastructure over to the SNP. Like

:12:20. > :12:23.the Borders rail link, like the Queensferry Crossing, we deliver

:12:24. > :12:28.things on time and under budget. By all means give us that decision and

:12:29. > :12:34.we will make that choice for you. Let me come on to wipe this is

:12:35. > :12:38.important to Scotland. Over 90% of international visitors to Scotland's

:12:39. > :12:44.travel by air, more than a third of those use Heathrow as a hub.

:12:45. > :12:47.Combined with Gatwick, that is about half of international visitors

:12:48. > :12:53.travelling through the south-east. It is not just tourism. The ?5

:12:54. > :12:58.billion annual whiskey industry, the salmon industry and other exporters

:12:59. > :13:03.need to get international markets. All the time a decision is fudged

:13:04. > :13:10.this harms the Scottish economy. There is another air opportunity

:13:11. > :13:14.open to the UK Government. Not just to Scotland, but to many other parts

:13:15. > :13:19.of the UK, and that is by bringing forward a commitment to public

:13:20. > :13:24.service obligations linking regional airports, point-to-point with the

:13:25. > :13:32.London hubs. This would be a much more enlightened and inclusive

:13:33. > :13:41.airport strategy. Our strategic choice is indeed needed. We also

:13:42. > :13:46.support the establishment of a UK spaceport. This is an exciting

:13:47. > :13:52.opportunity and again subject to how this is progress, we see this... I

:13:53. > :13:56.am happy to give way. I wonder if my honourable friend would ask the

:13:57. > :14:01.Minister to clarify that in his statement, and I was trying to

:14:02. > :14:05.intervene and he did not hear me, was that he mention it would be up

:14:06. > :14:09.to market forces to decide where the spaceport was. We have had

:14:10. > :14:16.discussions in this place in the past talking about awarding a

:14:17. > :14:19.licence to UK spaceport, but you need multiple licenses because you

:14:20. > :14:24.have to license every vehicle. Maybe you could ask on my behalf whether

:14:25. > :14:28.the minister would clarify whether he is going to let the market make

:14:29. > :14:35.the decision and whether there will be the possibility of multiple

:14:36. > :14:39.spaceport is. It is a very important point and I think you have made

:14:40. > :14:44.questing clear, but I am delighted to ask the Secretary of State to

:14:45. > :14:47.respond. We see this development as having great possibilities and would

:14:48. > :14:52.anticipate the UK Government wilfully appreciate the excellent

:14:53. > :14:57.potential sites in Scotland. We encourage the UK Government to work

:14:58. > :14:59.with the Scottish Government, Scottish local authorities and

:15:00. > :15:06.public agencies to realise this potential in Scotland. We would also

:15:07. > :15:10.welcome more detail on developing a genuine aerospace strategy. Part of

:15:11. > :15:14.this must be the investment to address the skills gap in the

:15:15. > :15:18.engineering sector. I would urge ministers to consider some of the

:15:19. > :15:24.work progressed in gender balance issues. It was not that long ago

:15:25. > :15:29.that I quoted the deputy director for the National Aerospace programme

:15:30. > :15:35.with over 40 years experience. She highlighted her struggles as a woman

:15:36. > :15:42.in the industry with only 11% of women, even with 20% graduates of

:15:43. > :15:45.women. This is the lowest female employment in this sector across

:15:46. > :15:50.Europe. There are apprenticeship opportunities in shipping. Transport

:15:51. > :15:56.should include reference to shipping. The Scottish Government

:15:57. > :16:00.work tirelessly, as they did with the Scottish steel issue, to save

:16:01. > :16:05.the iconic Ferguson shipyard, vital to providing vessels and employment

:16:06. > :16:12.for the future. Of course in this place the decision has been to put a

:16:13. > :16:19.delay on the order over the review of shipbuilding and that delay

:16:20. > :16:24.threatens jobs in Scotland just now. I hope the ministers opposite will

:16:25. > :16:26.take this message back to their Cabinet colleagues and get the

:16:27. > :16:34.Treasury to release the brake on that particular development. Madame

:16:35. > :16:37.Deputy Speaker, on the subject of shipping there is also an

:16:38. > :16:41.opportunity to put right the dangerous deficit that has been

:16:42. > :16:46.allowed to continue parentheses of the UK and particularly in Scotland,

:16:47. > :16:49.nowhere more striking than on the West Coast. The right honourable

:16:50. > :16:56.member for Murray has highlighted the dangers of maritime aircraft

:16:57. > :17:02.patrol for Scotland. When added to the removal of Scotland's two

:17:03. > :17:06.emergency towing vessels, it is easy to see why ministers opposite are

:17:07. > :17:10.facing calls from every quarter to commit to permanently securing the

:17:11. > :17:17.remaining vessel and reinstating the second. These are vessels that have

:17:18. > :17:23.deployed sensitively and can assist drifting ships, prevent them from

:17:24. > :17:27.running aground, head of disaster, protecting human lives and fragile

:17:28. > :17:32.environments. They are called emergency towing vessels for a

:17:33. > :17:36.simple reason, they are available for emergencies, such as when they

:17:37. > :17:41.were called into rescue one of the nuclear submarines that had run

:17:42. > :17:48.aground off Skye. Anyone and everyone who understands the risks

:17:49. > :17:54.indices around Scotland, from the industry, from the unions, every

:17:55. > :17:57.Highlands and Islands MP and MSP and local authorities and agencies are

:17:58. > :18:02.all pointing out we cannot wait for another disaster to happen before

:18:03. > :18:07.there is a reaction. There needs to be protected in order to prevent

:18:08. > :18:14.such a disaster. To conclude what the nations of the UK need is not

:18:15. > :18:20.just more words of support for good ideas, but a conductivity strategy,

:18:21. > :18:27.a plan for air, technology, for suitable, sustainable fuels, a plan

:18:28. > :18:31.for marine operators, a plan for health and well-being, tourism,

:18:32. > :18:34.trade and enterprise and a plan for productivity. We must see more and

:18:35. > :18:41.better work from the UK Government on these fronts. Thank you, Madam

:18:42. > :18:45.Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for being called early in this debate. I

:18:46. > :18:53.must give advance apologies for not being able to be here at the wind-up

:18:54. > :18:57.at the end. I have to answer an invitation from her Majesty the

:18:58. > :19:00.Queen to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. I

:19:01. > :19:07.am sure the Minister will understand I am keen to keep that one.

:19:08. > :19:11.Yesterday in the speech we learned of the government's plans to ensure

:19:12. > :19:16.that the UK will be at the forefront of new forms of transport in the

:19:17. > :19:22.modern transport bill. It is an exciting time for the country as we

:19:23. > :19:25.push forward towards a modern transport revolution which includes

:19:26. > :19:31.the potential of the UK's first commercial spaceport, something I

:19:32. > :19:36.shall return to later. The magnitude of the progress we are poised to

:19:37. > :19:40.make becomes very clear when you consider the many years and neglect

:19:41. > :19:46.our transport system has suffered, particularly for those of us" while.

:19:47. > :19:50.However, at long last we are seeing serious investment in the county's

:19:51. > :19:58.infrastructure that will create the opportunities for the future. ?60

:19:59. > :20:02.million project for the main link to Cornwall and the rest of the country

:20:03. > :20:07.is well under way and will relieve massive congestion and delays. I am

:20:08. > :20:11.incredibly proud to be part of this government that is finally

:20:12. > :20:15.delivering on this project which was cancelled by the Labour government

:20:16. > :20:19.when they came to power in the 90s. A further nine mile stretch of the

:20:20. > :20:25.single carriageway further west on the a 30 is due to be upgraded. This

:20:26. > :20:31.route experiences at 25% rise in traffic flow in the holiday periods,

:20:32. > :20:36.so you can understand how important projects like this are for the

:20:37. > :20:39.ongoing growth of this area. For many years residents of Saint

:20:40. > :20:46.Austell have been making impassioned calls for an upgrade on the road

:20:47. > :20:50.between Saint Austell and the A30. Now they're called have finally been

:20:51. > :20:57.answered by this government. This project is planned to go ahead next

:20:58. > :21:01.to funding will have a significant and positive impact on congestion

:21:02. > :21:05.and traffic issues in my constituency, as well as an lock

:21:06. > :21:10.future potential economic growth. But it is not just the roads that

:21:11. > :21:15.are being upgraded. The South West will benefit from new trains,

:21:16. > :21:20.replacing ones that are 40 years old. An upgraded sleeper service, as

:21:21. > :21:26.well as reports into cutting journey times between London by half an hour

:21:27. > :21:34.and a much needed additional route through Devon. Meanwhile, passenger

:21:35. > :21:38.numbers at Cornwall Newquay airport continue to grow and thanks to the

:21:39. > :21:44.government's backing, it has been able to fly into the jet age with

:21:45. > :21:48.its link to Gatwick as well as seeing new routes opening up.

:21:49. > :21:51.Through all this Cornwall has been transformed and its potential is

:21:52. > :21:57.starting to be realised, but there is still much more to do. With our

:21:58. > :22:00.unquestionable appetite to demonstrate our aspiration for

:22:01. > :22:06.growth and better times ahead, Cornwall finds itself edging towards

:22:07. > :22:10.the forefront of the next generation of travel opportunities and is

:22:11. > :22:16.proving itself to be the right choice for the UK's first spaceport.

:22:17. > :22:20.While we wait for the criteria to be released, it is clear that Newquay

:22:21. > :22:26.has established itself as the front runner in this process. I put to you

:22:27. > :22:30.it is the best option of the six short listed. Newquay airport

:22:31. > :22:33.already has a wide and long runway, with the added bonus it has the

:22:34. > :22:38.capacity to be extended fairly easily. The airport is established

:22:39. > :22:42.and thriving and goes from strength to strength and will embrace the

:22:43. > :22:48.growth and development the spaceport would bring. The proposed site is

:22:49. > :22:55.ideally located next to the coast. It has easy access to uncongested

:22:56. > :23:00.airspace and is not in a densely populated area. Making Newquay's bid

:23:01. > :23:03.even more attractive either hugely beneficial links that exists between

:23:04. > :23:14.the neighbouring enterprise zone. After the Chancellor announced the

:23:15. > :23:20.expansion of that zone, the boost for choral's space ambitions works

:23:21. > :23:25.to make the area and even more attractive for commercial

:23:26. > :23:27.investment. As well as permitting the possibility of space tourism and

:23:28. > :23:33.high-speed travel, the spaceport would embrace the commercial

:23:34. > :23:38.satellite market even further. The UK is a world leader, but with a

:23:39. > :23:43.spaceport we could finally secure launching satellites on our own. It

:23:44. > :23:48.is antennae but that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for

:23:49. > :23:54.Cornwall and my constituency to transform our economy. -- it is

:23:55. > :23:56.undeniable. We will see job opportunities and well-paid careers

:23:57. > :24:02.in cutting-edge opportunities in one of the lowest paid areas in the

:24:03. > :24:06.country, higher paid jobs, as well as welcoming new people to the area,

:24:07. > :24:10.the next generation of skilled Cornishman and women will be a body

:24:11. > :24:19.stay in the county they love to call home. -- will be able to stay. For

:24:20. > :24:23.decades, they have been torn between their love and desire to live in

:24:24. > :24:26.their beautiful homeland or seek serious job opportunities elsewhere.

:24:27. > :24:30.I count myself lucky to have been able to make a living for myself

:24:31. > :24:33.without having to leave Cornwall, working in a number of sectors over

:24:34. > :24:37.many years, as well as running my own business. But this is not the

:24:38. > :24:44.case for many of my peers, who were forced to move away in search of

:24:45. > :24:46.other opportunities. But it is still happening today with scores of

:24:47. > :24:50.talented, skilful young people leaving Cornwall behind, often never

:24:51. > :24:55.to return. This has gone on for too long, but we can stop this. Our

:24:56. > :25:00.young people deserve a chance, a real opportunity, just as much as

:25:01. > :25:05.the rest of the country. It is clear the spaceport needs a home that will

:25:06. > :25:09.embrace the brand-new sector of space tourism, and Cornwall can and

:25:10. > :25:12.will pioneer this. As well as boosting visitor numbers from within

:25:13. > :25:19.the UK even further, this could be the key that finally gets a large

:25:20. > :25:23.proportion of the country's overseas visitors to the south-west. Only a

:25:24. > :25:26.small percentage of overseas visitors currently venture outside

:25:27. > :25:32.of London. The benefits of this would be felt right across the

:25:33. > :25:37.south-west. Furthermore, Cornwall has historically led from the front

:25:38. > :25:41.and it comes to industry. Our tin mining and China clay activities are

:25:42. > :25:44.world-renowned, and they have transformed the landscape and the

:25:45. > :25:54.future of Cornwall. As a county, we are also at the forefront of

:25:55. > :25:57.inventions, the mighty Cornishman Richard sugar that created the first

:25:58. > :26:01.steam locomotive, Humphrey Davies signed millions of lives with his

:26:02. > :26:04.safety lamp, and the first-ever radio transmission was sent across

:26:05. > :26:14.the Atlantic Ocean from Cornwall by Marconi. But this heritage is not

:26:15. > :26:18.stopped Cornwall being stifled, unable to build on these advances,

:26:19. > :26:22.Cornwall has not been able to live up to its true potential. Often

:26:23. > :26:27.forgotten by Westminster, its ambitions ignored. But the tide is

:26:28. > :26:30.changing, and Cornwall is on the up under this Government. The granting

:26:31. > :26:35.of the Newquay spaceport would be another major advancement for the

:26:36. > :26:39.region, and we are ready. The county and Newquay in particular, is

:26:40. > :26:43.already a premier tourist destination with millions of people

:26:44. > :26:47.already flocking to the area to enjoy all it has to offer. Not only

:26:48. > :26:51.is Cornwall readily equipped for such an influx of visitors, we

:26:52. > :26:55.understand tourism better than anyone else. Our communities thrive

:26:56. > :27:03.on it, and we have done so for over a century. The Government's latest

:27:04. > :27:08.infrastructure commitments show their commitment to the county, and

:27:09. > :27:12.the six Cornish Conservative MPs are unequivocally working hard with the

:27:13. > :27:17.Conservative Government deliver for Cornwall. What better time now than

:27:18. > :27:21.to push this forward? I personally feel the Government's ongoing

:27:22. > :27:25.commitment to the county shows a belief that Cornwall holds the key

:27:26. > :27:29.for a fairer distribution of growth, and real evidence of our one nation

:27:30. > :27:34.vision, a belief that Cornwall can pave the way forward in this

:27:35. > :27:38.exciting new sector, and a belief that Cornwall will deliver. Madam

:27:39. > :27:43.Deputy Speaker, the right choice is clear, Newquay's bidder for the

:27:44. > :27:46.spaceport holds the excitement and enthusiasm for exploration, the

:27:47. > :27:49.spirit of adventure, and the capability of being the driving

:27:50. > :27:55.force in scientific and technological advances. Let's make

:27:56. > :28:04.the right choice for Newquay, for Cornwall, and for the country.

