19/05/2016 House of Commons


19/05/2016

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that a humble address be presented to her Majesty as on the order

:00:00.:00:07.

paper. I call the Secretary of State for Transport, secretary McCloclan.

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I would like to make a brief statement about the loss of Egyptian

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flight flight. The Airbus 320 was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew

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between Paris and Cairo, disappeared from radar at approximately 1. 30am

:00:28.:00:31.

over the waters of the eastern Mediterranean. We understand that

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one of those passengers on board is a UK national and that consu lar

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staff are in contact with the family and providing support. I know the

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House will want to join me in saying our thoughts are with the family and

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friends of all of those on board T Government is in touch with the

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Egyptian and French Government, the French authorities and has offered

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full assistance. The air accident investigation branch has offered to

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assist with the investigation in anyway that it can.

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I am extremely grateful to my Right Honourable friend, as party of the

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all party Egypt group, may I thank him and associate myself and the

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group with the condolences he has expressed. Can I ask one question,

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will the Government be seeking to discuss with the French authorities,

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in particular, whether the French authorities are satisfied that the

:01:28.:01:32.

measures that they are taking to screen passengers and luggage at

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Paris meets the kind of requirements that we in the United Kingdom feel

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are necessary, bearing in mind that I believe a number of people

:01:41.:01:45.

air-side in Paris have had their authorityisation revoked because of

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their association with Islamic association? As I said, it is far

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too early yet to make any assumptions as to what has happened.

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Of course we will be wanting to look at all of these issues and discuss

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them with the French authorities and others as well. I can assure my

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honourable friend that is something that we will want to take further

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further. Mr -- further forward. It is a pleasure to open the debate on

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Her Majesty's gracious speech. I welcome the talks of transport and

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infrastructure. Yesterday was about building a stronger and modern

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economy, which provides security for all people and opportunity at every

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stage of life. A country fit for the future. No matter what the

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challenges it faces, because if we have learnt anything from the past

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decade, it is that we need to be better prepared, more responsible

:02:41.:02:44.

during the times of plenty, so that when, so we can weather the more

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difficult times. In the last Parliament we had to take some tough

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economic decisions. But they were the right economic decisions. We

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earned a hard-fought recover fri recession and the financial crisis N

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2014, Britain was the fastest major advance economy in the world N 2015

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we were the second fastest after the United States. Mr Speaker, 2016, the

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employment rate hit another record high. More families are benefits

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from the security of regular wages. And unemployment has fallen once

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again. The deficit is down by two-thirds as a share of GDP from

:03:25.:03:30.

2010. And the OBR have forecast it will be eliminated by 2019-2020.

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That recovery is still going on today. And with the global economy

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slowing, it is even more vital that we stick to our long-term economic

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plan. But it is not just responsible

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fiscal statutory we need, we also need to invest for Britain's future,

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to create the capacity and space we need to grow. For decades, we have

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been slipping down with global infrastructure league tables. Mr

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Speaker, if I were to take an example from recent history, and let

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me pluck two years out of thin air, say between 1997 and 2010, it is

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true to say that in those 13 years that I take at random, Mr Speaker,

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Britain has slipped from seventh to 33rd in the world infrastructure

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league tables. The result, we watched as our roads

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have grown congested, our railways overcrowded and our town centres

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choked with traffic. We cannot move goods and people efficiently from

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one place to another, how can we expect businesses to invest in

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Britain? Building the infrastructure Britain needs to compete is one of

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the defining challenges of the age. So, we have spent the past six years

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in Government turning things around. Now I could, Mr Speaker, take a

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lesson from the Leader of the Opposition yesterday, but I hope my

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

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am grateful to the Secretary of State. I wonder if he would

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recognise that one of the areas of gaining employment is the

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infrastructure from where you live to where you want to work. I wonder

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if he will recall standing on the platform of a former railway stages

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and whether he could bring forward plans to extend the robinhood line

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in the future. I remember being with my honourable friend just over 12

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months ago. I cannot remember what was happening at the time, but I

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well remember my visit to his efficient and I well remember the

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fantastic result he had at the subsequent general election and the

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way in which he's always pushed for more infrastructure in his area. I

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would like to see us working with him and the local authority to see

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what other systems of transport we could give. Nottingham has not done

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too bad as far as infrastructure investment is concerned. The fact is

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we have seen a huge amount of investment as far as the new station

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is concerned. And the dualing of the A 457, which I am very grateful that

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the honourable lady was able to join me at when it was opened. Well, she

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says, thanks to a Labour County Council. Actually those plans were

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progressed by a Conservative county council when it was in office and

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had not been progressed as she well knows. I will give way to my

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honourable friend. I thank the Secretary of State for giving way.