:28:05. > :28:10.There is a great deal to welcome in this Queen's Speech in relation to

:28:11. > :28:15.transport, and it is reassuring to see how many issues contained in the

:28:16. > :28:20.speech do reflect the requests that have come from the Transport Select

:28:21. > :28:24.Committee. But the real test will be whether the promised measures are

:28:25. > :28:28.actually implemented and do not simply remain aspirations, and of

:28:29. > :28:32.course we will have to see the important details of what is being

:28:33. > :28:36.proposed. I am pleased that the national infrastructure commission

:28:37. > :28:50.is to be made a statutory body charged with a strategic vision for

:28:51. > :28:53.2050. I just hope we are not still discussing increasing hub capacity

:28:54. > :29:00.in the south-east by that date, it is important that a decision is made

:29:01. > :29:03.soon. Heathrow is the right location, it is important decision

:29:04. > :29:06.is made in the interests of the country as a whole and also on

:29:07. > :29:13.behalf of the regions and nations this country. The Northern

:29:14. > :29:17.powerhouse too pictures in the Queen's Speech, and that is

:29:18. > :29:21.extremely important, and again we need to hear not just more words but

:29:22. > :29:25.say actual implementation of proposals and ideas that have been

:29:26. > :29:30.put forward. And that means that transport for the North needs to

:29:31. > :29:35.have effective powers and full accountability, and I don't see any

:29:36. > :29:39.mention of that in this Queen's Speech. It is of course particularly

:29:40. > :29:44.important that electrification schemes, which have already been put

:29:45. > :29:50.forward, are properly costed and implemented. We don't want to see

:29:51. > :29:53.any more stop start processes, where promises are made and much-needed

:29:54. > :30:00.schemes are delayed, or indeed cancelled. And when we are looking

:30:01. > :30:03.at much-needed improvements across the Pennines, the Trans-Pennine

:30:04. > :30:08.improvements, the so-called HS3, I think it is very important for

:30:09. > :30:14.members to remember that Trans-Pennine improvements are not

:30:15. > :30:17.confined to Manchester and Leeds. They also include Liverpool,

:30:18. > :30:24.Newcastle, Sheffield and Hull, just to name a few of the very important

:30:25. > :30:30.places. I am very pleased that age is going ahead, but I would like to

:30:31. > :30:34.hear more clarity from the Minister about the current stories that are

:30:35. > :30:41.now being circulated about possible changes to the face two of HS2, and

:30:42. > :30:45.to get maximum impact from that very important infrastructure, we need to

:30:46. > :30:50.see high-speed 2 linked with other rail investments, as we have been

:30:51. > :30:59.promised they will, and, for example, enabling a direct line to

:31:00. > :31:03.be built from Liverpool to link up with HS2 and HS3, just one example

:31:04. > :31:05.of the way in which major infrastructure investments of

:31:06. > :31:12.national importance can also give great benefit to the regions of this

:31:13. > :31:18.country. I am, Madam Deputy Speaker, pleased to see the Modern Transport

:31:19. > :31:21.Bill. Its promises for commercial development, transport innovations,

:31:22. > :31:26.is extremely important for this country, and it is something that

:31:27. > :31:34.has to often been neglected. I note too the reference to the importance

:31:35. > :31:40.of using new technology for road safety. It is important to note that

:31:41. > :31:47.while the trend on road safety over a decade or so is for improvements,

:31:48. > :31:52.there has been a change in very recent years, and in the last year

:31:53. > :32:00.for which we have recorded figures, 2014, we regrettably saw an actual

:32:01. > :32:08.increase in road casualties. 1705 people were killed on our roads, and

:32:09. > :32:13.22,807 people were seriously injured. Using technology to improve

:32:14. > :32:20.road safety is important, but technology on its own cannot do the

:32:21. > :32:24.job. Education and promotional campaigns are extremely important,

:32:25. > :32:28.and so is enforcement, and I would remind ministers that it matters,

:32:29. > :32:33.yes, that we have the latest technology, but also that we have

:32:34. > :32:39.more people enforcing the rules of the road and looking at bad driver

:32:40. > :32:42.behaviour by having more road traffic officers. During this year,

:32:43. > :32:49.the transport committee produced a report which showed the impact of

:32:50. > :32:54.reductions in road traffic officers, and to improve road safety we need

:32:55. > :33:00.to harness the technology there, but we also need education and fulsome

:33:01. > :33:11.and, P3 go together. I do, Madam Deputy Speaker, have a special

:33:12. > :33:15.welcome for the Bus Services Bill. For too long, buses have been

:33:16. > :33:20.treated as the Cinderella of public transport, yet more people use buses

:33:21. > :33:24.than any other form of public transport. They are a lifeline for

:33:25. > :33:30.millions, enabling people to get to their jobs and to access important

:33:31. > :33:34.local amenities. And this bill, and I hope I can repeat this when we

:33:35. > :33:41.actually see the detail of the bill, is an attempt to put right the

:33:42. > :33:45.weaknesses of the 1985 Transport Act, which left bus services at the

:33:46. > :33:51.mercy of the free market, leaving local authorities to pick up the tab

:33:52. > :33:56.for profitable services, except in London, of course, which is spared

:33:57. > :33:59.deregulation, and which has gone on from success to success, with

:34:00. > :34:06.franchised services using the private sector, but the private

:34:07. > :34:10.sector being employed to follow our transport plan as decided by the

:34:11. > :34:14.public sector, Transport for London. And in terms of the rest of the

:34:15. > :34:20.country, when local gum and cats started to bite and financial cuts

:34:21. > :34:23.started to be amended, local authority support for those

:34:24. > :34:31.subsidised services inevitably fell away. -- when local government cuts.

:34:32. > :34:36.Increased numbers of people feel left out of essential transport

:34:37. > :34:39.services, and they are left without access to work, without access to

:34:40. > :34:44.hospitals, and two shops, and this is not solely rural communities that

:34:45. > :34:48.are being affected, although they have been affected very badly. It is

:34:49. > :34:52.also significant parts of towns and cities who are losing not only

:34:53. > :34:57.night-time services, but important daytime services as well. I want to

:34:58. > :35:01.thank my honourable friend for making those points, and I really do

:35:02. > :35:09.agree with the punchy has made. Night buses have just been cuts in

:35:10. > :35:13.my constituency. -- with the point she has made. But she also agreed

:35:14. > :35:17.that people affected include those with sight loss, and she agreed that

:35:18. > :35:25.this bill is an opportunity to make all new buses accessible for people

:35:26. > :35:28.with sight loss with next stop and final destination announcements? I

:35:29. > :35:33.thank my honourable friend for comments that I certainly agree

:35:34. > :35:38.with. A proper public transport service, including buses, has to be

:35:39. > :35:42.accessible for all people, and proper facilities to enable people

:35:43. > :35:47.with sight loss, and indeed people with other sorts of disabilities, it

:35:48. > :35:51.is absolutely important to have the right facilities there, and I think

:35:52. > :35:56.this is a very important opportunity to do that. And indeed the whole

:35:57. > :36:00.pattern we have seen since passed the regulation is that, while

:36:01. > :36:06.services in London, where the regulation did not take place, have

:36:07. > :36:09.increased, services and indeed there is, services have produced elsewhere

:36:10. > :36:16.in the country while bus fares have increased. This is not acceptable,

:36:17. > :36:25.it cannot be tolerated any further, and the measures to try and remedy

:36:26. > :36:28.this, quality partnerships, quality contracts, they have not resolved

:36:29. > :36:33.the basic question, so I look forward to the publication of the

:36:34. > :36:39.Bus Services Bill. I noticed that the proposal is to enable devolved

:36:40. > :36:45.areas with an elected mayor to use franchise services, following the

:36:46. > :36:50.situation and currently works in London, but I would like to see the

:36:51. > :36:55.details of how that can be extended to other sorts of authorities as

:36:56. > :37:03.well, and to see what financial support goes with that. The power to

:37:04. > :37:06.make bus services accessible, accountable and effective is

:37:07. > :37:11.extremely important, but the finance to make that a real possibility must

:37:12. > :37:18.be there, so I look forward to seeing that. So in summary, Madam

:37:19. > :37:24.Deputy Speaker, I do welcome some very important measures in this

:37:25. > :37:29.bill. We need to see them and acted, and not just to remain aspirations,

:37:30. > :37:34.we need to see proper funding. -- enacted. It is vital proper chance

:37:35. > :37:39.but infrastructure is provided nationally, regionally and locally,

:37:40. > :37:42.and it is also important that there are effective transport services

:37:43. > :37:47.that are accessible and our passenger friendly, and the test of

:37:48. > :37:48.whether this Queen's Speech will deliver those objectives is yet to

:37:49. > :37:59.come. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I

:38:00. > :38:02.would like to focus my remarks on neighbourhood planning and the

:38:03. > :38:06.effect on housing delivery, but first I would like to draw the

:38:07. > :38:15.House's attention to my member's interest. Might I say to the

:38:16. > :38:22.minister before he leaves, the roads minister, a very quick pitch for the

:38:23. > :38:26.A64. I welcome the ?100 billion of investment from this Parliament and

:38:27. > :38:35.the ?13 billion in the Northern powerhouse. 250 million is being

:38:36. > :38:39.allocated to the A64. If that improvement does not include a dual

:38:40. > :38:44.carriageway as far as Barton Hill, it will keep that pinch point down

:38:45. > :38:52.the road. I would ask if he would bear that in mind and look at this

:38:53. > :38:58.for future discussions. I was astounded to hear the Leader of the

:38:59. > :39:01.Opposition yesterday in this house claim that house-building had sunk

:39:02. > :39:11.to its lowest level since the 1920s. The reality is quarterly housing

:39:12. > :39:18.starts, the most reliable guide to housing activity, has doubled since

:39:19. > :39:24.2009. It was below 20,000 at that point and the current quota is over

:39:25. > :39:28.40,000, doubling in anyone's terms, according to the Office of National

:39:29. > :39:35.Statistics. For further prove could I suggest members opposite visit any

:39:36. > :39:40.building site and talk to any brickie, chippy or spiky who will

:39:41. > :39:46.put you right. If they do not know any business people I am very happy

:39:47. > :39:52.to put them in touch with them. I am very much welcoming of the fact that

:39:53. > :39:57.all local authorities have to have a plan in place by 2017, but also

:39:58. > :40:05.neighbourhood plans. They give local communities a say into what is built

:40:06. > :40:09.where and what it will look like. Clearly neighbourhood planning must

:40:10. > :40:14.work with local authorities to agree the numbers allocated to a

:40:15. > :40:18.particular settlement. I am very grateful to my honourable friend who

:40:19. > :40:23.has been generous with his time, both in terms of working with the

:40:24. > :40:27.government, but also volunteering to visit my constituency to help our

:40:28. > :40:32.local communities develop their own neighbourhood plans. These plans are

:40:33. > :40:37.without question part of the solution to the increase in house

:40:38. > :40:42.building that we need to see. I very much welcome the changes contained

:40:43. > :40:46.within the Queen's speech to make neighbourhood planning easier and

:40:47. > :40:51.more powerful for local communities. I do not support any community right

:40:52. > :40:56.of appeal will stop planning is tough enough without adding more

:40:57. > :41:03.obstacles to the planning process. However, I do think current rules

:41:04. > :41:06.and subjective calculations with a five-year land supply can undermine

:41:07. > :41:13.the expensive and time-consuming process of neighbourhood planning.

:41:14. > :41:18.To give you an example, Gladman, a name that strikes fear into many

:41:19. > :41:28.planning officers, have been successful twice recently in my

:41:29. > :41:35.constituency, due to their ability to demonstrate the District Council

:41:36. > :41:39.only had 1.47 years of land supply, yet nine months later the revised

:41:40. > :41:42.analysis carried out by the local authority by Anne expensive

:41:43. > :41:49.consultant, Hamilton District Council now believe they have an

:41:50. > :41:55.eight year plus land supply. In effect, this creates two perverse

:41:56. > :41:58.outcomes. A subjective approach to assessment housing market needs

:41:59. > :42:05.incentivises the kite flying carpetbaggers like Gladman, but this

:42:06. > :42:09.incentivises local communities from establishing a neighbourhood plan.

:42:10. > :42:16.Even though the neighbourhood may be ahead of its own housing, a shortage

:42:17. > :42:19.by the local authority over all can mean an inappropriate development

:42:20. > :42:25.can be forced onto the local community. Perhaps, Madam Deputy

:42:26. > :42:30.Speaker, I can suggest two simple solutions. They are consistent with

:42:31. > :42:35.the recommendations of the local planning expert group that says

:42:36. > :42:42.there is currently no definitive guidance on the way to operate the

:42:43. > :42:49.strategic housing market assessment. One would be a definitive and

:42:50. > :42:55.objective guidance on housing need revised only at specified intervals.

:42:56. > :43:00.If I might suggest a brutally simple formula, we have 26 million homes in

:43:01. > :43:06.the UK and we need to build 250,000 homes per annum. If each local

:43:07. > :43:14.authority group build a minimum 1%, we would meet our national housing

:43:15. > :43:18.targets. Secondly, a housing delivery chest for a neighbourhood

:43:19. > :43:23.planning area. If the neighbourhood was hitting its prescribed numbers,

:43:24. > :43:27.it could not be subject to an aggressive application based upon

:43:28. > :43:32.local authority under delivery. This would deter the kite flyers and

:43:33. > :43:36.encourage and incentivise more communities to develop their own

:43:37. > :43:42.neighbourhood plans and bring forward schemes that communities

:43:43. > :43:46.proposed and consented to. I am interested in his comments about

:43:47. > :43:52.common basis for assessing housing need. It is something the Select

:43:53. > :43:56.Committee recommended, it is something that Lord Matthew Taylor

:43:57. > :44:01.recommended in his work on planning guidance. It would take a lot of the

:44:02. > :44:08.heat out of local controversy about how numbers are arrived at. I think

:44:09. > :44:14.he is putting forward a very good proposal that the government ought

:44:15. > :44:20.to take seriously. On many occasions in the Select Committee we are in

:44:21. > :44:25.full agreement. I want to move onto another very important area in my

:44:26. > :44:32.community, the number one business priority in the UK, for many

:44:33. > :44:37.business people in my community, according to every business person

:44:38. > :44:41.you speak to, or according to the Institute of directors, it is access

:44:42. > :44:46.to digital connection, superfast broadband and mobile phone networks.

:44:47. > :44:51.To give the government credit, we have seen a step change in access to

:44:52. > :44:57.these networks since 2010, even in rural North Yorkshire. 88% of

:44:58. > :45:05.premises are now covered by superfast broadband and 91% will be

:45:06. > :45:13.by 2017 and 95% by 2019. But there is a growing gap between the haves

:45:14. > :45:15.and the have-nots. The voices of those without broadband

:45:16. > :45:22.understandably grow louder and more vociferous. For a home or business

:45:23. > :45:26.superfast broadband is no longer considered a luxury, but an

:45:27. > :45:33.essential for utility and we must treat it as such. I welcome the very

:45:34. > :45:37.bold ambition in the Queen's speech for our universal service

:45:38. > :45:42.obligation, a digital imperative that this government will deliver

:45:43. > :45:46.on. To meet this imperative and a further commitment to increase speed

:45:47. > :45:51.as demand and behaviour also increases, we need a new

:45:52. > :45:57.relationship between the consumer and the network operator, in

:45:58. > :46:01.particular BT. I must say I am sceptical about Ofcom's halfway

:46:02. > :46:07.house solution, an internal separation of open reach and BT. It

:46:08. > :46:13.is inconceivable that a separation of assets will separate the vested

:46:14. > :46:17.interests of the network from the commercial opportunity of the

:46:18. > :46:25.wholesale and retail and content provider operations of BT. I and

:46:26. > :46:29.many colleagues will hold Ofcom and BT to account for the huge

:46:30. > :46:35.improvements required, including particular fare cost for access to

:46:36. > :46:40.its ducts and a clear network map of the allocations. Only this and a

:46:41. > :46:48.technology neutral approach will deliver the solutions we need. BT

:46:49. > :46:50.and open reach have actively plus far deterred third-party operators

:46:51. > :46:56.and complimentary technology solutions from reaching the past

:46:57. > :47:07.other technologies cannot reach, namely point-to-point wireless, and

:47:08. > :47:15.a roll-out of fibre to premise. The only future solution available.

:47:16. > :47:20.Fibre to premise in the UK is 2% in this country, compared to 6% in

:47:21. > :47:25.Spain where competitors can access ducts and polls more cheaply and

:47:26. > :47:32.readily. Can we also look at creative community solutions. A

:47:33. > :47:35.voucher scheme for satellite is welcome, but would ministers

:47:36. > :47:40.consider allowing residents to combine vouchers to contribute

:47:41. > :47:43.towards the cost of installing community-based fibre schemes. We

:47:44. > :47:50.also need more clarity and operation between backbone operator open reach

:47:51. > :47:53.and other technologies so solutions can be provided today. If community

:47:54. > :48:00.or commercial point-to-point wireless providers are deterred

:48:01. > :48:04.through future roll-out plans and uncertainty around the solutions,

:48:05. > :48:08.those solutions are sidelined rather than rolled out to people in need.

:48:09. > :48:18.These are real people with real businesses and real jobs. In my

:48:19. > :48:28.constituency there is a provider of quality garments for the larger

:48:29. > :48:35.lady, Ample Bosoms. The Black Swan, an award-winning hostelry close to

:48:36. > :48:40.where I live is suffering as a result of these delays and

:48:41. > :48:46.referrals. In conclusion, I am very pleased with the measures included

:48:47. > :48:54.in the Queen's speech and I very much commend those initiatives to

:48:55. > :48:59.the House. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I do not think I can follow

:49:00. > :49:03.on from the last point that the honourable gentleman raised a

:49:04. > :49:08.certain garment manufacturers in his constituency, so I will move on to

:49:09. > :49:13.issues about devolution which I am particularly interested in. I want

:49:14. > :49:18.to talk about the proposal with regard to the business rates, then

:49:19. > :49:22.buses and then move on to housing. In terms of devolution we have had

:49:23. > :49:28.the word Northern Power has mentioned again in the Queen's

:49:29. > :49:33.speech. Ministers have to be aware that there is welcome for the

:49:34. > :49:36.general intentions on devolution, the intention to get the economic

:49:37. > :49:40.performance of our northern cities up to the level of the national

:49:41. > :49:44.average, we are unique in the European Union and that our major

:49:45. > :49:49.cities do not perform better than the national average economically,

:49:50. > :49:56.while that is the intention there is a great deal of scepticism in my

:49:57. > :50:09.constituency as we see job losses from HSBC, over 600 in Sheffield,

:50:10. > :50:13.when we see as well a company in administration in my constituency

:50:14. > :50:18.with 400 jobs at threat. We see uncertainty over steel plant at

:50:19. > :50:22.Stockbridge and Rotherham. All these things are things we would look to

:50:23. > :50:27.government to at least recognise the importance of. Then we see

:50:28. > :50:34.government itself creating 600 job losses at HMRC and directly, and in

:50:35. > :50:38.complete contradiction to what the Transport Secretary said, moving 200

:50:39. > :50:43.jobs from headquarters in Sheffield down to London without any rationale

:50:44. > :50:50.being given in terms of cost savings. Indeed it will cost more to

:50:51. > :50:55.move staff from Sheffield to London, but that is what the government

:50:56. > :51:00.intends to do. They talk about devolving powers, but they actually

:51:01. > :51:04.centralised jobs. That is causing a great deal of anger in Sheffield and

:51:05. > :51:09.is something that the government could do here and now and give a

:51:10. > :51:13.clear indication that the word Northern Power has start to mean

:51:14. > :51:19.something in practice to the people who live in my constituency and in

:51:20. > :51:23.the Sheffield region. In the Queen's speech the major devolved powers and

:51:24. > :51:29.bills are firstly about business rates. I am pleased that the

:51:30. > :51:32.Secretary of State has had discussions with the Select

:51:33. > :51:35.Committee and we are conducting enquiries with the intention of

:51:36. > :51:44.trying to assist that process. There is genuine support for the

:51:45. > :51:49.localisation of business rates. We are already hearing about issues

:51:50. > :51:55.that need resolution, whether it be about those matters that are going

:51:56. > :52:00.to be devolved alongside the business rates, the appeals system,

:52:01. > :52:05.or concerns about whether an area loses a major firm that contributes

:52:06. > :52:11.to its rateable income, about revaluations, about the very

:52:12. > :52:15.difficult issue of how to marry up providing incentives to growth and

:52:16. > :52:21.at the same time helping those areas with needs that cannot grow as

:52:22. > :52:25.quickly as others. There are a lot of issues, the government recognises

:52:26. > :52:29.those complications, therefore they will do a further consultation in

:52:30. > :52:34.the summer. It is right we get this issue correct, so making sure we

:52:35. > :52:38.have more time to do that is more important than rushing it. The

:52:39. > :52:43.Select Committee will produce an interim support and then come back

:52:44. > :52:49.with ministerial information and evidence later on to produce a final

:52:50. > :52:52.report. That is a good example of the Select Committee and the

:52:53. > :52:53.government working together to better achieve an objective which we

:52:54. > :53:05.share. The 100% retention of business rates

:53:06. > :53:12.should only be Verstappen a wider fiscal devolution. -- a first step

:53:13. > :53:15.in a. There was also the challenge that we are only really devolving

:53:16. > :53:19.the retention of the money from business rates with a bit of power

:53:20. > :53:24.over areas with elected mayors to reduce the business rate or to have

:53:25. > :53:29.a small levy for infrastructure projects. What we won't have,

:53:30. > :53:33.however, is local control over the business rates system itself, and if

:53:34. > :53:36.in the future a government made a significant change, like they have

:53:37. > :53:41.just done with small business rate relief, that could in the future

:53:42. > :53:45.significantly affect the rate income of local authorities without their

:53:46. > :53:49.having any say whatsoever in the system and the changes in it. So I

:53:50. > :53:53.think there was a wider debate about whether it is just the retention of

:53:54. > :53:56.business rates or why the localisation of the system itself

:53:57. > :54:00.which we should be moving towards. That is an issue I am sure we will

:54:01. > :54:05.come back to when we discuss the bill. I welcome the buses built, it

:54:06. > :54:08.is right that, in the end, particularly in areas where there

:54:09. > :54:15.has been devolution deals as an important part of that is the

:54:16. > :54:18.ability, if they so wish, for local mayors to be able to take up

:54:19. > :54:22.franchising arrangements, such as those that exist in London. The

:54:23. > :54:26.current legislation is inadequate, because as has been found out in the

:54:27. > :54:32.north-east, where a transport authority wants to go for quality

:54:33. > :54:37.contracts, they are second-guessed by independent bodies which

:54:38. > :54:40.themselves come to a different view about what the public interest is. I

:54:41. > :54:45.have an old-fashioned view that local elected councillors, local

:54:46. > :54:49.elected mayors, are better placed to decide the public interest than any

:54:50. > :54:54.appointed quango, and therefore I support that. Franchising is not of

:54:55. > :54:59.itself a panacea for everything, but it can help drive up standards, it

:55:00. > :55:04.can improve ticketing arrangements, it can make better use of resources

:55:05. > :55:08.by ensuring there is not over provision of buses on some routes

:55:09. > :55:11.and no provision and others. It can better deal with pension

:55:12. > :55:18.concessions, and it can reverse the trend of a 50% fall in the bus trips

:55:19. > :55:23.per head of population, which has happened in areas like my own, in

:55:24. > :55:28.Sheffield, since deregulation came into effect in the 1980s. We

:55:29. > :55:34.pioneered cheap fares and public transport of a high quality in South

:55:35. > :55:38.Yorkshire back in the 1970s, even before the GLC moved in that

:55:39. > :55:43.direction. We were proud to do so, and it has been downhill ever since

:55:44. > :55:51.once the regulation came into effect. -- deregulation. That will

:55:52. > :55:54.only work in itself if it is seen as part of a wider approach to

:55:55. > :55:59.integrated transport, and I put on record my very great disappointment

:56:00. > :56:03.that the tram project has once again been delayed. Network Rail have

:56:04. > :56:08.announced that, after ten years of thinking about it, the delayed to

:56:09. > :56:12.2017 now cannot be achieved, and they cannot even tell us when the

:56:13. > :56:16.delayed date is going to be that they will be set at some stage in

:56:17. > :56:23.the future. This is an absolute disgrace, Network Rail have a system

:56:24. > :56:27.which has been operating in Germany for 30 years. 30 years in Germany,

:56:28. > :56:32.ten years thinking about it in the UK, and we have not even got a date

:56:33. > :56:35.when the trams are going to start running on the network, even though

:56:36. > :56:39.the transport minister, I am pleased to say I was with him when he got on

:56:40. > :56:44.one of the trams that is being delivered, but we have no data about

:56:45. > :56:48.when it will run on the tracks. This is a complete nonsense. The

:56:49. > :56:52.Government should launch an inquiry into it. Indent of wider issues, we

:56:53. > :56:58.want them assurances from government that a station for HS2 will be in

:56:59. > :57:01.Sheffield and that HS3 will link Sheffield as well as Leeds across

:57:02. > :57:05.the Pennines, as well as a commitment to the review of the

:57:06. > :57:13.Pennine tunnel which many of us are really interested in. Finally, if I

:57:14. > :57:17.could talk about housing, very interesting, we had in the general

:57:18. > :57:21.election promises of a million homes from the Conservative Party, which I

:57:22. > :57:25.think was a target. The minister afterward said, when I ask them

:57:26. > :57:29.about the target, that it was only an aspiration. I presume, now it is

:57:30. > :57:33.in the Queen's Speech, that it is now a clear and firm commitment. You

:57:34. > :57:37.don't put figures in the Queen's Speech without committing to them,

:57:38. > :57:43.do you, Madam Deputy Speaker? Of course you don't. My only concern is

:57:44. > :57:45.looking at what the CML said yesterday in a very interesting

:57:46. > :57:49.piece, when they said they were unsure that the 200,000 starter

:57:50. > :57:52.homes and the 125,000 shared ownership bodies were a deliverable.

:57:53. > :58:02.They thought the numbers were too big, they raised questions about the

:58:03. > :58:05.distortions are the market, questions about the building block

:58:06. > :58:10.of the Government's programme of getting towards 1 million homes. At

:58:11. > :58:13.some point the penny might stop with ministers that we're not going to

:58:14. > :58:17.achieve the 250,000 homes here we need to build in this country

:58:18. > :58:20.without a substantial programme of social house-building with local

:58:21. > :58:24.councils, as well as housing associations, as a key part of that.

:58:25. > :58:31.Without that commitment, and the Government are taken all the money

:58:32. > :58:35.away from social housing, I do not believe the Government will achieve

:58:36. > :58:39.their aims. I do not know where the minister will be in four years' time

:58:40. > :58:44.to answer that, probably elsewhere and not responsible for having to

:58:45. > :58:49.explain why that figure has not actually been reached. Finally,

:58:50. > :58:53.Madam Deputy Speaker, if I can just say, whooping off these subject

:58:54. > :58:56.altogether, something completely different, yesterday, together with

:58:57. > :59:02.the honourable member for Cardiff South and Penarth, and a number of

:59:03. > :59:08.other members, it was a pleasure to go with members of the Somaliland

:59:09. > :59:13.community in England to Downing Street to present a letter to the

:59:14. > :59:17.Prime Minister. It is 25 years yesterday since Somaliland got its

:59:18. > :59:20.independence from the British Empire. It has had a troubled

:59:21. > :59:25.history since then, it had a union with Somalia, an Italian

:59:26. > :59:31.protectorate. It then had a very bitter civil war to fight against a

:59:32. > :59:35.dictatorship and achieved through that process its de facto

:59:36. > :59:43.independence. It is now run as a democracy, having had had

:59:44. > :59:47.presidential election, having had a narrow election result accepted by

:59:48. > :59:50.the losers. Somaliland is a democracy that is not recognised by

:59:51. > :59:53.the international community. I understand it is very difficult for

:59:54. > :59:57.the UK Government as the former colonial power to be the first

:59:58. > :00:00.country to recognise Somaliland. Well that is being asked for by the

:00:01. > :00:02.Somaliland government and the community in this country is whether

:00:03. > :00:09.the British Government now would at least give an undertaking that it

:00:10. > :00:14.will accept that it would recognise, it would encourage an international

:00:15. > :00:18.commission to look at the status of Somaliland with a Bluetooth looking

:00:19. > :00:27.at the fact that it is de facto an independent country but the -- it is

:00:28. > :00:32.not recognised de jure by the international community. I was

:00:33. > :00:34.extremely pleased that infrastructure and transport

:00:35. > :00:37.featured so prominently in the gracious address, not just because

:00:38. > :00:44.of the impact that this debate will have on my own constituency, but

:00:45. > :00:48.also because it shows the Government's keenness to get on and

:00:49. > :00:52.deliver economic growth, and infrastructure and transport are at

:00:53. > :00:56.the heart of growing our economy and the rest of England and in the UK

:00:57. > :01:00.too. As the railways minister knows from the many times she has come to

:01:01. > :01:07.my own constituency, she stood with me in orange overalls and all the

:01:08. > :01:10.rest, train lines, breathing in heavy smoke, I campaigned last year,

:01:11. > :01:21.and she joined me in my pledge to end up stopping stalling, and we are

:01:22. > :01:24.doing everything we can to tackle the disgusting air-pollution

:01:25. > :01:30.problems must as many members of the house will know from visiting Bath,

:01:31. > :01:34.it is blighted by dangerously high levels of air pollution, and plans

:01:35. > :01:36.to encourage residents to use public transport, as well as large-scale

:01:37. > :01:41.infrastructure projects which divert traffic around the city will be huge

:01:42. > :01:47.steps in improving this problem. Want except light up the ministerial

:01:48. > :01:54.team here will pass onto the roads Minister. -- one example I hope. One

:01:55. > :01:58.of our key plans within the area is our integrated transport plan that

:01:59. > :02:07.involves the long overdue, well, 30 years overdue A36-46 link road, 30

:02:08. > :02:11.years is enough to get on with a critical transport project. For

:02:12. > :02:14.vehicles to bypass path and still reach their destination, and it is

:02:15. > :02:20.very crucial to get on and build this critical link road. -- Bath. No

:02:21. > :02:24.surprise that I wanted to raise this issue, probably because it is the

:02:25. > :02:28.only thing I ever talk about here! As well as the commitment to

:02:29. > :02:30.transport, the Government looking to this crucial project, the Prime

:02:31. > :02:35.Minister has written to me recently in order to extend his invitation

:02:36. > :02:39.for me to work with highways England on that particular project. I really

:02:40. > :02:43.do hope, following on from the changes to vehicle excise duty

:02:44. > :02:45.announced in the previous Budget, that some funding will become

:02:46. > :02:53.available in order to improve our strategic highways network. In fact,

:02:54. > :02:58.anyone looking to use it for the next pub quiz, the A36-46 is the

:02:59. > :03:01.only strategic highway in the entirety of the UK not to be

:03:02. > :03:08.connected, and I'm sure that will be used in many pubs across the UK.

:03:09. > :03:11.Other transport plans which will really help Bath become a more

:03:12. > :03:22.prosperous city include a new junction on the M4, and is just

:03:23. > :03:29.before the general election. -- announced just before. The greatest

:03:30. > :03:33.investment in the railway since Victorian times, the great

:03:34. > :03:37.electrification of the great Western mainline, will make a massive impact

:03:38. > :03:40.to the regional economy in the West of England, as well as the

:03:41. > :03:44.improvements to the cycling network, the rail network between Heathrow

:03:45. > :03:48.and the great Western mainline, four miles of track which is long

:03:49. > :03:52.overdue, and would make a massive impact to the west and does not need

:03:53. > :03:57.to be put on hold until they make a decision on the Heathrow Airport

:03:58. > :04:03.expansion. Some of these are already in place and I look forward to

:04:04. > :04:06.working with the Government on some of these bills. I would join with

:04:07. > :04:09.other members to say I really hope that the decision will be made on

:04:10. > :04:14.where to build the third runway this year. It has taken far too long, and

:04:15. > :04:19.we really need to start and make a decision ASAP in order to enable

:04:20. > :04:32.Willie as a country to grow and our economy to grow too. -- enable

:04:33. > :04:38.us as a country. Driverless cars present a unique opportunity to

:04:39. > :04:42.fundamentally change transport in this country by cutting congestion,

:04:43. > :04:48.reducing emissions and saving lives. It is important the Government

:04:49. > :04:53.recognises the need to incorporate technological innovation, and it is

:04:54. > :04:56.hoped the House will prepare legislation for driverless cars in

:04:57. > :05:00.the future. Companies in Bath are looking at introducing this

:05:01. > :05:05.technology to reap the benefits it promises to bring. I am glad there

:05:06. > :05:12.is no whip here at the moment, but I look forward to reading the details

:05:13. > :05:16.of the bill, just to find out exactly what the legislation will

:05:17. > :05:19.say about how that will benefit the wider sector. Madam Deputy Speaker,

:05:20. > :05:27.I would also like to turn to the bus is built, and your forms to public

:05:28. > :05:35.transport services. -- the buses Bill. I promise to not bore the

:05:36. > :05:39.House by going through the timetables, but the West and

:05:40. > :05:42.evolution bill is in process, and I hope we can cover a positive

:05:43. > :05:54.conclusion to seal this deal as quickly possible. -- the Western

:05:55. > :05:56.devolution deal. Bath and the West of England will benefit from the

:05:57. > :06:01.increased franchising powers being devolved to the region if he's come

:06:02. > :06:07.to fruition. To encourage more people in Bath and the West of

:06:08. > :06:12.England to use buses, an integrated strategy is needed across rural

:06:13. > :06:16.areas especially. Economies of scale can help pass on savings to

:06:17. > :06:23.travellers, just as they were in London when they were introduced. I

:06:24. > :06:26.have met with numerous passenger focused groups, and they are all

:06:27. > :06:35.concerned with the future viability of services. This new buses bill

:06:36. > :06:38.will ensure the long-term stability of the project. Madam Deputy

:06:39. > :06:42.Speaker, users want to be confident that they can complete their whole

:06:43. > :06:46.journey easily, reduce cost and make it to their destination on time.