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He knows whatly raise with him and he picked the years of 1997 to 2010

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at random. In 1997, my predecessor said a by pass would get built. In

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2010 it was no longer a spade in the ground. Promised before the last

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election that we build the relief road and spur and we are looking at

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that to deal with the problem. Can he confirm to me we are prepared to

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press ahead with that as fast as possible because we talk about

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growing the economy and growing jobs, that is very vital for my

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area. My honourable #23re7bd is a neighbour. We border -- friend is a

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neighbour. We border a lot of the constituencies. I am pleased to

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confirm our road investment strategy. And the pointed we want to

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go further and we have commissioned a report from quol lin Matthews

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about connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield, which

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would have a huge beneficial effect for his own constituency. I am

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slightly worried about the amount of time I will take and the amount of

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people who are seeking to intervene on me. I cannot resist the

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honourable lady. I hope the secretary of state will

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comment on the woeful transport situation in my constituency. There

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are no plans to improve Ahki road network and the three motorways

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there, there are no plans for substantial goods to our real

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services through Eccles, our bus services are woeful and we've had a

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3.6% increase in traffic in Salford, three times the greater Manchester

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average and on Monday I'm missing the register speak about them

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building their fifth garden which will bring 1 million visitors in

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Salford every year, how will they be brought in? I will come on to say

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more about the infrastructure wouldn't want roads and the

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devolution were given to local authorities and I think offer should

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be a strong position to take advantage of some those measures. Mr

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Speaker, thing for the final time at this stage I will give way. Grateful

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for giving way, can I pick two years out of thin air? 2010-2020 will mark

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a decade of zero investment on the entity six in Chester when the

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Government is not refusing to that -- to upgrade the motorway but has

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refused to take a responsible tea for even installing police and

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Highways Agency cameras so that we can know what problems there are.

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What can my constituents look forward to? The honourable member is

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calling for more spending on infrastructure and I join him insane

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week to spend more money when of the structure and make sure that when we

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spend it we spend it properly and do it in a planned manner. Of the

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investment we are doing we will look at some of the places that even with

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the extra investment we've given, will speak more about that, in areas

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with not be able to cover providing the get the other sides of the

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economy in good order. Mr Speaker, as I was saying before I took those

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interventions, in the past six years we've turned things around as far as

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infrastructure is concerned, we've climbed the global infrastructure

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investment league table and were in the top ten ahead of France, Japan

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and Germany. Action is on the way, wider roads, faster trains, better

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urban transport, south-west widening A30 and Afeels great. Brand-new

:10:18.:10:24.

trains on order and the north-west Manchester Victoria station

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transformed an electric trains on the northern half and motorways

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whitened. In East Anglia, A11 opened at Norwich distributor road under

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construction and finally to act on the A47, was a nose of great

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interest, honourable friend who will wind up this debate and the A14 in

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the Midlands. A transformation at Birmingham new Street station, the'

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one partly covered and the four lane running, could go on, the Crossrail

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in an -- in London, action right around the country. Time will not

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allow me to take more interventions and carry on with my list of

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improvements. I will give way. Thank you for his mention of the

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south-west and the real key issue for us is making sure we have an

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alternative railway line from the one gender doll which allowed we get

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the A303 so we have better transport and have a better productivity,

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which is lamentable. Thank you. I'm grateful to honourable friend. I

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remember him deliver party manifesto that they were going to cancel some

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of the road programmes we were speaking about in south-west and

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they mentioned specifically something that we all remind them of

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time and time again. A Treasury report last year revealed over 400

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billion of infrastructure workers currently planned across the country

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and the biggest slice of that is transport. Overall cross-border

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infrastructure spending will rise by 50% during this parliament. That

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means we can invest ?50 million to maintain and improve our roads. The

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largest figure for a generation. ?6 billion from local highways

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maintenance, double the spending of the last Labour Government, and

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giving local authorities are multi-year funding settlement for

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the first time this has ever been done with an additional ?250 million

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to find a local portals. Contrast that with the Labour record, between

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2001 and 2010, an extra 574 Extra Lane miles were added to our

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motorways. We are adding 1/1000 300 miles, Labour only electrified ten

:12:35.:12:38.

miles of railway track, already we've done five times that amount

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and anyone who goes on the great Western line can see there are many

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more to come very soon. We are delivering the most ambitious rail

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modernisation programme since the Victorian era, the ?40 billion

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investment. Crossrail, Thames link electrification, intercity IEP

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programme, new carriages being built and new factories opened by the

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Prime Minister in the north-east, by a company that has moved its global

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headquarters to Britain, Hitachi. And HS2, which starts construction

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next year. This is a new staff infrastructure which will make

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Britain one of the leading transport investors. The gracious speech also

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supports legislation to back infrastructure commission, the

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commission was much influence is already being felt. These

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recommendations we've invested an extra 250 million to improve what --

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northern transport connectivity. And it is on top of the record ?13

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billion already committed across the North, we've given the Green light

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to HS2 E between Leeds and Manchester and allocated an extra

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?80 million to help fund the development of Crossrail. Obi

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pleased to say by the end of this Parliament Crossrail one will be

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operating, the Elizabeth line, which will be a significant investment in

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transport in London for many generations I think it will make a

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very welcome addition to the infrastructure in the capital. I

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give way. Thank you. I'm just worried about Sheffield's position

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in that list of schemes. HS three was referred as going from digester

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to Leeds, not connecting to Sheffield, as that dispute the

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Government's raider, Whiley secretary confirmed there is no trip

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-- truth in the stories of consideration being given to abandon

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the -- abandoning decision Sheffield for HS2, there will be a station and

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will get NHS to be as well? And coming on to say something is wet

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HS2 and if the honourable member does the live as it is question I

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will give way later on. As Mike does not think I answer. I hope you will

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be reassured. This all adds up to an ambitious pipeline of schemes that

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will not only free of capacity, boost freight and improve travel,

:15:08.:15:11.

but will also help us to attract jobs, rebalance the economy and make

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us a more prosperous country. Of course, well some of this is

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happening there will be disruption, there will be inconvenience, but

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when the work is done you get the benefits, adult Reading station was

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the new Wakefield station or at Nottingham station, infrastructure

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that will prepare Britain for the future. That is what is behind the

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modern transport Bill, Bill to pave the way for the technologies and

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transport of tomorrow, we already developing the charge it

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infrastructure for electric and hybrid vehicles, space flight and

:15:48.:15:52.

drool -- drivers cause might be science fiction but these boys are

:15:53.:15:56.

vast and were damaged Britain will benefit by leading their

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development, driverless cars will come under new legislation so they

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can be insured under ordinary policies, those new laws will help

:16:03.:16:09.

toddlers and driverless vehicles become an option for private by --

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buyers and fleets. -- autonomous. The Giza tablet is one of the best

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kisses to research and develop those vehicles, just as we are leading the

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way with words testing to ensure cars meet emissions standards,

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cleaning up the air quality in our cities. Through this bill we will

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strengthen our position as a leader in the intelligence more stability

:16:28.:16:33.

sector that is currently growing by next to make -- estimated 16% and

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which some experts could be worth up to ?900 billion worldwide by 2020.

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Despite my initial gloom that's descended on me when he mentioned

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HS2, can I say how delighted I am to hear about the growth in, strive and

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May I congratulate my honourable friend and the Government for

:16:57.:16:58.

promoting this. There is no question that the UK leads the way in this

:16:59.:17:05.

area working alongside Japan on this area. I would simply say this will

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increase the density of traffic potentially by fourfold on our

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motorways. Let's stick to it and I will resist the temptation to say

:17:15.:17:21.

that with autonomous drive cars we would not need HS2. That would be

:17:22.:17:26.

the wrong thing to say and I think. I'm never sure when my friend

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magnate and integration of I should regard it that something is helpful

:17:33.:17:36.

or not. I think that one the jury 's still out. The bill will also allow

:17:37.:17:41.

for the construction of the first commercial spaceport, a full range

:17:42.:17:46.

of viable options have been put forward and we support those bits.

:17:47.:17:49.

The bill will create the right framework for the market to select

:17:50.:17:54.

what the best location will be. The also legislate to encourage British

:17:55.:17:57.

entrepreneurs to make the most of the commercial opportunities of

:17:58.:18:01.

space, forming part of the Government's wider support for the

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UK space sector aimed at raising revenues for almost 12 billion to 40

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billion by 2030. That is around 10% of the global space economy. We are

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also preparing for HS2. The biggest infrastructure scheme this country

:18:18.:18:20.

has seen for a generation. The transformation of rail travel across

:18:21.:18:25.

Britain to free up capacity on the rest of the network and rebalance

:18:26.:18:30.

our economy and our economic geography. Already before a single

:18:31.:18:33.

track has been leaked HS2 factor is having an impact we've seen a

:18:34.:18:41.

blue-chip companies like Burberry choosing to move to Leeds while HSBC

:18:42.:18:45.

has relocated its banking headquarters from London to

:18:46.:18:50.

Birmingham. They have cited HS2 Everton -- significant factor in

:18:51.:18:55.

these decisions are busy ambitious regeneration plans around places

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like Curzon Street in Birmingham and oral common. As it is like Leeds,

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Manchester, crew and Sheffield are preparing for phase two. On that

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very point! Will this be helpful lot -- helpful or not? My honourable

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friend mentioned Curzon Street and given that there will be HS2, could

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I did mention to him and put down a marker perhaps that he will know

:19:27.:19:30.

there is a cross city line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Redditch,

:19:31.:19:37.

if HS2 eventually links up with the continent and doesn't have to go via

:19:38.:19:47.

Saint pancreas, it would be hugely advantageous if they were a halt at

:19:48.:19:52.

Curzon Street on the cross city line because that rail line goes

:19:53.:19:56.

immediately adjacent to that terminus prayer HS2 goes. -- were.

:19:57.:20:08.

Well, Mr Speaker, I think although my honourable friend was against HS2

:20:09.:20:11.

I'm pleased to see he's already thinking of how he can benefit his

:20:12.:20:16.

area and region so much, and I join him in his partial conversion. I

:20:17.:20:19.

will take that as a helpful intervention. Mr Speaker, for HS2

:20:20.:20:27.

businesses, that means they will be able to access new markets, drawing

:20:28.:20:32.

their employees for a much wider catchment area and perhaps for the

:20:33.:20:35.

first time consider moving offices away from London. When HS2

:20:36.:20:41.

construction begins next year, we will build something much bigger

:20:42.:20:45.

than a new railway, we will invest in the economic prosperity of the

:20:46.:20:49.

next half a century or more, training a New Generation of

:20:50.:20:53.

engineers, developing new skills for a New Generation of apprentices and

:20:54.:20:57.

rebalancing the growth that for far too long is because treating the

:20:58.:21:02.