:06:47. > :06:51.Passengers will be delighted to hear that the bill will require operators

:06:52. > :06:54.to share route, fair and schedule data with app developers so that

:06:55. > :06:59.they can keep up to date on the move on how their journey is likely to

:07:00. > :07:03.progress, to make it even easier for commuters we need to see smart

:07:04. > :07:07.ticketing introduced. At a time when you can pay for a cup of coffee with

:07:08. > :07:10.a tap of your card, it is crazy across the bus network in Bath and

:07:11. > :07:14.the rest of the country outside of London that the only way to pay for

:07:15. > :07:18.a bus is by having the correct change in your pocket. Many of our

:07:19. > :07:22.constituents rely almost solely on their bank cards, and the need to

:07:23. > :07:28.find cash to use a bus leads many to get into their cars. Smart card

:07:29. > :07:32.ticketing was introduced in London, passenger numbers went up, prices

:07:33. > :07:35.went down. The introduction of a similar integrated and technology

:07:36. > :07:41.focused system will reduce congestion across the country, and

:07:42. > :07:46.confront the disgustingly high levels of air pollution. I hope

:07:47. > :07:49.buses across the country will be brought into the 21st century. I

:07:50. > :07:54.cannot speak on the infrastructure built without taking a moment to

:07:55. > :08:00.discuss the important subject of broadband, which my honourable

:08:01. > :08:04.friend spoke so eloquently about. I am inundated, like most of ours

:08:05. > :08:11.across the House, about high-speed broadband, problems of access. Even

:08:12. > :08:15.in a city like Bath, which has a fast-growing tech economy, they are

:08:16. > :08:16.struggling to access high-speed broadband. Thus productivity is

:08:17. > :08:38.awarded. I welcome the commitment to the

:08:39. > :08:46.broadband service obligation. It is important to maintaining a strong

:08:47. > :08:50.economy. Lastly, I cannot speak in relation to the infrastructure build

:08:51. > :08:58.without drawing attention to the critical shortage of housing in the

:08:59. > :09:01.west of England. I know that the Minister came to bar a couple of

:09:02. > :09:07.months ago to lay the bricks in some of those homes, but in Victorian,

:09:08. > :09:11.Georgian, Roman cities that many of us represent the housing that was

:09:12. > :09:16.built was never made for cars and the road networks are not there in

:09:17. > :09:23.order to sustain the nature of growth. If we lay more roads, better

:09:24. > :09:33.roads, better equipped roads, as well as better railway systems in

:09:34. > :09:36.order to fuel our housing needs, we will be able to deliver those new

:09:37. > :09:42.towns we are in need of across the UK. In conclusion I welcome the

:09:43. > :09:48.Government's continued commitment to supporting the economic recovery by

:09:49. > :09:53.supporting jobs and apprenticeships and investing in infrastructure. We

:09:54. > :10:01.have spent far too little compared to other countries. The actual

:10:02. > :10:05.delivery of infrastructure projects, though, remains slow and a very

:10:06. > :10:10.lengthy process. We must remember that efforts need to be made to

:10:11. > :10:16.ensure that large infrastructure projects come to fruition in a

:10:17. > :10:17.timely manner. This is the responsibility of Government,

:10:18. > :10:29.devolved Government and local councils. Thank you, Madam Deputy

:10:30. > :10:35.Speaker. I would like to start with an apology because unfortunately I

:10:36. > :10:39.am unable to stay for the duration of the debate and listen to the

:10:40. > :10:43.summit up. Unlike the honourable member for still a new peak I am not

:10:44. > :10:50.going to Buckingham Palace, I have to go back to my constituency. The

:10:51. > :10:56.theme of the day's debate is transport and local infrastructure

:10:57. > :11:00.and infrastructure and investment drives growth and long-term business

:11:01. > :11:03.related jobs. Any sensible investment in infrastructure should

:11:04. > :11:09.be welcomed. I would argue that more can be done and that is why the

:11:10. > :11:15.SNP's proposals of releasing an additional 0.5% spending per year

:11:16. > :11:23.should be considered. This would free up an addition of ?150 million

:11:24. > :11:28.and eliminate the need for cuts in the Chancellor's austerity budgets

:11:29. > :11:34.and still leave left over for long-term investment and stimulate

:11:35. > :11:38.growth. Not only that, such a proposal still leads to net debt and

:11:39. > :11:45.borrowing falling over the current Government. Other ways of free up

:11:46. > :11:55.money would be to scrap the idea of Trident renewal which is now

:11:56. > :12:01.estimated to be ?205 billion. If the SNP's proposals for an alternative

:12:02. > :12:06.summer budget was implemented, other giveaways could be reversed. We

:12:07. > :12:09.could stab the ?28 million commitment to Hinkley Point C and

:12:10. > :12:17.also the five other nuclear power stations in the pipeline. That would

:12:18. > :12:22.create another half ?1 trillion of investment for infrastructure. That

:12:23. > :12:28.would be a truly transformational summer. It would double the current

:12:29. > :12:32.infrastructure delivery plan and allow that plan to be truly national

:12:33. > :12:38.and for Scotland to get its fair share of it. What could we do with

:12:39. > :12:44.that additional money? We have heard about roads a lot today in the

:12:45. > :12:50.chamber and additional investment would be welcome. There is another

:12:51. > :12:58.thing associated with roads, and that is the shortage of HGV drivers.

:12:59. > :13:00.This has the potential to impact as all because of the potential

:13:01. > :13:08.knock-on price of goods in the shops. 85% of goods within the UK

:13:09. > :13:12.are delivered by road. It could also have a knock-on impact on exports.

:13:13. > :13:17.It is another target the Chancellor is currently failing on. Madam

:13:18. > :13:23.Deputy Speaker, industry at the moment suggests there is a potential

:13:24. > :13:30.shortage of some 45,000 HGV drivers by the year 2020. It is well known

:13:31. > :13:34.the cost of training is approximately ?3000, which prevents

:13:35. > :13:40.many individuals from taking up the training. The test itself is ?230.

:13:41. > :13:44.If you are unemployed, there is no way you can access this. If you are

:13:45. > :13:49.young you can forget it because you do not have that money behind you.

:13:50. > :13:59.Some initiative could create career opportunities for the younger

:14:00. > :14:04.generation. The Government says it is the industry's responsibility to

:14:05. > :14:08.step up. But given the average fleet size is six trucks and 85% of

:14:09. > :14:14.businesses are classified as medium or small, the industry does not have

:14:15. > :14:20.the capacity to step up and the Government is missing a trick. If

:14:21. > :14:26.you think about covering the cost of training and tests, that is much

:14:27. > :14:34.cheaper than the payments associated to companies involved in the work

:14:35. > :14:48.programme and it reduces welfare payments in general if people are

:14:49. > :14:51.put into work. In reality, although I am asking for additional

:14:52. > :14:58.investment, this would be spent to save move and make inroads into

:14:59. > :15:04.630,000 unemployed 18-24 -year-old is in this country. In terms of

:15:05. > :15:12.local infrastructure, the most important aspect for many people is

:15:13. > :15:20.housing. We cautiously welcome the UK's Government ambition for

:15:21. > :15:25.creating the homes. However survive the UK Government has had a poor

:15:26. > :15:32.record on affordable homes. I have often spoke out on the right to buy

:15:33. > :15:40.scheme. It is obvious we have to build more homes, not just for sale,

:15:41. > :15:43.but for rent at affordable prices. Instead we have got a Government

:15:44. > :15:49.that is crippling housing associations with enforced rent cuts

:15:50. > :15:55.as well as the sale of more attractive stock. In Scotland after

:15:56. > :15:59.a sell-off without replacement, the SNP have also entered the right to

:16:00. > :16:03.buy for council houses and that was the right thing to do when faced

:16:04. > :16:09.with such an imbalance and depleted stock. The UK Government continues

:16:10. > :16:14.with the men that with a 141 replacement it will solve matters.

:16:15. > :16:21.There is no guarantee what like-for-like replacement means. The

:16:22. > :16:28.replacement is clearly dependent on land supply. Is the right to buy was

:16:29. > :16:37.introduced, there have been over 35,000 sales. At the moment it is

:16:38. > :16:46.clear there will not be a realistic like for like replacement. A recent

:16:47. > :16:51.National audit report confirms that in 2014-2015, 8500 homes were sold

:16:52. > :16:59.and for them to be replaced, then there needs to be rise up to 2130

:17:00. > :17:04.per quarter. I would like to know what the minister is going to do to

:17:05. > :17:09.achieve that. To demonstrate that much more can be done the Institute

:17:10. > :17:13.for Fiscal Studies have highlighted that the Scottish Government spends

:17:14. > :17:18.85% more per head on social housing than in England and Wales. The SNP

:17:19. > :17:24.Government outperforms other parts of the UK in terms of social sector

:17:25. > :17:28.completions and with over 31,000 affordable homes delivered today,

:17:29. > :17:33.two thirds of these are available for social rank, the SNP is

:17:34. > :17:42.delivering on promises and that is why we were elected for a third

:17:43. > :17:47.term. I would like to see much more investment in general in transport

:17:48. > :17:55.and infrastructure. My honourable friend for Inverness, Nairn,

:17:56. > :18:00.Strathspey and Biden, suggested rail investment. More needs to be done in

:18:01. > :18:04.relation to the high-speed rail line and it should be extended to

:18:05. > :18:17.Scotland and at the very least the existing network north of crew needs

:18:18. > :18:22.to be updated. -- Crewe. The idea of a spaceport has been touched on and

:18:23. > :18:25.I welcome the idea, but it is critical that Government sets out a

:18:26. > :18:32.clear assessment criteria for making a decision. In general I would

:18:33. > :18:38.support any of the Scottish airports that are short listed, but I have to

:18:39. > :18:43.say, like many people, I want to make a pitch for my local airport,

:18:44. > :18:47.Prestwick airport. This would give my constituency a great boost. The

:18:48. > :18:57.reality is it is the most logical choice. The railway concludes a halt

:18:58. > :19:00.at Prestwick and there is a close motorway network, so Prestwick is

:19:01. > :19:05.the most accessible of the airports under consideration. There is

:19:06. > :19:10.already an aerospace industry located at Prestwick and the Glasgow

:19:11. > :19:18.area has got existing technology firms. Other runways in the UK

:19:19. > :19:24.suffer from fog problems, so it is a logical choice. In conclusion I

:19:25. > :19:28.cannot emphasise enough the importance of infrastructure

:19:29. > :19:34.investment. It is something the SNP has taken seriously since coming to

:19:35. > :19:41.power in 2007. We have heard about the new Queensferry Crossing and 31

:19:42. > :19:48.miles of rail in the Borders. It drives growth, reduces congestion

:19:49. > :19:52.and increases productivity. There are people on the benches opposite

:19:53. > :19:57.and some beside me that I wedded to the idea of austerity and Trident at

:19:58. > :20:04.any cost. I would suggest additional investment in roads, rails, housing,

:20:05. > :20:07.broadband access for all and energy security are more likely to get

:20:08. > :20:13.members elected and more importantly to create a true legacy that will

:20:14. > :20:19.stand the test of time. I am grateful to be called to contribute

:20:20. > :20:24.to the debate on the Queen's Speech and I am very pleased to follow the

:20:25. > :20:28.honourable for Kilmarnock. I want to cover a few transport issues if I

:20:29. > :20:34.may. Good to see the Government has taken action on drones. They are a

:20:35. > :20:41.nuisance and a danger and are a menace to commercial aviation. But

:20:42. > :20:46.the big absence in any reference in the Secretary of State's speech is

:20:47. > :20:52.to aviation expansion and the airports commission report which is

:20:53. > :20:56.overdue and has been referred to by my honourable friend, the Shadow

:20:57. > :21:02.Secretary of State, and the honourable gentleman for Inverness,

:21:03. > :21:09.Strathspey and now, who is just about to leave, I am glad I got that

:21:10. > :21:14.in, on the basis that this is a long overdue decision. It is 50 years

:21:15. > :21:20.since we have had any airport capacity increase in the south-east.

:21:21. > :21:25.There was a 2003 white paper, the 2008 decision by the Labour

:21:26. > :21:30.Government. The coalition decisions stimulated by the Lib Dems and the

:21:31. > :21:35.Tory manifesto of 2010 to withdraw support of the third runway at

:21:36. > :21:40.Heathrow. The U-turn, and the promise year on year that we will

:21:41. > :21:44.get a decision and we are still awaiting that decision. We hope to

:21:45. > :21:51.see that that comes forward sooner rather than later. My preference is

:21:52. > :21:54.for Heathrow, but I would not like to see Gatwick frustrated because

:21:55. > :22:01.aviation is an important economic tool for the UK internationally and

:22:02. > :22:03.importantly for parts of the UK that rely on those international

:22:04. > :22:08.connections. It would be good to see movement on that. The honourable

:22:09. > :22:13.gentleman for Inverness also mentioned shipping to his credit. It

:22:14. > :22:18.was disappointing that the Secretary of State did not mention shipping in

:22:19. > :22:22.any sense on the basis that it is so important to the UK economy, it

:22:23. > :22:28.contributes billions of pounds, notwithstanding the challenges

:22:29. > :22:31.referred to. The Government has got a fairly good record on supporting

:22:32. > :22:35.shipping and I am surprised they would not want to make more of that

:22:36. > :22:38.and maybe the Minister would want to put a sentence in saying that

:22:39. > :22:41.shipping is important to the UK Government because that is where the

:22:42. > :22:59.sector is. On buses, the point has been made,

:23:00. > :23:04.deregulation has worked in London, I know the Secretary of State laid the

:23:05. > :23:09.blame on Labour in 1999, quality contracts has not worked, but in

:23:10. > :23:12.London deregulation has worked because of privatisation,

:23:13. > :23:15.franchising has worked because it has been regulated, and that should

:23:16. > :23:19.be afforded elsewhere. My honourable friend from Denton and Redditch did

:23:20. > :23:22.make the point that this should not be restricted just to those local

:23:23. > :23:25.authorities which have elected mayors, it should be for all local

:23:26. > :23:44.authorities right around the country. I am grateful to the guide

:23:45. > :23:48.dogs and for their briefing. -- Guide Dogs For The Blind. Two other

:23:49. > :23:53.asides and transport, if I may, Madam Deputy Speaker, before moving

:23:54. > :23:56.on to housing. Road safety, the Government eliminated targets for

:23:57. > :24:00.the reduction of killed and seriously injured on our roads in

:24:01. > :24:04.2010 because the Secretary of State at that time did not support any

:24:05. > :24:08.targets that the Government might not be able to meet because failure

:24:09. > :24:14.would be an opportunity to be criticised. We have had consensus on

:24:15. > :24:18.the ambition to reduce deaths and seriously injured people on our

:24:19. > :24:24.roads across the House for over 30 years, started by the honourable

:24:25. > :24:30.member for old Lee Westwood. I am delighted to give way. Targets are

:24:31. > :24:33.not the same as results, and I'm sure he would celebrate with me that

:24:34. > :24:40.British roads safer than they have ever been, and one death is too many

:24:41. > :24:45.on our roads. We continue to work to drive down road deaths and the

:24:46. > :24:50.causes of accidents. I am grateful for the Minister's intervention, and

:24:51. > :24:54.I do not for a second underestimate the ambition of the front bench

:24:55. > :24:59.opposite to reduce deaths and seriously injured. My point is that

:25:00. > :25:02.we need to demonstrate that ambition. We have had targets for

:25:03. > :25:06.the reductions in deaths and seriously injured on our roads for

:25:07. > :25:12.over 30 years, started by Mrs Thatcher when the honourable

:25:13. > :25:15.gentleman from Worthing West was the road safety minister, and they have

:25:16. > :25:19.been successful, because what it basically says is that what we have

:25:20. > :25:24.got this year is not acceptable, and this year we are going to do this

:25:25. > :25:28.and that. For 35 years, we have scaled it down. For the past six

:25:29. > :25:32.years, we have plateaued and in one instance increased. That is not an

:25:33. > :25:36.indictment of the Government, it is an indictment of the fact that we

:25:37. > :25:41.have lost sight of remission, and I think the Government should bring it

:25:42. > :25:47.back. I have spoken to the Secretary of State, I know they are

:25:48. > :25:50.sympathetic towards this. What is really contradictory is the European

:25:51. > :25:53.Union has targets which the British Government sign up to! The United

:25:54. > :25:58.Nations has targets which the British Government sign up to. We

:25:59. > :26:02.have among the safest roads in the world, we should be proud of it, we

:26:03. > :26:06.should be broadcasting it, and in actual fact we are in denial because

:26:07. > :26:10.we do not speak about it. The other points I wanted to make an aviation,

:26:11. > :26:14.I am happy to give way. Very grateful for you giving way and for

:26:15. > :26:18.your comments earlier. On the subject of road safety, do you agree

:26:19. > :26:22.with me that if one of the driving principles behind developing

:26:23. > :26:25.driverless technology in the UK is increased safety for drivers, that

:26:26. > :26:32.should apply across the wealth and breadth of the nations of the UK and

:26:33. > :26:35.not just in urban areas? I thank the honourable gentleman, he makes an

:26:36. > :26:40.absolutely correct point. Whereas most people, if you look at the

:26:41. > :26:44.details, they might suspect nobody is in charge of driverless vehicles,

:26:45. > :26:48.that is more dangerous, when in actual fact the technology exists

:26:49. > :26:53.now for automatic stop, electronic stability control, it makes these

:26:54. > :26:57.vehicles much safer, because it is the human element which causes most

:26:58. > :27:02.crashes and deaths. If you take out people on their mobile phones,

:27:03. > :27:06.drinking, taking drugs, not wearing seat belts, speeding, these are the

:27:07. > :27:10.causes crashes. Take out the human element, and you will see road

:27:11. > :27:15.crashes tumble and deaths and serious injuries falling. It should

:27:16. > :27:18.be extended the country. The only other point I would make an

:27:19. > :27:23.transport is an air quality, transport contribute over 20% to

:27:24. > :27:29.emissions, and with the advent of new technology, obviously, there is

:27:30. > :27:32.real scope of reducing this, and I hope that the Government will work

:27:33. > :27:37.with the new map of London, Sadiq Khan, in his commitment to actually

:27:38. > :27:43.address this issue more seriously. -- mayor. On housing, the biggest

:27:44. > :27:47.issue in my constituency in London and the vast majority of the country

:27:48. > :27:55.is building new homes. The Minister act knowledge to that the new bill

:27:56. > :28:01.will not help, certainly building new expensive properties in Tower

:28:02. > :28:07.Hamlets will not solve the crisis. The imposition of market rent around

:28:08. > :28:14.Canary Wharf means those prices will be unaffordable to local people.