Simic has been concentrated in London and the South East. I'm

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delighted to hear the honourable Jesmond talk of such great Panther

:21:10.:21:14.

England. What progress has he made with electrification to my

:21:15.:21:19.

constituency in Swansea East? I'm glad to say to the honourable lady

:21:20.:21:22.

I've made a lot more progress than was being made in the 13 years of

:21:23.:21:30.

the last Labour Government because to get to Swansea we've first got to

:21:31.:21:33.

get to Cardiff, and we will get to Cardiff and then to Swansea, as has

:21:34.:21:38.

been promised. Work is on the way, she will be a traveller on the great

:21:39.:21:43.

Western Railway line and she will be seeing all the work that is going

:21:44.:21:48.

on. She will be a regular traveller through Reading and will have seen

:21:49.:21:53.

the 800 million pounds spent on that scheme. I think we are doing a fair

:21:54.:21:58.

job insuring her constituents and that of my honourable friend for

:21:59.:22:01.

Gareth, who has often made the case for going to Swansea, actually to

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fruition. I can't resist. I thank the Transport Secretary forgiving

:22:12.:22:14.

way, would you like to confirm that a letter vocation of the great

:22:15.:22:18.

Western mainline was set out by the former Transport Secretary in 2009

:22:19.:22:22.

and cookie confirming that you how long it has delayed and how much

:22:23.:22:29.

overbudget? Well, she says it was set out in 2009, might have been set

:22:30.:22:40.

out then, ... One has to wait while they waited for 12 years on knowing

:22:41.:22:45.

they are about to lose office in 2010, they came out with some plans

:22:46.:22:51.

that carried them through in substance and, yes, the costs have

:22:52.:22:55.

gone up, regret the fact they've gone up but I still think overall

:22:56.:22:58.

it's worth a project that is well worth well during and if it had been

:22:59.:23:03.

studied 15 or 20 years ago it would not cost what it is costing today.

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-- started. Anyone can lay out plans.

:23:09.:23:14.

It fails of delivery of those particular plans and it is left to

:23:15.:23:21.

us to deliver those plans. So, Mr Speaker, as I was saying, we will be

:23:22.:23:25.

firing up the north and the Midlands to take advantage of this

:23:26.:23:29.

transformational project. After overwhelming support in this House t

:23:30.:23:33.

bill has moved to another place. I look forward to the Lords Select

:23:34.:23:38.

Committee stages. I am a strong supporter of remaining in the

:23:39.:23:46.

European Union. But I am glad, Mr Speaker that will I not only be able

:23:47.:23:51.

to get a high-speed train to London or Brussels but soon to Manchester,

:23:52.:23:57.

Leeds or Sheffield and no matter how big the scheme it is now vital for

:23:58.:24:02.

Britain's national infrastructure. We will always remember that the

:24:03.:24:07.

vast majority of journeys people make are local in nature. So, local

:24:08.:24:13.

transport and infrastructure is no less crucial to preparing Britain

:24:14.:24:17.

for the future. Backing safer routes for more cycling and better buses.

:24:18.:24:21.

We involving powers out to our cities and regions to give

:24:22.:24:25.

communities a bigger stake in local planning. Transport is just one

:24:26.:24:31.

aspect of that. As we heard yesterday the neighbour #450d

:24:32.:24:35.

planning and instra structure bill will make local planning process

:24:36.:24:40.

easier beyond quickly, to deliver new instra structure and support our

:24:41.:24:46.

ambition to build one million new homes, while protecting the areas

:24:47.:24:51.

such as the greenbelts. It has resulted in councils granting

:24:52.:24:54.

planning applications for more than a quarter of a million homes in a

:24:55.:24:58.

past year. Our plans go further, to become a country where everybody who

:24:59.:25:02.

works hard can have a home of their own. The gracious speech featured

:25:03.:25:08.

the local jobs and growth bill. This will allow local authorities to

:25:09.:25:12.

retain 100% of local taxes to spend on local services by the end of this

:25:13.:25:17.

particular. That is worth an extra ?13 billion from the business rates.

:25:18.:25:22.

Councils have called for more fiscal autonomy, now they are getting it. A

:25:23.:25:25.

real commitment from central Government. Real devolution and real

:25:26.:25:31.

self-sufficiently for regions across England. Arguably the biggest change

:25:32.:25:36.

to local Government finance for a generation. The bill will give

:25:37.:25:42.

authorities the power to cut business rates, to boost enterprise

:25:43.:25:46.

and to grow their local economies. As announced in the budget, we will

:25:47.:25:51.

pilot the new system in Greater Manchester and Liverpool and

:25:52.:25:54.

increase the share retained in London. Madam Deputy Speaker it is

:25:55.:26:00.

little wonder that the members operate are giving up the life of

:26:01.:26:05.

opposition and seeking to find new roles in life. I do offer today the

:26:06.:26:12.

Shadow Home Secretary my best wishes for his mayoral nomination bid. He

:26:13.:26:15.

obviously doesment think he will be Home Secretary after the next

:26:16.:26:21.

general election, nor do I. I thank the Secretary of State for

:26:22.:26:25.

giving way on this issue. I am very proud on this Conservative majority

:26:26.:26:29.

Government that we actually are looking at the whole issues when it

:26:30.:26:33.

comes to serving our local communities. Infrastructure,

:26:34.:26:36.

retaining the business rates and where we have no local plans this

:26:37.:26:40.

Government is giving us an opportunity to intervene and get

:26:41.:26:46.

more local plans. Almost 50% of commuting is out of Eastly and

:26:47.:26:50.

standing traffic and air pollution is a big problem. Thank you,

:26:51.:26:53.

Secretary of State. I am very grateful to my honourable friend. I

:26:54.:26:59.

know how important transport connectivity is in our efficiency.

:27:00.:27:02.

We have discussed it on many occasions. I hope some of the

:27:03.:27:07.

measures we are taking out, as I set out today in the overall transport

:27:08.:27:11.

policies, will go someway to bring some of the changes she may want.

:27:12.:27:17.

Yesterday did illustrate how we are devolving powers for local transport

:27:18.:27:21.

services. The bus services bill will provide new powers to local

:27:22.:27:24.

authorities, to improve bus services and increase passenger numbers. It

:27:25.:27:28.

will deliver for passengers, local authorities and bus companies, all

:27:29.:27:32.

working in partnership together to improve services. We will replace

:27:33.:27:39.

the disastrous quality contract scheme, pieron neared by the party

:27:40.:27:43.

opposite when they were in office. A failed theory that has not been

:27:44.:27:47.

successfully applied over the past 16 years. Stronger partnerships will

:27:48.:27:51.

allow local authorities to agree a new set of standards for bus

:27:52.:27:55.

services, including branding, ticketing and how often buses run.

:27:56.:27:58.

Passengers will want to know when they next bus will turn up and how

:27:59.:28:03.

many it will cost. So, the bill will mandate the release of fares, pun

:28:04.:28:09.

cualty routes and real time bus ofgs. It will help with more

:28:10.:28:14.

transport as it has in London, right across the country. New journey

:28:15.:28:19.

planners and others products to help passengers get the most out of their

:28:20.:28:26.

buses. This is about delivering for customs and empowering local

:28:27.:28:31.

communities. My honourable friend is being generous. Will he confirm the

:28:32.:28:35.

buses bill will enable communities in devolved areas such as mine in

:28:36.:28:40.

the west of England to integrate smart car ticketing which will

:28:41.:28:44.

encourage more people to use buses for less? I want to see more use of

:28:45.:28:49.

smart ticketing and I think the bus companies are now addressing that.

:28:50.:28:55.

There will be certain criteria as to where bus companies can apply, local

:28:56.:28:58.

authorities can apply for the franchising. We will need to see if

:28:59.:29:03.

my honourable friend's area lives up to those sort of priorities. Mr

:29:04.:29:07.

Speaker, this is... I am hearing of a train that runs

:29:08.:29:17.

once a week. No. No. In one direction only.

:29:18.:29:23.

And of course I would quite like to have a train service that goes into

:29:24.:29:28.

Manchester. Really on the issue of smart ticketing, can he knock some

:29:29.:29:32.

common sense into some of the transport planners who are trying to

:29:33.:29:36.

reinvent the wheel? We've had a bit of a farce in Greater Manchester,

:29:37.:29:40.

where millions of pounds have been spent trying to develop the

:29:41.:29:45.

technology of the get-me-there card, when we actually already have some

:29:46.:29:51.

technology in our own pockets - called a contactless card. Why do we

:29:52.:29:56.

have to reinvent the wheel, why not use technology that exists? I agree

:29:57.:30:00.

that there are new technologies. One has to say that is a fairly new

:30:01.:30:04.

technology and those who are able to use it in London see it being used

:30:05.:30:09.

regularly now. These are the areas we should look and move further

:30:10.:30:13.

forward. I hope it is one of the things that we will be able -- that

:30:14.:30:18.

will be able to happen. Madam Deputy Speaker, this is about delivering

:30:19.:30:24.

for customers. New powers to franchised services will be able to

:30:25.:30:29.

combine the services with newly elected mayors as there are in

:30:30.:30:35.

London. Together, these measures demonstrate the Government's

:30:36.:30:38.

ambition to deliver transport which helps the public get around and get

:30:39.:30:44.

about. The coalition Government and this one-nation Conservative

:30:45.:30:46.

Government have a record to be proud of. Investment is up. Projects under

:30:47.:30:53.

way, journeys getting easier. Backing growth, jobs and new

:30:54.:30:58.

technology. Helping local people get the homes and infrastructure they

:30:59.:31:04.

need. Striking a fairer deal, giving delow lugss to local -- devolution

:31:05.:31:11.

to local... And transport infrastructure is playing its part.

:31:12.:31:17.

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I begin by echoing the Transport

:31:18.:31:27.

Secretary in relation to the lost of the EgyptAir flight. Our thoughts

:31:28.:31:31.

are also with the family and friends of the passengers and crew and we

:31:32.:31:35.

await the outcome of the investigations under way.

:31:36.:31:37.