:28:15. > :28:18.What we need for the sell-off of housing association homes is local

:28:19. > :28:21.replacements, and we need a percentage of all new developments

:28:22. > :28:27.to be affordable homes. London needs people working in the city. If we

:28:28. > :28:31.just look at the staff at the Palace of Westminster, how we expect people

:28:32. > :28:35.to get in here 24/7 from all parts of London, from all parts of the

:28:36. > :28:39.south-east, whether security officers, police officers, co-ops,

:28:40. > :28:45.cleaners or other duties, if they don't have somewhere affordable to

:28:46. > :28:49.stay in London, we are pricing them out of the market. London's economic

:28:50. > :28:53.infrastructure will be negatively affected if we do not make sure

:28:54. > :28:57.there is affordable housing. Finally, I just want to make

:28:58. > :29:01.reference to the speech yesterday by the honourable gentleman for

:29:02. > :29:08.Worthing West, 71-75, the sold reform. I want to thank the Minister

:29:09. > :29:18.for housing for his interest in these matters. -- leasehold reform.

:29:19. > :29:21.The honourable gentleman has encouraged progress on the issue,

:29:22. > :29:25.whether it is about people exercising the right to buy,

:29:26. > :29:31.retirement homes, private sector sales, the vast majority of new

:29:32. > :29:35.properties, notwithstanding that the sector is raising its own standards.

:29:36. > :29:39.Most of us believe that there is need for regulation and statutory

:29:40. > :29:41.reform of the sector and the leasehold knowledge partnership

:29:42. > :29:45.working very hard to help people who are in a very difficult situation in

:29:46. > :29:51.this regard. The last couple of points I would make, Madam Deputy

:29:52. > :29:55.Speaker, to take out the time afforded by interventions,

:29:56. > :29:59.disappointment that there is nothing in the Queen's Speech on banning

:30:00. > :30:05.wild animals in circuses. I went to a photocall with kids from Bolton,

:30:06. > :30:09.from a primary school, to Number Ten on Tuesday at this week. This is a

:30:10. > :30:12.Government commitment, a personal commitment from the Prime Minister

:30:13. > :30:17.that this will be in the legislative programme by 2020. I am sure it will

:30:18. > :30:21.come, disappointing it is not out now. It is not a major issue in

:30:22. > :30:26.terms of national politics, but it does affect a lot of people around

:30:27. > :30:29.the country. Business rates and the return of business rates to local

:30:30. > :30:35.authorities, great news for my constituency in Tower Hamlets, where

:30:36. > :30:39.we have got the City of London fringe, Canary Wharf is in the heart

:30:40. > :30:42.of my constituency. Holding onto those business rates will make us go

:30:43. > :30:47.from one of the poorest boroughs in the country to one of the richest,

:30:48. > :30:50.the Government will have a mechanism to equalise, which has always been

:30:51. > :30:53.the case, I am not clear how that will work, and I look forward to

:30:54. > :30:59.hearing from the Minister later, if he has time. Citizen service, my

:31:00. > :31:02.honourable friend in business questions this morning, the shadow

:31:03. > :31:06.Leader of the House from the Rhondda, said it is welcome to see

:31:07. > :31:11.citizens service as going and do a statutory putting, but youth

:31:12. > :31:19.services have been cut right across the piece. -- onto a statutory

:31:20. > :31:25.footing. Some scouts, the air training Corps, Sea Cadets, the

:31:26. > :31:30.Prince's Trust, which has recently moved its London and south-east

:31:31. > :31:36.headquarters, doing fantastic work, seeing an adult service on a

:31:37. > :31:41.statutory basis is equally welcome. Organisations would be very much in

:31:42. > :31:44.support of that. Very brief points, Madam Deputy Speaker, and local

:31:45. > :31:51.government and planning, when we passed the 2008 bill, the Secretary

:31:52. > :31:58.of State on the front bench may be speaking later, leading the bill for

:31:59. > :32:01.the Labour governance, we introduced an independent planning commission

:32:02. > :32:05.for projects of national significance, and one of the first

:32:06. > :32:08.things the coalition did was to repeal the bill. Five years later,

:32:09. > :32:13.the Conservatives now realise that there is a need for a fast-track

:32:14. > :32:16.planning procedure for nationally significant infrastructure. It is a

:32:17. > :32:22.real contradiction and a conflict between local councils, where we

:32:23. > :32:26.have the prospect of shale extraction and fracking, and I think

:32:27. > :32:28.the vast majority of people in the country, notwithstanding the clamour

:32:29. > :32:32.from the environmental movement and the Greens that shale should not be

:32:33. > :32:37.preceded with, they would much rather see us using our own natural

:32:38. > :32:43.resources than importing gas from the US or Qatar or Russia in terms

:32:44. > :32:47.of economics and you do. Shale extraction makes much more sense,

:32:48. > :32:52.and the conflict between local communities being panicked into

:32:53. > :32:56.opposing these applications and the need for that national industry to

:32:57. > :33:01.be developed as one that the Government obviously has to address.

:33:02. > :33:04.A last point in terms of the counter extremism, the anti-terrorism issues

:33:05. > :33:09.and security, these are all very welcome. We are living in much more

:33:10. > :33:13.dangerous times, the balance of civil liberties alongside the

:33:14. > :33:17.opportunity for the security and intelligence forces to protect us is

:33:18. > :33:22.a real challenge. When the three girls from Bethnal Green went to

:33:23. > :33:26.Syria, everybody clamoured, why didn't the security forces

:33:27. > :33:29.intervene? But the same people, the exactly same ones were objecting

:33:30. > :33:34.when the Government try to improve security and intelligence gathering

:33:35. > :33:38.and interception. I was in support of identity cards in the last Labour

:33:39. > :33:41.government, it was wrong that we did not proceed with them, wrong that

:33:42. > :33:46.the Government is not proceeding with them. It would be a simple

:33:47. > :33:50.mechanism, when we are all carrying our own idea the shape of credit

:33:51. > :33:53.cards or contactless payment cards or whatever, Heidi cars would be a

:33:54. > :34:01.positive step forward. Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. --

:34:02. > :34:06.ideally cards. Phil Wilson. I want to talk about the importance

:34:07. > :34:11.of rail manufacturing, primarily attaching its importance to the

:34:12. > :34:14.local economy in my constituency. The Hitachi rail Europe factory

:34:15. > :34:21.opened last year in Newton a cliff, creating 730 jobs, with many more in

:34:22. > :34:26.the supply chain. The factory is a superb modern facility costing ?82

:34:27. > :34:29.million, the largest private sector investment in the north-east of

:34:30. > :34:33.England since Nissan. The factory's first task is to build the

:34:34. > :34:38.next-generation intercity trains for the great Western line, which will

:34:39. > :34:42.begin entering service next year, and then the East Coast Main Line

:34:43. > :34:49.from 2018. For those who use the service on a regular basis, that day

:34:50. > :34:54.cannot come too soon. It has also one contract for trains in Scotland

:34:55. > :34:57.and the Trans-Pennine route. Hitachi build the first bullet train in

:34:58. > :35:02.Japan in the 1960s, and I understand they are now on the seventh series

:35:03. > :35:06.of bullet trains, and I want to see that technology brought to Britain

:35:07. > :35:10.and manufactured in Newton Aycliffe. But because of their expertise,

:35:11. > :35:13.Hitachi could manufacture the rolling start for HS2 in Newton

:35:14. > :35:17.Aycliffe if it wins the contract. This would provide a great boost for

:35:18. > :35:24.manufacturing in the north-east and the rest of the UK. So I would like

:35:25. > :35:28.to see the 730 jobs already been created as a minimum. And there are

:35:29. > :35:35.other areas of expansion also. Hitachi Rail Europe is called

:35:36. > :35:39.Hitachi Rail Europe for a reason, and the reason is simple and --

:35:40. > :35:41.Hitachi sees the UK and the north-east as their launch pad for

:35:42. > :35:45.exporting Rod Studd into the European Union, one of the reasons

:35:46. > :35:51.why are continued membership of the EU was vital. -- exporting rolling

:35:52. > :35:55.stock. Hitachi have great confidence in UK manufacturing capabilities,

:35:56. > :35:58.and I can only endorse their faith in the workforce in Newton Aycliffe

:35:59. > :36:01.and the surrounding area. It that you have moved their global

:36:02. > :36:06.headquarters for rail to London and have opened a European rail research

:36:07. > :36:10.centre in London also. They have done all of this for one primary

:36:11. > :36:14.reason, because the United Kingdom is part of the European Union. But I

:36:15. > :36:19.do worry about future investment in the plant if we leave the EU. What

:36:20. > :36:24.I'm saying is not meant to be part of some project here is, but I

:36:25. > :36:28.believe it would be irresponsible of me as the MP for Sedgefield, when

:36:29. > :36:32.Newton Aycliffe is based, if I do not express my deeply held rallies

:36:33. > :36:39.about the future of Japanese investment if we leave the EU. --

:36:40. > :36:42.deeply held worries. Those are based in statements made by the chairman

:36:43. > :36:46.of Hitachi in an interview with the Financial Times in 2030 and under

:36:47. > :36:53.the headline Hitachi president warns UK against leaving Europe, so,

:36:54. > :36:58.leaving the EU. -- in 2013. He said that he did not expect the UK to

:36:59. > :37:03.leave the EU, but I would have to reconsider how to manage our rail

:37:04. > :37:10.business. In an article in the financial terms this year, he wrote,

:37:11. > :37:15.Britain is the centre of Hitachi's largest overseas infrastructure

:37:16. > :37:18.projects in rail and new nuclear power. We invested in the country as

:37:19. > :37:23.the best base for access to the entire EU market. For manufacturing

:37:24. > :37:29.and supplies, we depend on skills and parts that come from within the

:37:30. > :37:33.UK and from Europe. Take away its EU membership, and the investment case

:37:34. > :37:44.looks very different. Someone wants to see Putin leave the EU, -- some

:37:45. > :37:45.want to see Britain leave the EU, but they have to come cavalier with

:37:46. > :38:08.facts. I believe the recent and consistent

:38:09. > :38:13.statements prove there would be further repercussions in the UK if

:38:14. > :38:18.we do leave. Because this speech is not part of some called Project

:38:19. > :38:24.fear, if Britain votes to leave the EU, on the 23rd of June, the Hitachi

:38:25. > :38:30.factory in my constituency will not close on June the 24th, but I am

:38:31. > :38:37.deeply concerned about the factory's ability in the long-term to generate

:38:38. > :38:44.more jobs without unfettered access to the EU market base. In a recent

:38:45. > :38:49.survey I undertook of businesses in my constituency, over 50% responded

:38:50. > :38:54.and said leaving the EU would have a negative effect on their investment

:38:55. > :38:59.plans for the future. Is he aware that I made exactly the same point

:39:00. > :39:03.at a meeting of the all-party Parliamentary group for aerospace

:39:04. > :39:11.about a large employer next to my constituency. It is not simply about

:39:12. > :39:14.attacks in his constituency, it is major manufacturers and suppliers

:39:15. > :39:20.right across the UK that are having these very same fears. I am making

:39:21. > :39:25.the point about Hitachi because it is based in my constituency. But for

:39:26. > :39:30.a lot of foreign investors being part of the EU is key to their

:39:31. > :39:33.plans. I am disappointed that members of this house are prepared

:39:34. > :39:44.to play fast and honest with the facts also. I quote in the Daily

:39:45. > :39:52.Mail, I agree with an open border immigration policy because it means

:39:53. > :39:56.they do not have to worry about is getting more people, they think they

:39:57. > :40:02.can get a steady flow of unskilled labour from abroad. This is a slur

:40:03. > :40:05.on the name of good employers like Hitachi who have built their factory

:40:06. > :40:11.in the North East because of the local people, and the skills they

:40:12. > :40:15.have. 95% of the workforce in Newton Aycliffe comes from the North East.

:40:16. > :40:21.They are skilled and well paid. Because of their commitment to the

:40:22. > :40:27.local people as a major employer, they have sponsored the University

:40:28. > :40:35.technical college built overlooking the Hitachi factory. They will have

:40:36. > :40:41.over 60 young people once they opened their doors in September.

:40:42. > :40:47.They will be equipped with the essential skills required for the

:40:48. > :40:51.world of work. All of this is possible because Hitachi and

:40:52. > :40:56.Sunderland University have made this possible and it is possible because

:40:57. > :40:59.of the employer's belief in the local people. But it is also

:41:00. > :41:06.possible because we are part of the European Union. Hitachi have written

:41:07. > :41:11.to the workforce underlining their position on Europe. It is what a

:41:12. > :41:15.responsible employer does. They have made it absolutely clear that the

:41:16. > :41:20.decision on the 23rd of June is a decision for the British people and

:41:21. > :41:24.it would be remiss of them not to stake their permission as a

:41:25. > :41:29.responsible employer. This is some of the text they have sent. Like

:41:30. > :41:34.many other international companies we invested because of the UK's

:41:35. > :41:39.strong fundamentals and read access to talent. We are also here to have

:41:40. > :41:44.access to the entire EU and the European market, in particular we

:41:45. > :41:50.depend on skills and parts that come from the UK and Europe at large. We

:41:51. > :41:55.can understand the EU is not perfect, but the UK's departure

:41:56. > :42:01.would create huge uncertainty for all Hitachi businesses in the UK in

:42:02. > :42:07.terms of economics, skills and talent and would affect the ability

:42:08. > :42:11.and is long-term growth. It would have a negative impact on the UK

:42:12. > :42:16.economy and carry significant risks for the remainder of the EU. We

:42:17. > :42:23.believe a strong, united Europe with the UK in a single, open market,

:42:24. > :42:28.offers the best conditions for Hitachi's business. The matter could

:42:29. > :42:32.not be made any clearer. I, like a lot of people in the North East,

:42:33. > :42:37.campaigned long and hard to ensure the Government went ahead with the

:42:38. > :42:41.deal to bring Hitachi to the North East because of the jobs and

:42:42. > :42:46.investment it would bring. I am not prepared to stand idly by to watch

:42:47. > :42:52.that investment being threatened by leaving the EU. That is why I will

:42:53. > :43:03.be campaigning for the remainder on June the 23rd. Thank you, Madam

:43:04. > :43:08.Deputy Speaker. While I understand the sensitivity of the time it in

:43:09. > :43:12.relation to the EU referendum vote, this could have been avoided if the

:43:13. > :43:18.State opening had been delayed as we on this side suggested. There will

:43:19. > :43:21.be a number of areas in which the Government's programme falls short

:43:22. > :43:26.and one of these is providing support to carers. There was nothing

:43:27. > :43:33.in the Queen's Speech to ensure local authorities have the resources

:43:34. > :43:41.necessary. The 2011 census shows the number of carers increased by 11%

:43:42. > :43:46.and the steepest rise has been in those caring for over 50 hours per

:43:47. > :43:52.week. The number of older carers is also increasing. One in seven people

:43:53. > :43:56.over 80 is now providing unpaid care to family and friends. In the last

:43:57. > :44:02.seven years that number has increased by 40% and is now 417,000

:44:03. > :44:06.people in their 80s. Failure to address the needs of older carers

:44:07. > :44:11.will mean many of them will find it difficult to cope with their

:44:12. > :44:16.responsibilities. Eight UK has said as public funding falls further and

:44:17. > :44:20.further behind, we worried that very old people are being expected to

:44:21. > :44:28.fill the gap. They cannot do it on their own and we should not take

:44:29. > :44:33.advantage of their determined desire to do right. -- Age UK. The current

:44:34. > :44:40.pressure is bringing carers closer to breaking point. Areas this month

:44:41. > :44:44.there was an annual report that highlights the difficulties for

:44:45. > :44:50.providing quality services for carers against a backdrop of

:44:51. > :44:56.continued local authority costs. It says the spirit of the care act 2014

:44:57. > :45:02.had not become a reality for all and carers are struggling to get the

:45:03. > :45:07.report and the support they need. Evidence of public services are

:45:08. > :45:12.creaking under pressure, the right services are harder to find and

:45:13. > :45:17.vital support is cut or under threat, leaving many carers and just

:45:18. > :45:21.about the future. I have praised the impact of funding cuts in the care