While we are not discussing the Queen's speech that I would have

:31:38.:31:41.

won'ted to see -- wanted to see, it is fitting we are starting on

:31:42.:31:46.

transport T challenges facing this country's network systems are

:31:47.:31:50.

profound and there are some important cross-party points of

:31:51.:31:53.

agreement for meeting them. I welcome the Transport Secretary to

:31:54.:31:56.

his place. I must point out his speech was a timely reminder of the

:31:57.:32:01.

need for ministers to mind the gap between their rector rit and

:32:02.:32:06.

reality. He said the Government is delivering investment. Let's look at

:32:07.:32:12.

the real Conservative record. Bus and rail fares up by a quarter.

:32:13.:32:18.

Billions cancelled from road investment schemes. New projects

:32:19.:32:23.

under threat. The hard shoulder stripped from the motorways, the

:32:24.:32:27.

wheels falling off the cycling revolution. A ?12 billion road

:32:28.:32:32.

maintenance backlog on our local roads. Rail pun cualty at its worst

:32:33.:32:40.

in a decade and of course, Madam Deputy Speaker, they promised a

:32:41.:32:44.

Northern Ireland powerhouse, but they inflicted a northern power cut

:32:45.:32:49.

instead. That said, we welcome the Government's stated intention to

:32:50.:32:54.

introduce new local transport powers, extending to the country the

:32:55.:32:58.

ability to employ the successful models in the capital. Now I am sure

:32:59.:33:03.

the whole House will want to extend its congratulations to Mr Khan, the

:33:04.:33:09.

former member for Tooting and now the London Mayor of London. It is a

:33:10.:33:12.

little known fact that the new mayor is the son of a bus driver and the

:33:13.:33:18.

proposal in the bus service's bill to extend London-style bus powers to

:33:19.:33:21.

the rest of the country is long overdue.

:33:22.:33:26.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the Transport Secretary didn't even

:33:27.:33:30.

mention buses until he got 27 minutes into his speech, because of

:33:31.:33:34.

course these plans could have been made in the last Parliament, but

:33:35.:33:40.

ministers consistently opposed any proposals for the tendering of bus

:33:41.:33:46.

services to reverse the disastrous consequences of the 1985 transport

:33:47.:33:54.

act. Well, Madam Deputy Speaker, can I join the honourable lady in

:33:55.:33:58.

congratulating Mr Khan on his election as Mayor of London. Does

:33:59.:34:03.

she agree with his words when he was Transport Minister, when he said one

:34:04.:34:07.

of the reasons we are able to invest record sums in our railway services

:34:08.:34:12.

is the revenue that franchises bring in and the premiums they pay. That

:34:13.:34:16.

was his view in 2009 when he was doing this job.

:34:17.:34:21.

I was very pleased that under the last Labour Government there was

:34:22.:34:25.

record investment in our railways. So many of the things that the

:34:26.:34:30.

Transport Secretary forgets to talk about when every week I travel up to

:34:31.:34:37.

the Midlands on the middle main line through St Pancras railway station,

:34:38.:34:41.

which has been transformed and was under the Labour Government, but he

:34:42.:34:47.

never mentions that. I welcome the Transport Secretary's conversion to

:34:48.:34:51.

the cause of bus regulation. You might call it a stretching U-turn

:34:52.:34:56.

mad dom Deputy Speaker. But the devil will be in the detail.

:34:57.:35:05.

I I would remind the Government benches that last year's Queen's

:35:06.:35:11.

Speech promised to introduce a buses bill. You wait five years for a

:35:12.:35:18.

Conservative Queen's speech that mentions buses and then two come

:35:19.:35:22.

along at once, even if they are running late. We will subject the

:35:23.:35:26.

bill to close scrutiny and it is vital that it provides a legal

:35:27.:35:31.

framework that protects local authorities from eye-watering

:35:32.:35:34.

compensation claims and safeguards work and conditions.

:35:35.:35:40.

I am grateful to my honourable friend and she talks about local

:35:41.:35:45.

authorities. Of course if she had been listening carefully to the

:35:46.:35:48.

Queen's Speech yesterday Her Majesty said these powers would be extended

:35:49.:35:53.

to the areas of England with directly elected mayors only. Given

:35:54.:35:57.

that, does she think that actually the powers in the buses bill that we

:35:58.:36:02.

expect to be published soon should extend to all parts of England,

:36:03.:36:06.

whether or not they have a mayoral model? I thank my honourable friend

:36:07.:36:10.

for that question. I shall address his point just in one moment.

:36:11.:36:15.

Because the bill must address the decline in rural bus services, which

:36:16.:36:21.

have seen some of worst cuts and highest fare rises in the country.

:36:22.:36:25.

We need to make sure that the powers are available to any area that wants

:36:26.:36:28.

them, as my honourable friend has just sasmtd I welcome the concession

:36:29.:36:33.

the Transport Secretary has made. The Queen's Speech briefing

:36:34.:36:36.

published yesterday said the bill will allow communities without a

:36:37.:36:41.

directly elected mayor to apply for contracting powers. It is unclear

:36:42.:36:45.

why those powers should remain within the gift of the department.

:36:46.:36:49.

He and I represent areas which have so far not agreed a devolution deal.

:36:50.:36:56.

Perhaps The Right Honourable member for Derbyshire Dales can explain why

:36:57.:37:00.

the powers are good enough for Manchester, but may not be good

:37:01.:37:04.

enough format lock. We saw the announcement of what the Government

:37:05.:37:08.

calls its modern transport bill. Given the minister of state, who is

:37:09.:37:15.

sad not in his place now drives a 126-year-old car seasoned a noted

:37:16.:37:20.

steam engine enthuz yass tick perhaps we should -- enthusiastic,

:37:21.:37:26.

perhaps we should look at that. It is short on details. The Queen's

:37:27.:37:31.