:45:22. > :45:27.sector on a number of debates because social care is too easy a

:45:28. > :45:34.target for cuts. Ministers are prepared to slash local authority

:45:35. > :45:36.budgets. The Local Government Association has estimated the

:45:37. > :45:43.implementation of the national living wage will cost an additional

:45:44. > :45:47.?330 million for home care and residential care providers this year

:45:48. > :45:55.alone. I can give you an example from Salford. The 2% social care

:45:56. > :45:58.precept will raise ?1.6 million in Salford, but the cost of

:45:59. > :46:04.implementing the national minimum wage is 2.7 million. It is easy to

:46:05. > :46:10.see that that multiplied up and down the country. Despite what ministers

:46:11. > :46:16.say, there is no extra funding for social care this year and only ?105

:46:17. > :46:24.million next year. Pleas were made by the director of adult social

:46:25. > :46:28.services for the Chancellor to bring forward ?700 million to address

:46:29. > :46:32.these financial pressures. Failure to do this could lead to care

:46:33. > :46:37.providers failing or just walking away from publicly funded care. That

:46:38. > :46:43.could have serious consequences for the vulnerable people who rely on

:46:44. > :46:47.care services. It is unfair to think that unpaid family carers will be

:46:48. > :46:52.able to pick up the pieces if care providers fail due to these cost

:46:53. > :46:57.pressures. Unpaid carers are already under increasing pressure because of

:46:58. > :47:02.the policies. One third say they have experienced a change in the

:47:03. > :47:08.amount of care and support they received. 60% say the amount of care

:47:09. > :47:12.and support they received has been reduced because of cost or

:47:13. > :47:18.availability. In some cases those cuts have been significant. One

:47:19. > :47:25.carer said, the social worker who assessed my wife said all direct

:47:26. > :47:31.payments were being reduced. We work discussing the needs and without

:47:32. > :47:35.warning the budget was cut by 30% immediately. It is not surprising

:47:36. > :47:41.that 54% of carers surveyed felt that the quality of life would get

:47:42. > :47:45.worse. The care act was supposed to ensure that all carers were entitled

:47:46. > :47:49.to a timely assessment of their needs, yet one in three carers who

:47:50. > :47:55.have had an assessment have had to wait six months or longer. Nearly

:47:56. > :48:00.40% of carers caring for someone at the end of life had to wait six

:48:01. > :48:05.months or more for an assessment. There is no time at the end of life

:48:06. > :48:10.to be considering in six months' time what a carer needs. I would

:48:11. > :48:14.urge the Minister on the Treasury bench to pressure Health Minister is

:48:15. > :48:18.to respond to the independent choice review which was published over a

:48:19. > :48:31.year ago and to consider a new review which extends the end of life

:48:32. > :48:36.issues. Even when carers receive an assessment many of them feel it does

:48:37. > :48:42.not address their needs. Almost 70% felt they need to that regular

:48:43. > :48:45.breaks from caring and 74% said they did not feel the support they needed

:48:46. > :48:50.to juggle care with work was considered sufficient. It appears to

:48:51. > :48:56.some carers that assessment is a listing exercise that provides no

:48:57. > :49:00.real help. One said all assessment areas were considered by my

:49:01. > :49:05.assessor, but due to cut there was no support they could offer me. I

:49:06. > :49:09.was listened to, but there was no positive outcome. Along with the

:49:10. > :49:14.emotional stress and physical exhaustion, many carers are finding

:49:15. > :49:19.it has a real impact on their finances. Of those struggling to

:49:20. > :49:22.make ends meet, nearly half of the carers survey are cutting back on

:49:23. > :49:28.essentials like food and heating. Others are borrowing money and a

:49:29. > :49:32.third are using up their savings and that is not sustainable. I'd urge

:49:33. > :49:36.Government ministers to act to ensure that the carers have the

:49:37. > :49:42.financial support they need. They need access to services to help them

:49:43. > :49:47.in their caring role. Meaningful action needs to be taken to promote

:49:48. > :49:50.their health and well-being. The assessments should be accessible and

:49:51. > :49:58.should be more than a tick box exercise. The greatest speech did

:49:59. > :50:04.not provide any assurance that the Government will address the funding

:50:05. > :50:08.problems that I have outlined. The move to full business rate retention

:50:09. > :50:12.by local authorities will not address the chronic underfunding of

:50:13. > :50:19.social care. As with the social care precept, we have something that

:50:20. > :50:23.fails to consider needs and with further create inequalities in

:50:24. > :50:28.funding for social care. The areas where funding is most needed will be

:50:29. > :50:36.the areas that gain the least from the funding retention. It seems

:50:37. > :50:39.likely we will continue to see those higher costs for carers and lower

:50:40. > :50:44.levels of support for them or the person they care for. It was

:50:45. > :50:53.disappointing the gracious speech failed to mention the injustice of

:50:54. > :50:57.1950s born women who face additional financial hardship because of the

:50:58. > :51:02.Government's failure to provide fair conditional arrangements, an issue

:51:03. > :51:06.we have debated a number of times. We will have a pensions bill that

:51:07. > :51:16.does nothing to address that injustice. I want to outline some of

:51:17. > :51:23.the options being put forward. They seem to keep saying, there are no

:51:24. > :51:28.viable options. When we had an opposition day debate on these six

:51:29. > :51:30.options were put forward by the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary.

:51:31. > :51:39.He suggested changing the timetable to delay the pension age increase

:51:40. > :51:47.until 2020, so it would not read 66 until 2021. He suggested capping it

:51:48. > :51:50.at 12 months. Keeping the qualifying age for pension credit on the

:51:51. > :51:55.previous timetable which would help out some of the women facing the

:51:56. > :51:59.greatest financial hardship. I notice the Treasury bench does not

:52:00. > :52:03.seem to be interested in the 2.6 million women who are suffering

:52:04. > :52:08.hardship through the policies they have caused. It is a pity they have

:52:09. > :52:11.bothered to be here and not listen. The fourth option is to take a

:52:12. > :52:17.reduced state pension at an earlier age. I know the Select Committee has

:52:18. > :52:22.put forward that option, but I do not support it. The other option is

:52:23. > :52:30.to extend the timetable for increasing state pension age by 18

:52:31. > :52:34.months so it reaches 66 by 20 22. I have suggested the Government look

:52:35. > :52:37.at the idea of a bridge pension such as paid in the Netherlands. Two

:52:38. > :52:46.women... I am very grateful that my

:52:47. > :52:50.honourable friend has raised the issue of the 1950s women, and I

:52:51. > :52:58.congratulate her on becoming the chair of the group last week. But

:52:59. > :53:02.she will also be aware, no doubt, of the colleagues in the Welsh

:53:03. > :53:05.Assembly, Labour colleagues in the Welsh Assembly, that have tabled a

:53:06. > :53:08.motion to the devolved institution calling on the British Government to

:53:09. > :53:14.introduce fair transitional arrangements for these very women.

:53:15. > :53:18.Absolutely, and we keep coming back to this, I fear, again and again

:53:19. > :53:24.until the Government realises that it is not reasonable to expect women

:53:25. > :53:27.who were expecting a pension at 60 to live on nothing. I have

:53:28. > :53:32.constituents trying to live on their savings. Does my honourable friend

:53:33. > :53:37.and share the concern that the Government has made a cynical

:53:38. > :53:40.calculation here that most women will reach pensionable age by the

:53:41. > :53:44.time of the next general election and the Government is hoping the

:53:45. > :53:48.problem will go away, even if the injustice does not? They may have

:53:49. > :53:53.made that calculation, but they are wrong, because there are 2.6 million

:53:54. > :53:57.women affected by this over the ten years of the changes being made, and

:53:58. > :54:02.I think they will find hundreds of thousands of very angry women, their

:54:03. > :54:07.family members, husbands, sisters, children, and the numbers really

:54:08. > :54:10.ought to mean ministers take it more seriously than they appear to be

:54:11. > :54:16.doing today. To finish that detail, people are interested in this - an

:54:17. > :54:22.example of a bridge pension was set at around ?400 a month, a better

:54:23. > :54:26.option than forcing women with 40 years or more of national insurance

:54:27. > :54:32.contributions already in our lives onto the work programme or onto ESA,

:54:33. > :54:37.JS say at 62 and 63, it is disgraceful to treat women born in

:54:38. > :54:41.the 1950s that way. I would repeat what some but he said on social

:54:42. > :54:46.media, the lack of concessionary travel, while we are discussing

:54:47. > :54:51.transport, for some people whose estate pension age has changed. It

:54:52. > :54:54.really is a question, why should there be concessionary travel at the

:54:55. > :55:01.age of 60 in London but not in other parts of the country? So I am

:55:02. > :55:04.delighted, and I'm glad my honourable friend race did, that 120

:55:05. > :55:10.and rebel members signed up to the new group to support the campaign

:55:11. > :55:15.last week. -- 120 honourable members. It will hold the Government

:55:16. > :55:18.to account on the issue of the 1950s born women affected by changes to

:55:19. > :55:23.the state pension age and campaign on all the seas around state pension

:55:24. > :55:27.age. I look forward to helping the group with that aim, making some

:55:28. > :55:34.real progress to help my constituents. -- all the issues.

:55:35. > :55:38.Hundreds of thousands of 1950s born women are affected by this

:55:39. > :55:44.injustice. I have raised these issues, Madam Deputy Speaker, which

:55:45. > :55:47.affect 2.6 million women in the UK, at first affected by this

:55:48. > :55:51.Government's changes, and 7 million unpaid family carers. There was

:55:52. > :55:56.nothing in the gracious speech to help those nearly 10 million people.

:55:57. > :55:59.I have talked about their issues, it is a pity there are no measures to

:56:00. > :56:11.help them. I hope we will see some extra measures. Thank you, Madam

:56:12. > :56:15.Deputy Speaker. Now, yesterday, we had a day of tradition, pomp,

:56:16. > :56:22.ceremony, lots of fancy costumes. But behind the reality of the

:56:23. > :56:28.Gracious Speech is the fact that we have another year of Conservative

:56:29. > :56:33.government. I would like to start by commending the Government, not

:56:34. > :56:37.something I often do, for their opening paragraph of Her Majesty's

:56:38. > :56:41.Gracious Speech, because I think it is something that all members of

:56:42. > :56:46.this House really ought to be able to sign up to. Her Majesty said

:56:47. > :56:50.yesterday, Mike Government will use the opportunity of a strengthening

:56:51. > :56:54.economy to deliver security for working people, to increase life

:56:55. > :56:59.chances for the most disadvantaged. I welcome that statement of intent,

:57:00. > :57:06.because that is something that brought me into the Labour Party,

:57:07. > :57:11.and I believe in social justice, I believe in fighting against

:57:12. > :57:16.inequality in whatever form it manifests itself, but I say to the

:57:17. > :57:22.Government, you will be scrutinised on the measures that you bring

:57:23. > :57:25.before this House of Commons, because intentions are all fine and

:57:26. > :57:31.well, but it is your actions that you will be judged on. And for a

:57:32. > :57:38.government that speaks about helping the most disadvantaged, I just would

:57:39. > :57:42.like to remind them of their actions over the past six years. The

:57:43. > :57:49.reliance that many of my constituents now have on foodbanks.

:57:50. > :57:54.The increase in tuition fees, trebles and the last Coalition

:57:55. > :57:57.Government. The abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance that

:57:58. > :58:04.helped some Anita is advantage to young people into further education.

:58:05. > :58:12.The pernicious and evil bedroom tax that has hurt so many families in

:58:13. > :58:15.this country. The reduction in social security support, including

:58:16. > :58:24.for those who are disabled and those who are in work but in low paid

:58:25. > :58:29.work. So, yes, let's try to increase the life chances of the most

:58:30. > :58:34.disadvantaged, but it is an actions, not the words that ministers will be

:58:35. > :58:40.judged. I want to talk very briefly about a number of the measures that

:58:41. > :58:49.were mentioned by Her Majesty in the Gracious Speech. Firstly, the buses

:58:50. > :58:53.bill, something that is long overdue, particularly for my city

:58:54. > :58:58.region of Manchester, and we will be one of the areas with an elective

:58:59. > :59:02.mayor. I ask ministers why it is only going to be available for those

:59:03. > :59:06.areas with an elected mayor, and why it should not also be available to

:59:07. > :59:11.other local authorities that have problems with their bus services and

:59:12. > :59:18.want to introduce an element of control back into planning a

:59:19. > :59:22.strategic transport network. But in terms of Greater Manchester, it is

:59:23. > :59:29.good news, because 80% of public transport use is by bus. The effects

:59:30. > :59:37.of deregulation are quite clear - at its peak, there were 500 million bus

:59:38. > :59:43.journeys in Greater Manchester. Last year, that was 220 million. That

:59:44. > :59:49.shows the decline in bus usage. But in terms of car ownership, there are

:59:50. > :59:55.still 31% of households in Greater Manchester that do not have access

:59:56. > :00:00.to a car. So bus travel, tram travel and local train travel is really

:00:01. > :00:04.important, and as I say, 80% of those public transport journeys in

:00:05. > :00:07.Greater Manchester are made by bus. And of course it was in Greater

:00:08. > :00:14.Manchester where we saw the worst aspects of the bus wars at the

:00:15. > :00:19.height of the deregulation madness, where, rather than having sensible

:00:20. > :00:28.competition, in a tendering process, where network areas can be planned,

:00:29. > :00:31.the standards can be set, the timetable regulated, and you allow

:00:32. > :00:39.the tendering process a fair, competitive process in a tendering

:00:40. > :00:44.regime to take place. But in Greater Manchester we had the opposite, we

:00:45. > :00:49.didn't have a plan system, we had a unplan system, the competition was

:00:50. > :00:54.not in a council committee room in a fair and transparent planned network

:00:55. > :00:58.system, it was on the roads, and it was chaos. And it destroyed the bus

:00:59. > :01:04.industry in Greater Manchester. So I really do hope that the buses bill

:01:05. > :01:08.will be a success and that those areas that want to take on those new

:01:09. > :01:18.powers are able to do so. As we are talking about devolution, I want to

:01:19. > :01:24.talk about the business rates, because that is something that can

:01:25. > :01:27.be a success, but I think the Government needs to tread very

:01:28. > :01:31.carefully. Again, in Greater Manchester, we have come to a real

:01:32. > :01:35.understanding of what is needed in the conurbation, and we have come to

:01:36. > :01:39.an agreement through the combined authority that the business rates

:01:40. > :01:43.will be pooled and shared, and that is really important, because if we

:01:44. > :01:47.are going to make sense of the devolved settlement that Greater

:01:48. > :01:51.Manchester has got, we have to acknowledge that not all parts of

:01:52. > :01:56.Greater Manchester are the drivers of growth. But we have to make sure

:01:57. > :02:00.that people from across Greater Manchester have the skills, have the

:02:01. > :02:06.education, have the transport links to access the jobs that are created.

:02:07. > :02:09.And the wealth that those jobs that are created in the growth areas of

:02:10. > :02:15.the conurbation, the benefits of those jobs are spread out across the

:02:16. > :02:19.whole conurbation, and that is why pooling and sharing is so necessary.

:02:20. > :02:26.Because I acknowledge that probably my own constituency is not one of

:02:27. > :02:32.the major areas of growth in the conurbation. It is the city centre,

:02:33. > :02:38.it is around Manchester Airport and Airport City, it is in Trafford

:02:39. > :02:43.park, the Trafford Centre, Salford quays, at around MediaCityUK. But we

:02:44. > :02:47.have to make sure that the wealth that is generated in those areas is

:02:48. > :02:52.spread across the entire conurbation. And that is why I hope

:02:53. > :02:57.the Government will ensure that there are fair arrangement is in

:02:58. > :03:02.terms of the retention of business rates. Because without it, to put it

:03:03. > :03:08.simply, one of the two boroughs I represent, tame side, is a net gain

:03:09. > :03:12.under the current system of business rates, and that is because it is

:03:13. > :03:16.predominantly a residential borough. Most of the big industries have

:03:17. > :03:20.disappeared and have not been replaced with anything like the

:03:21. > :03:24.number of companies that could generate substantial business rates.

:03:25. > :03:29.That is not to say the borough council are not trying, but to put

:03:30. > :03:35.it in context, if we did not share with the rest of Greater Manchester,

:03:36. > :03:39.I think tame side would require another 17 Ikeas to be built just to

:03:40. > :03:43.break even and the new system. We have to be very careful, and that is

:03:44. > :03:52.why a sensible approach of pooling and sharing recognises those

:03:53. > :03:57.challenges. Now, I also want to draw the House's attention to where the

:03:58. > :04:00.Government talks about tackling some of the deepest social problems in

:04:01. > :04:08.society in order to improve life chances. And the Gracious Speech

:04:09. > :04:12.went on to say, Her Majesty said, my Government will introduce new

:04:13. > :04:17.indicators for measuring life chances. I am a little bit cynical,

:04:18. > :04:24.because I don't think it matters how you look at the causes of you change

:04:25. > :04:29.the measures to give you the answers you want, I think what we need to do

:04:30. > :04:34.is to actually tackle poverty in a holistic way. I will give way. I

:04:35. > :04:38.thank the honourable member, would he agree with me that this idea of

:04:39. > :04:42.improving life chances is just another way of saying we are

:04:43. > :04:47.scrapping poverty targets? That is very much might worry, and I hope

:04:48. > :04:51.the Government can reassure us on that, because if it is not scrapping

:04:52. > :04:56.the targets, it is changing the goalposts, and that is my other

:04:57. > :05:01.worry. What we need to be doing is looking at the causes of

:05:02. > :05:04.deprivation, of poverty, and inequality and tackling that. And

:05:05. > :05:08.that really, Madam Deputy Speaker, is where I want to finish, because I

:05:09. > :05:11.think there is one missed opportunity, something the

:05:12. > :05:15.Government will come to consider in due course, because I think if we

:05:16. > :05:19.are going to be serious about tackling the endemic health

:05:20. > :05:22.inequalities that are prevalent in every single constituency to a

:05:23. > :05:27.lesser greater extent in this country, then we need to have much

:05:28. > :05:31.better, joined up government. We need to break out of the silent

:05:32. > :05:37.mentality, we need to get away from this notion that public health is

:05:38. > :05:42.solely a matter for the Department of Health, and actually, I think

:05:43. > :05:45.what we need to have is a national health and well-being strategy that

:05:46. > :05:50.every single government department and every single devolved

:05:51. > :05:56.institution are fully signed up to. And I just give one example. When a

:05:57. > :06:02.bill is introduced to this House, or indeed to the other place, ministers

:06:03. > :06:05.have to certify to the members of this House that the bill is

:06:06. > :06:10.compliant with two pieces of legislation. One is the Human Rights

:06:11. > :06:14.Act, and the other one is the equalities act 2010. I would go

:06:15. > :06:18.further, I think every piece of legislation that we look at should

:06:19. > :06:22.also be health and well-being compliance, and that weight

:06:23. > :06:26.ministers have to say, have to ask a very simple question - does this

:06:27. > :06:32.piece of legislation that I am proposing improve the health and

:06:33. > :06:37.well-being of the citizens? Does it reduce health inequalities to the

:06:38. > :06:41.citizens of the United Kingdom? And, Madam Deputy Speaker, is the answer

:06:42. > :06:47.is no, white wheat legislating for it. Think that is the best way that

:06:48. > :06:51.we can pull all ministers and government departments towards the

:06:52. > :06:56.aim of tackling health inequalities in our country, because all the

:06:57. > :07:02.things, whether it is housing whether it is planning, skills,

:07:03. > :07:07.education, training, leisure opportunities, open spaces, clean

:07:08. > :07:12.air, the environment more generally, whether it is jobs, whether it is

:07:13. > :07:17.transport, all of these things, dealt with by a myriad of different

:07:18. > :07:21.departments, agencies, all of these things impact on the health and

:07:22. > :07:27.well-being of the citizen, and I would like to see much more joined

:07:28. > :07:32.up thinking. So I hope ministers will take that on board, will break

:07:33. > :07:36.out of the silent mentality, and let's for once and for all tackle

:07:37. > :07:43.the health inequalities that also endemic into many parts of the

:07:44. > :07:48.United Kingdom. It is a pleasure to follow the honourable member, who

:07:49. > :07:49.brings excellent advice to the front bench which I hope they will take

:07:50. > :08:02.heed. The Government has a blind spot when

:08:03. > :08:06.it comes to transport and the Humber. There was nothing in the

:08:07. > :08:18.speech yesterday which gave cause for great optimism. The lack of a

:08:19. > :08:23.direct link between Grimsby and London is holding back the area and

:08:24. > :08:27.giving a competitive advantage to comparative towns and city in the

:08:28. > :08:31.region. Grimsby and Cleethorpes combined has a bigger population

:08:32. > :08:37.than your, yet Europe has a travel time to London of under two hours.

:08:38. > :08:40.For people travelling to Grimsby, 40 miles south of Europe, it would take

:08:41. > :08:50.an hour more and they would have to change trains. In the gracious

:08:51. > :08:53.speech there were references to travelling to the moon, but to be

:08:54. > :09:01.perfectly honest my constituents would be happy to get to Grimsby in

:09:02. > :09:04.less than an hour. We are strategically important region for

:09:05. > :09:07.trade and logistics, we are a gateway to Europe with goods worth

:09:08. > :09:12.millions of pounds being shipped in and out of our ports every day. Any

:09:13. > :09:17.plans for transportation in the region should recognise these

:09:18. > :09:22.factors. Yet the Government's 35 page Northern transport strategy

:09:23. > :09:25.does not mention Grimsby once. It is not just for trade and break

:09:26. > :09:35.purposes that our region needs greater focus. Hull city will be the

:09:36. > :09:37.City of Culture in 2017, but connectivity between the South and

:09:38. > :09:45.north banks of the Humber remains poor. 2017 will bring huge benefits

:09:46. > :09:52.to the entire region, but poor transport links threaten to shut the

:09:53. > :09:55.rest of us out. Many fellow Humberside MPs supported my call

:09:56. > :10:04.earlier this year to suspend tolls for Humber Bridge. Lower toll since

:10:05. > :10:09.2012 lead to an increased usage of the bridge. At least whilst Hull

:10:10. > :10:14.city is the City of Culture, there should be free travel across the

:10:15. > :10:20.bridge and it should be ended as a barrier to work and trade. People

:10:21. > :10:26.from Grimsby are excluded from spending the evening there because

:10:27. > :10:33.the last train leaves at half past six. Our public transport network

:10:34. > :10:39.will not allow people who do not drive to access the cultural events

:10:40. > :10:43.in Hull next year. Putting an evening bus and rail services for

:10:44. > :10:48.2017 would be a popular move and could become permanent. Children

:10:49. > :10:51.from all backgrounds should be able to cross the Humber to see the

:10:52. > :10:56.performances in Hull next year, whether or not the parents can

:10:57. > :10:59.afford the tickets and travel. I would like to see the Government

:11:00. > :11:07.supports state schools in the region. These minor steps would go a

:11:08. > :11:11.long way in ensuring that 2017 leaves a lasting impression on this

:11:12. > :11:15.generation. I hope the Transport Secretary will agree to meet with me

:11:16. > :11:19.and my fellow Humberside MPs to discuss these proposals. I would

:11:20. > :11:22.like to welcome the announcement in the gracious speech for a bill to

:11:23. > :11:28.change the franchising system for bus services. But one concern I have

:11:29. > :11:39.is what the effect on services would be if Britain votes to leave the EU.

:11:40. > :11:44.The number one bus is particularly important for our local economy. It

:11:45. > :11:50.goes to the Euro Park, Grimsby's flagship business Park which is the

:11:51. > :11:53.location of hundreds of jobs and training facilities in the town and

:11:54. > :11:58.is also funded by the European Union. If that bus was to stop

:11:59. > :12:02.running, I would be worried about the impact on businesses located at

:12:03. > :12:09.that site. I welcome the view from the Minister as to what he thinks

:12:10. > :12:20.the potential impact Brexit would have. Lastly, a change to the

:12:21. > :12:23.lighting regulations last year meant that community first responders are

:12:24. > :12:28.no longer permitted to attach certain reflective markings to their

:12:29. > :12:32.vehicles. My constituents who is a first responder contacted me to say

:12:33. > :12:38.he was concerned that this could put his safety at risk. If he is called

:12:39. > :12:42.out to an incident on a country road or at night and approaching vehicles

:12:43. > :12:46.do not see him until very late, he could be at risk. He is worried that

:12:47. > :12:50.the lack of reflective signage on his vehicle would make it harder to

:12:51. > :12:54.spot for other emergency service vehicles attempting to locate the

:12:55. > :13:02.site of the incident. I want to put on record my thanks to the Minister

:13:03. > :13:09.for his response to my letter. Firstly, he raised the prospect of

:13:10. > :13:13.an amendment to the regulation in the deregulation act, 2015. I would

:13:14. > :13:17.appreciate confirmation this is something the Government are looking

:13:18. > :13:21.to pursue and what the extent of the and he was suggesting will be.

:13:22. > :13:26.Secondly, he wrote about concerns that members of the public having

:13:27. > :13:31.Battenberg attached to their vehicles as they went about their

:13:32. > :13:35.daily business revaluing delivery, given that the purpose of the

:13:36. > :13:40.signage is visibility for safety purposes, I am not sure I see why

:13:41. > :13:44.that should be such a bad thing. The minister said there would be a

:13:45. > :13:47.consultation on this and I would appreciate more information on what

:13:48. > :13:52.an opportunity is my constituents will have to be into that. I hope he

:13:53. > :13:58.can address these issues in a letter to me after the debate today. I am

:13:59. > :14:01.sure everyone will agree first responders do an incredibly

:14:02. > :14:04.important job and they should be given all the tools they need to do

:14:05. > :14:11.the job safely and to the best of their abilities. It is a pleasure to

:14:12. > :14:17.speak in this and to follow the contributions that have been made so

:14:18. > :14:21.far. To go back to the Queen 's speech with drones, driverless cars,

:14:22. > :14:32.space boys, space plans, it seems like a bit of sci-fi movie. A

:14:33. > :14:35.forward-looking, fully prepared United Kingdom, Great Britain and

:14:36. > :14:41.Northern Ireland is what we need and want, taking the lead on the global

:14:42. > :14:47.stage. The future transport of tomorrow will come with it. The bill

:14:48. > :14:53.is forward-looking to that regard. Not only have the provisions for

:14:54. > :15:02.driverless vehicles, space boys and space been included, the insurance

:15:03. > :15:10.market has to reflect the changes. A tonne as vehicles and insurers have

:15:11. > :15:23.already been working to keep the right framework simple. A quick

:15:24. > :15:28.comment about the electric cars. I know a few weeks ago in transport

:15:29. > :15:32.questions I asked the Minister what money was being set aside and he

:15:33. > :15:37.said they were being disbursed about the whole of the United Kingdom. But

:15:38. > :15:42.I think there needs to be a sea change of attitude as well in the

:15:43. > :15:46.high Street. If you are going to have electric cars, you need better

:15:47. > :15:51.charging points, you need them in the high streets and in the garage

:15:52. > :15:55.forecourts and you need them in the shopping centres and the stores as

:15:56. > :16:01.well. That is where the people need to be, so when it comes to setting

:16:02. > :16:05.money aside we need to see a policy that goes right out across the whole

:16:06. > :16:11.of the United Kingdom. It is all well and good to look to the future,

:16:12. > :16:15.that there is existing infrastructure that needs to be

:16:16. > :16:19.sorted out now and not left to the future. There has been a commitment

:16:20. > :16:26.to space spores and space planes, but the minister needs to keep his

:16:27. > :16:30.feet on the ground for now. There are airport issues outstanding. The

:16:31. > :16:38.Government still cannot agree on where to build a new runway in the

:16:39. > :16:41.south-east. Heathrow is willing to meet the requirements set and they

:16:42. > :16:48.have proven they are willing to go further. Surely the process to

:16:49. > :16:55.secure the company's Premier future is important for our future as it is

:16:56. > :17:02.for the rest of the United Kingdom. Heathrow for us, for Belfast city

:17:03. > :17:06.and the Belfast International airport and is collectivity guess as

:17:07. > :17:13.to the rest of the world and it will help our economy grow as well. Some

:17:14. > :17:17.of the things we have seen over the last few weeks when it comes to

:17:18. > :17:23.collectivity, I know it is not my constituency, but it is good to

:17:24. > :17:29.recognise it. We have more direct lines that go to China and get the

:17:30. > :17:35.collectivity right and make sure we all benefit across the whole of the

:17:36. > :17:40.United Kingdom. One of those who was speaking yesterday in relation to

:17:41. > :17:43.Heathrow three said they will be praise for the futuristic vision and

:17:44. > :17:49.there were complaints that the Government's programme made no

:17:50. > :17:55.mention of long range expansion to airports in the south East. There

:17:56. > :18:00.was no commitment to make a final decision on a new runway for more

:18:01. > :18:07.conventional aircraft, although there was a discussion about the

:18:08. > :18:13.spaceport. I wish the Government to make the decision once and for all.

:18:14. > :18:19.Every member who has spoken so far has referred to the bus services and

:18:20. > :18:23.they are most welcome and I bet the Government for that as well, but we

:18:24. > :18:27.need to see that commit and turned into action. The bill has the

:18:28. > :18:35.opportunity to make a real difference to people. Talking buses

:18:36. > :18:42.are an exciting prospect for the future and if you look at its

:18:43. > :18:48.implementation, it will make a great difference to vulnerable people. We

:18:49. > :18:54.are facing competition from over 20 other rivals including the United

:18:55. > :19:03.Arab Emirates in regard to spaceports. The bill paves the way,

:19:04. > :19:06.but like the bus services Bill, we need to see that vision become a

:19:07. > :19:12.reality. A quick comment about drones. We need to have better

:19:13. > :19:18.monitoring, better regulation, better control. We need to make sure

:19:19. > :19:23.they are used correctly. Like many things if they are used correctly,

:19:24. > :19:28.they can benefit us all. But when they are used in a dangerous fashion

:19:29. > :19:33.and for the wrong reasons, for example to bring drugs, mobile

:19:34. > :19:38.phones and money into jails over the walls, there is something wrong. If

:19:39. > :19:43.they are used in a dangerous fashion around airports, we have to control

:19:44. > :19:52.that also. Infrastructure does not mean just transport. The Government

:19:53. > :20:00.are in danger of not finishing the last infrastructure, the Internet.

:20:01. > :20:05.Many honourable members here do not have proper access to broadband yet.

:20:06. > :20:09.It is a commitment that is still moving towards 2020 and it still has

:20:10. > :20:15.to be delivered on. Every UK household has a legal right to a

:20:16. > :20:22.fast broadband connection, but it is something that has to be put into a

:20:23. > :20:27.reality. Hundreds of my constituents contact me each and every week about

:20:28. > :20:32.broadband connection and this is an issue that has been brought up in

:20:33. > :20:39.the House, in Westminster Hall. 30% of my constituents cannot get it.

:20:40. > :20:44.The Government committed some money sometime ago and that money has now

:20:45. > :20:50.out. It is time we had a concrete, strategic plan on paper as to how we

:20:51. > :20:56.will reach 100% and in my constituency I want to see that

:20:57. > :20:59.happening. I am pleased to see the commitment to the 1 million houses.

:21:00. > :21:06.I am interested to see how that will work. Again it is important that we

:21:07. > :21:10.have that in place. I will make a plea for social housing and make

:21:11. > :21:14.sure that there is opportunity for those to acquire housing at a rent

:21:15. > :21:22.or at a mortgage value they can afford. I would like to touch on

:21:23. > :21:25.another couple of issues. We have a commitment to the infamous supertax.

:21:26. > :21:36.I fully and totally support it and welcome it. -- the sugar tax. They

:21:37. > :21:41.may be some controversy over the issue, but it is clear what side

:21:42. > :21:45.those who want to make a positive difference are on. Some of my

:21:46. > :21:53.colleagues have a different opinion, but I am pleased to see a Government

:21:54. > :21:57.commitment to that. From obesity, sports clubs, cancer charities, all

:21:58. > :22:03.the stakeholders who want to be on side are on the right side of this

:22:04. > :22:11.measure. It is a good step in the right direction. We have to reduce

:22:12. > :22:18.the risk of diseases associated with obesity of which there are many.

:22:19. > :22:23.There is opposition by those who are affected, but I am pleased to see

:22:24. > :22:27.the Government has done that. No contribution would be complete

:22:28. > :22:32.without the mandatory opinion of the European Union. There is no surprise

:22:33. > :22:38.that I am in the outcome. I wonder why the Queen 's speech was a bit

:22:39. > :22:40.low-key. The abject failure on re-negotiation has put it to the

:22:41. > :22:48.back of the mind of the nation as far as possible. The much lauded

:22:49. > :22:57.sovereignty bill is now going to be scrapped.

:22:58. > :23:15.Time will tell where that will be on the 23rd of June and whatever the

:23:16. > :23:19.result is made. We all know such a move will have little or no impact.

:23:20. > :23:27.The only impact this will have a showing levels of desperation.

:23:28. > :23:33.Playing immigration politics with health. The latest in a long list of

:23:34. > :23:43.insults. The Prime Minister may have a good breadth... We all know

:23:44. > :23:48.resurfacing from such a low depths is dangerous and we're not sure what

:23:49. > :23:56.state of mind he will in. There the issues and I conclude with this. I

:23:57. > :24:02.am pleased to see the issues I've referred to. I am particularly

:24:03. > :24:09.pleased to see the adoption Bill and speed up the system and the delays.