Speech briefs said the law on drones would be reformed, but in answers to

:37:32.:37:35.

my honourable friend, the member for Birmingham North field, the

:37:36.:37:38.

Government have consistently said that the EU is leading in this area.

:37:39.:37:43.

It is unacceptable that ministers seem to be waiting for a serious

:37:44.:37:48.

drone strike to occur before taking action. It is vital that we don't

:37:49.:37:50.

wait for an accident to happen. Electric cars will place a crucial

:37:51.:38:02.

role in driving donations but we are playing catch-up because the

:38:03.:38:04.

Government fails to deliver its promise of a coalition agreement is

:38:05.:38:07.

to establish a national charging network. We welcome the development

:38:08.:38:10.

of personal autonomous vehicles, which could be a boon for our car

:38:11.:38:17.

manufacturing industry and I know they're a fully anticipated for many

:38:18.:38:21.

to save the people. Given that insurance premiums have risen by 20%

:38:22.:38:27.

over the last year, Government's Postal to insure drivers cause on

:38:28.:38:32.

the same basis as existing policies might not offer much reassurance to

:38:33.:38:37.

prospective buyers. That said, the focus on driverless cars is perhaps

:38:38.:38:39.

understandable given the Government's tendency to run on

:38:40.:38:46.

autopilot. I thank my honourable friend forgiving way but before we

:38:47.:38:50.

leave the question of bosses on the bus services bills and wonder as she

:38:51.:38:53.

is talking about velvet and technology if she would really bus

:38:54.:38:57.

services bill provides an option to make all new buses accessible for

:38:58.:39:01.

people with sight loss through talking buses with next stop and

:39:02.:39:05.

final destination announcements. 2 million people would really

:39:06.:39:07.

appreciate that it's a move we should make for it with new buses.

:39:08.:39:13.

My honourable friend is right to draw attention to the lack of

:39:14.:39:17.

accessibility on buses. A number of buses do have audiovisual announcers

:39:18.:39:21.

which it is really only in London and outside of London there are few

:39:22.:39:29.

examples. That should be addressed. It Mr Stater said the UK should

:39:30.:39:33.

adopt a light touch approach to bribe -- driverless car development

:39:34.:39:36.

but we need to make sure the risks have been fully analysed. It's

:39:37.:39:41.

important the ministers are not moving to find too fast. It should

:39:42.:39:45.

be said that is just about the only are where the Government could be

:39:46.:39:50.

accused of acting too quickly. There is difference to supporting the

:39:51.:39:53.

growing space industry by constructing the first spaceport in

:39:54.:39:58.

the UK. I'm grateful to the honourable lady forgiving way but

:39:59.:40:03.

will she accept that Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes and BMW have all welcomed

:40:04.:40:08.

the Government's initiatives to see driverless cars or autonomous cars

:40:09.:40:13.

being tested on British roads, they think Britain is a leader. I think

:40:14.:40:21.

the -- thank you member for his intervention and I believe it offers

:40:22.:40:24.

a great opportunity for our excellent automotive industry but we

:40:25.:40:29.

do need to be aware of the present difficulties of these at ology and

:40:30.:40:35.

the safety implications. In fairness, it is impressive he can

:40:36.:40:39.

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

:40:40.:40:44.

We also need to look at the bills that were not announced yesterday.

:40:45.:40:48.

The department has had two years to respond to look -- the Law

:40:49.:40:53.

Commission 's report on taxes and private hire vehicles, the rise of

:40:54.:40:57.

Aruba and other services makes the need for reform of the more urgent.

:40:58.:41:01.

Yesterday during the debate on the well addressed the honourable member

:41:02.:41:04.

for marriage and said that personal safety on transport services was

:41:05.:41:09.

women's highest priority. And there can be no excuse for the delay in

:41:10.:41:12.

reforming licensing and regulation this area. I'm grateful to my

:41:13.:41:19.

honourable friend, she will know I had debate on the adjournment on the

:41:20.:41:24.

4th of May about precisely this issue. Is she is concerned as I am

:41:25.:41:29.

that there are some taxi licensing authorities that are effectively

:41:30.:41:35.

handing out licences to taxi drivers across the country who have been

:41:36.:41:38.

legitimately refused to taxi licences by their all local

:41:39.:41:44.

authorities? I thank my honourable friend for his intervention, there

:41:45.:41:48.

are real concerns about taxi licensing and regulation and those

:41:49.:41:53.

were very carefully addressed by the Law Commission in its report. That

:41:54.:41:56.

is why it is so disappointing that the Government have yet to respond

:41:57.:42:01.

properly and act in this area. Ministers have also had almost three

:42:02.:42:05.

years to respond to the Law Commission on reforming level

:42:06.:42:09.

crosses, the single greatest cause of risk on the railways. In the

:42:10.:42:13.

Department's level crossing reform action plan legislation was planned

:42:14.:42:21.

but that does not make Queen's speech. It sporting such safety

:42:22.:42:27.

critical legislation has not been treated as a priority by the

:42:28.:42:32.