:24:10. > :24:14.Also pleased to see the issue of a reform in prisons. You can build

:24:15. > :24:22.nice, new prisons, but if you don't address the issue of neo- Nazism,

:24:23. > :24:37.radical Islamism, you have to address that issue as well. I look

:24:38. > :24:40.forward to the visit by the President of Colombia. The reason

:24:41. > :24:46.why it is important is because we have a peace process that has worked

:24:47. > :24:50.and it is good to see peace is assembling some sort of normality in

:24:51. > :25:00.Colombia. We welcome that, look forward to that and look forward to

:25:01. > :25:11.securing further process. This party fully committed to the peace

:25:12. > :25:23.process. Our election results is an indication of that. We believe in

:25:24. > :25:28.democratic process. Thank you. Can I turn briefly to the words of the

:25:29. > :25:34.honourable member and E the sentiments made about the visit of

:25:35. > :25:38.the president of Colombia and pay tribute to members from all sides in

:25:39. > :25:42.Northern Ireland who have played a role in the Colombian peace process.

:25:43. > :25:47.I believe members can be proud of the role our colleagues from

:25:48. > :25:58.Northern Ireland played in making the peace process successful. Can I

:25:59. > :26:03.welcome those parts of the gracious address that we are able to support,

:26:04. > :26:07.particularly those purloined successfully from the manifesto. I

:26:08. > :26:14.am pleased the Government will be proceeding with the infrastructure

:26:15. > :26:20.commission. I am pleased to measure -- welcome the measures on the buses

:26:21. > :26:24.bill. I was concerned to hear about the restrictions the Government

:26:25. > :26:30.seems to be placing on these, the ability to regulate bus services

:26:31. > :26:39.will only be extended to areas where the Government has decided there

:26:40. > :26:43.will be an elected mayor. The Government says they don't have a

:26:44. > :26:51.one size fits all policy but they may precede with one on the basis

:26:52. > :26:55.they are going to require out Cheshire Western West and East and

:26:56. > :27:03.Warrington to adopt a male role structure in an area it is not

:27:04. > :27:09.suitable for. The requirement comes with a carrot and a stick and there

:27:10. > :27:15.is no carrot unless we take on an elected may. It is wrong for the

:27:16. > :27:23.area that I represent and I do ask the Minister to bear that in mind. I

:27:24. > :27:27.also welcome the move is to improve infrastructure for electric

:27:28. > :27:35.vehicles. But as I made in the House following the question of the

:27:36. > :27:38.Honourable member for Strangford, infrastructure includes knowledge

:27:39. > :27:43.infrastructure. Electric vehicles are entirely different from those

:27:44. > :27:48.driven by petrol or diesel and I would urge ministers to consider the

:27:49. > :27:52.proposals of the in situ at the motor industry to provide a training

:27:53. > :28:01.and certification programme for engineers said they are aware of the

:28:02. > :28:04.dangers electric vehicles pose to those who work in the industry and

:28:05. > :28:12.are properly trained to deal with these electric engines. I wish to

:28:13. > :28:19.turn in particular to transport infrastructure and the provision is

:28:20. > :28:22.made in the gracious address. In the gracious address, Her Majesty said

:28:23. > :28:26.the Government will continue to support the development of the

:28:27. > :28:30.Northern powerhouse. For me I suspect this is little more than a

:28:31. > :28:39.sham, a slogan to distract from the fact that the suspect -- substance

:28:40. > :28:42.is lacking. It has us all talking about the northern powerhouse rather

:28:43. > :28:50.than examining what the substance is. It has become an accepted

:28:51. > :28:54.reality, a display of mastery in terms of destruction. London gets

:28:55. > :29:00.Crossrail and Crossrail two and now another runway and I confess I do

:29:01. > :29:06.not have a dog in the fight when it comes to wear a new runway would be.

:29:07. > :29:12.I suspect it should be Heathrow if only because that is the option

:29:13. > :29:14.least far away from the country. I would be concerned that

:29:15. > :29:22.infrastructure development is merely seen as an extension of London

:29:23. > :29:29.infrastructure. I have always supported HS2 and will support

:29:30. > :29:33.three, four and five. Investment that brings returns in the shapes of

:29:34. > :29:39.jobs and the spirit to you but I have to say, at the time before I

:29:40. > :29:44.was a member of this place, I wanted HS2 to be built from the north to

:29:45. > :29:48.the south. Instead I fear all we will get is a London to Birmingham

:29:49. > :29:54.line that will do little to encourage growth north. If we do,

:29:55. > :30:00.then we in the north-west of England will become a client region of

:30:01. > :30:06.London, feeding off the scraps of London's economic growth. I was

:30:07. > :30:09.concerned to hear the Secretary of State talk about HSBC transferring

:30:10. > :30:16.their jobs to Birmingham as though that is somehow something to be

:30:17. > :30:20.proud of. It distracts from the whole point which is infrastructure

:30:21. > :30:27.development should generate economic growth of its own not simply shift

:30:28. > :30:33.growth across. The danger now is that the Treasury have announced

:30:34. > :30:38.they will take over the HS2 project and threatened to trim it back so

:30:39. > :30:49.that none of the benefits will be delivered for the north-west. I give

:30:50. > :30:54.way. I am very grateful. In that trimming back process, there is some

:30:55. > :30:59.suggestion the HS2 station at Manchester Airport might have to be

:31:00. > :31:02.dropped. Does he agreed that would be incredibly short-sighted because

:31:03. > :31:09.it is not just about having high-speed rail links to the airport

:31:10. > :31:14.running north to south, but with HS three going east to west, the

:31:15. > :31:19.airport really ought to be a hub and that provides new links, not just

:31:20. > :31:23.from the north-east right the way through to Manchester Airport, but

:31:24. > :31:30.also to places like Chester and beyond in the other direction? The

:31:31. > :31:36.use to talk about an integrated transport policy that might be a few

:31:37. > :31:42.local buses and railway services. What my honourable friend has

:31:43. > :31:47.identified is a transport policy that includes international

:31:48. > :31:53.transport as well. The Secretary of State talked about HS2 having an

:31:54. > :31:58.impact. The danger is because of the uncertainty it is having a negative

:31:59. > :32:01.impact and we are seeing this in the north-west where investment

:32:02. > :32:07.decisions are being delayed until we find out what is being proposed. If

:32:08. > :32:13.the Government is serious about the northern powerhouse, he needs to put

:32:14. > :32:18.a stop to the speculation and commit to an HS2 that benefits the whole of

:32:19. > :32:25.the North. I do not want to see HS2 simply as a new line painted on the

:32:26. > :32:31.London underground map, making the Midlands and extension of London.

:32:32. > :32:37.This means making the reality of a true Northern Rail hub with at least

:32:38. > :32:50.seven HS2 trains stopping an hour to make connections to Cheshire,

:32:51. > :32:56.Warrington and beyond. We need to make sure it is not just people

:32:57. > :32:59.living close to the stations that benefit in the ?40 billion invested.

:33:00. > :33:09.No calls roads and railways should be built to allow all constituents,

:33:10. > :33:13.including the right Honourable member to be able to take advantage

:33:14. > :33:19.of the new services quickly and easily. I understand capacity is a

:33:20. > :33:27.fundamental drive of HS2 but so is reliability and speed. If HS2 above

:33:28. > :33:31.Birmingham is simply designed to link the London, Birmingham,

:33:32. > :33:34.Manchester, it will do more damage than it saves by sucking investment

:33:35. > :33:46.and economic growth out of those areas such as mine and preventing

:33:47. > :34:06.them taking full advantage. I warn ministers the Government really does

:34:07. > :34:11.risk stats Ching -- snatching... Allowing the Treasury to take over

:34:12. > :34:19.the project, we all know has to take place, slashing and burning --

:34:20. > :34:25.burning one investment, cutting out the hub at Crewe, cutting out the

:34:26. > :34:29.Manchester Airport option mentioned earlier, all of these parts will

:34:30. > :34:36.generate the returns that is demanded by that investment. The

:34:37. > :34:39.Cheshire, West Cheshire and North Wales economic area is one of the

:34:40. > :34:46.fastest-growing in the UK. If the Government wants to pull the plug on

:34:47. > :34:50.that, it's easy, cancelled the HS2 hub at Crewe. If I can return

:34:51. > :34:56.briefly to the area of Road transport and the Minister will no

:34:57. > :35:02.where I am going on this, the end 56 is in need of an upgrade to deal

:35:03. > :35:06.with the possible congestion drivers experience on a daily basis and I

:35:07. > :35:11.know the investment needs to go far beyond this. I have to say to the

:35:12. > :35:17.Minister that I remain disappointment that no action is

:35:18. > :35:22.planned before 2020 and I remind him this is a cross-party campaign, the

:35:23. > :35:27.honourable member is leading the campaign, it has support across the

:35:28. > :35:33.parties because of the importance of the motorway, not just to my area

:35:34. > :35:39.but as a principal artery into North Wales as well. Unless the Government

:35:40. > :35:44.commits to that work now, they will stifle further economic growth and I

:35:45. > :35:50.remind members again that it is not just my area but part of Merseyside,

:35:51. > :35:55.right through into North Wales that depend on the route. If I was being

:35:56. > :36:00.cynical I might predict the Government might make a promise to

:36:01. > :36:03.upgrade the motorway just before the 2020 election, but how such a

:36:04. > :36:11.promise will be taken with the same scepticism as their other promises

:36:12. > :36:16.as the collapse of their pledge to invest in railways. The local

:36:17. > :36:21.authorities are clear about where investment is needed. If there plans

:36:22. > :36:24.doubled the size of their economy are to be delivered and the

:36:25. > :36:31.Government needs to commit to supporting fees. Transport

:36:32. > :36:36.infrastructure doesn't come cheap. In calling for the electrification

:36:37. > :36:44.of the crew to justice Russian -- Chesterton line, upgrade of the

:36:45. > :36:48.M546, I am calling for cash spending which requires prioritisation.

:36:49. > :36:57.Investment must be considered as that, investment to generate

:36:58. > :37:01.economic growth. My area has proved its ability to grow. Its local

:37:02. > :37:05.enterprise partnerships proved its ability to work with local

:37:06. > :37:09.authorities across the political spectrum to deliver that growth and

:37:10. > :37:14.bring in businesses from right across the sectors to work together

:37:15. > :37:18.to achieve that growth. If the Government is willing to waste 70

:37:19. > :37:23.million on and on needed vanity garden bridge across the Thames, it

:37:24. > :37:28.can recognise HS2 is a national project that must benefit the whole

:37:29. > :37:33.of the nation and allow the nation to grow under its own enterprise and

:37:34. > :37:41.not allow London to be the sole driver of economic growth in the UK.

:37:42. > :37:45.Without the correct infrastructure in place, it seems that crumbs from

:37:46. > :37:49.the London table will be all that we get.

:37:50. > :37:57.Can I start I saying that at a time of major economic challenges, it has

:37:58. > :38:01.become obvious that Her Majesty needs a new script writer who can

:38:02. > :38:07.add more substance to the Gracious Speech? As I read it 21 bills

:38:08. > :38:12.mentioned, I thought this was simply a stalled government awaiting the

:38:13. > :38:18.results of the EU referendum but this morning, listening to the

:38:19. > :38:23.Leader of the House, he indicated that at the conclusion of these 21

:38:24. > :38:30.bills, this would complete the full accomplishment of the Tory manifesto

:38:31. > :38:33.after only two years, so a threadbare Queen's Speech with no

:38:34. > :38:39.future plans, a period of long-term economic misery awaiting many

:38:40. > :38:46.people. We should be addressing the chronic problem of productivity in

:38:47. > :38:51.this country. The matter is not even mentioned, the word productivity

:38:52. > :38:58.does not even appear in the Queen's Speech. Before a address some issues

:38:59. > :39:02.of transport and infrastructure, I would like to address a matter

:39:03. > :39:07.related to initiatives in the future connected with anti-terrorism, and

:39:08. > :39:11.here I would like to give some praise to the Government. If you

:39:12. > :39:16.wish to go I brought forward a ten minute rule motion on the subject of

:39:17. > :39:23.establishing standards for forensic linguistic analysts who can analyse

:39:24. > :39:28.text messages and help identify some of the most dangerous people in our

:39:29. > :39:33.society. Although that rule Bill has fallen, the Government have agreed

:39:34. > :39:38.to a meeting with me to discuss if they could take this up in the

:39:39. > :39:43.future and I am grateful for that. But the measures in the speech, I

:39:44. > :39:48.welcome some moves relating to transport and I want to comment

:39:49. > :39:53.briefly on a couple of those areas. When considering the buses built, I

:39:54. > :39:57.would ask the Government to remember amongst others the needs of

:39:58. > :40:03.students, especially those in rural areas who attend colleges. The

:40:04. > :40:08.National Union of Students has already pointed out they consider

:40:09. > :40:12.this one of the major warriors to some students engaging and so I hope

:40:13. > :40:18.the Government will consider that perhaps it would be a good idea to

:40:19. > :40:26.engage soon unfairly deep conversations with the NUS to

:40:27. > :40:33.address the issue. I would like to address an issue raised ride the

:40:34. > :40:39.honourable member for Worsley. She mentioned the great Hall of the us

:40:40. > :40:47.be women in Asian to pensions and she has done outstanding work on

:40:48. > :40:51.behalf of them. She also mentioned concessionary travel schemes that

:40:52. > :40:58.are very important for women and men of retirement age for nearing

:40:59. > :41:07.retirement age. If I recall correctly she said the work in

:41:08. > :41:13.England were in London you can engage with people of 60 but in many

:41:14. > :41:18.areas it is 63 for women. Could I recommend they think about the

:41:19. > :41:25.solution taken by the Scottish Government to have a flat rate entry

:41:26. > :41:29.comment for women and men at the age of 64 concessionary travel. The

:41:30. > :41:35.difference that has made to the lives of large numbers of women and

:41:36. > :41:42.men over the age of 60 in Scotland has been remarkable, and when other

:41:43. > :41:46.members have talked about health and well-being is so important, this

:41:47. > :41:55.would command the support of the whole house. I thank him for raising

:41:56. > :42:01.that point and I think that is a good suggestion for the Government,

:42:02. > :42:04.to adopt the London model, which is for men and women to have

:42:05. > :42:10.concessionary travel at 60. I met some Busby women last week and one

:42:11. > :42:15.said she no longer goes out with a group of Nepal who work her friends

:42:16. > :42:23.because she is still working, she cannot afford the fares, but they

:42:24. > :42:29.have concessionary travel. How unfair to divide friends like that.

:42:30. > :42:33.I thank her for that intervention and that adds to the point that this

:42:34. > :42:38.is not just about travel but about the health and well-being and the

:42:39. > :42:44.ability of people to win gauge with friends and in the community and to

:42:45. > :42:51.contribute more to that community. I am grateful for him giving way. It

:42:52. > :42:56.underlines the benefits of concessionary travel in terms of

:42:57. > :43:00.mental health and with the scourge of loneliness and an ageing

:43:01. > :43:06.population, more people are being isolated and the ability to travel

:43:07. > :43:10.is a real boon. Does he agree with me this is something we should

:43:11. > :43:16.encourage to reduce loneliness? A agree entirely, indeed one other

:43:17. > :43:20.thing I would suggest to the Government is that when they look at

:43:21. > :43:27.their disabled companion programme for those on a disability, it might

:43:28. > :43:30.dig that idea to make that a national programme and not only

:43:31. > :43:35.available on a regional basis, to bring it into line with what is

:43:36. > :43:39.happening in Scotland, which is of great benefit to people who

:43:40. > :43:45.otherwise face considerable disadvantages. I am aware of the

:43:46. > :43:49.time, but I want to mention something that concerns me greatly

:43:50. > :43:54.about the Government's infrastructure plans. When you look

:43:55. > :44:00.at some of the ways in which it has been undertaken, I have to say it

:44:01. > :44:05.leaves a lot to be desired, especially in relation to the way in

:44:06. > :44:12.which some infrastructure projects have been funded and managed. I

:44:13. > :44:16.would like to highlight what some might consider to be the financial

:44:17. > :44:24.shenanigans undertaken in relation to the Thames Tideway Tunnel

:44:25. > :44:28.project, just as an example. This controversial multi-billion pound

:44:29. > :44:34.project has eight think model comprising of conventional equity,

:44:35. > :44:41.made up of about 40% pure equity, 60% subordinated debt, plus

:44:42. > :44:48.medium-term bank debt, to be refinanced with dons issued over a

:44:49. > :44:53.six-year period. If market conditions prevent such a bond issue

:44:54. > :45:00.arising, the youth came government provides a 500 million loan facility

:45:01. > :45:08.as contingent support. Madam Deputy Speaker the ability associated with

:45:09. > :45:14.the ?500 million support is unrecorded in UK Government

:45:15. > :45:21.accounts. This parliament has never been informed of the details of this