Government. -- it is disappointing that the returning to the wider

:42:33.:42:35.

record on passport, time and again promises are broken, investment is

:42:36.:42:40.

delayed and the interests of passengers and road users are not

:42:41.:42:45.

preferred. -- record on transport. There was a light breeze the

:42:46.:42:48.

Chancellor in the Queen's speech, saying the Government will continue

:42:49.:42:51.

supporting the development of a northern powerhouse. You can tell

:42:52.:42:56.

the honourable member for Tatton is a wallpaper salesman, these days he

:42:57.:43:01.

spends most of his time papering over the cracks. Let's look at this

:43:02.:43:05.

Government's real record on transport in the North. Rail

:43:06.:43:09.

spending in the north-west has fallen from ?97 bread to ?93 per

:43:10.:43:16.

head. In the north-east is followed from ?59 per head to ?52 per head,

:43:17.:43:21.

less than half the national average. Under the bus services in Yorkshire

:43:22.:43:27.

and Humber is down 31%, traffic police numbers have fallen by over

:43:28.:43:30.

10% across the North. And shamefully, ministers hiked real

:43:31.:43:36.

first death metal rail fares by up to 162% and they allowed more than

:43:37.:43:41.

Trans Pennine trains to be transferred from the north to the

:43:42.:43:43.

South, costing taxpayers ?20 million. The Transport Secretary

:43:44.:43:52.

initially wanted causes railway pledges the real investment plan.

:43:53.:43:54.

Until a civil servant pointed out that would be shortened to RIP.

:43:55.:44:02.

Delays to electrification schemes were shamefully covered up before

:44:03.:44:07.

the election and only confessed once the ballot boxes have close. There

:44:08.:44:11.

are real concerns that promised Rory Best Mint could suffer the same

:44:12.:44:16.

fate. -- Road investment could suffer. We have publicly discussed

:44:17.:44:22.

the challenges on the current construction programme, including

:44:23.:44:24.

the level of uncertainty about projects due to begin in the final

:44:25.:44:28.

year and the potential knock-on effect on funding RIS two. Those

:44:29.:44:35.

plans include the trans-Pennine route, and spending on existing

:44:36.:44:41.

links on the Acity six, A6 night and' 64 stop you cannot trust the

:44:42.:44:47.

Tories on road rail for local transport. Northern cities are

:44:48.:44:52.

succeeding under Labour leadership in spite of this Government. I thank

:44:53.:44:55.

my honourable friend forgiving way. 200 workers in Sheffield listened to

:44:56.:45:01.

transport sector incredulously when he spoke about HS2 benefiting

:45:02.:45:06.

Sheffield and that HS2 should be a reason for companies to look at

:45:07.:45:09.

transferring jobs out of London to northern cities. Yet the Business

:45:10.:45:14.

Secretary is currently transferring 200 jobs from Sheffield down to

:45:15.:45:20.

London in a reverse of that process transferring down the Midland

:45:21.:45:22.

mainline said of back-up the HS2 line. How will workers in Sheffield

:45:23.:45:27.

feel about that contradiction to his own colleague? My honourable friend

:45:28.:45:33.

makes a good point and it is no surprise that people in the city of

:45:34.:45:36.

Sheffield reject this Government completely. The North was a

:45:37.:45:42.

powerhouse long before the Chancellor arrived and it will be a

:45:43.:45:48.

powerhouse long after he has gone. An HS2, the Government's delivery

:45:49.:45:51.

has been anything other than high-speed. A decision on the route

:45:52.:45:57.

of phase two has been delayed by two years. And I would like to remind

:45:58.:46:00.

the ministers opposite of the Conservative Party press release

:46:01.:46:04.

that was issued in Yorkshire on April the 2015, it's not about camp

:46:05.:46:12.

are's campaign bus expenses. No question from the local media were

:46:13.:46:15.

allowed and it's not difficult to see why, it said: Phase two of HS2

:46:16.:46:20.

will also start construction from the northern end, with the leads to

:46:21.:46:25.

Sheffield Meadowhall section made a priority to open even before the

:46:26.:46:30.

line as a whole balance. Those plans to build HS2 from the North have

:46:31.:46:36.

already been dropped, the ever existed, and once again we are faced

:46:37.:46:39.

with a Conservative election promise that is being broken. Over the last

:46:40.:46:44.

fortnight it's been reported that phase two is under review and the

:46:45.:46:47.

prominent critics of HS2 have been invited into the Treasury to set out

:46:48.:46:53.

the case against the project. That stations at Sheffield and Manchester

:46:54.:47:00.

airports could be dropped along with the link that will allow high-speed

:47:01.:47:04.

trains to run to Stoke and Staffordshire, even though the

:47:05.:47:07.

Secretary of State has given his civic assurances in this house on

:47:08.:47:11.

the link's future. There are specific questions that the

:47:12.:47:15.

Government will still answer, if those reports have no basis, then

:47:16.:47:21.

why did the Business Minister say on Sunday that we need to sort this out

:47:22.:47:28.

or Sheffield might miss out on HS2? And the Government calls the

:47:29.:47:35.

appropriate third party as a contribution which the transport

:47:36.:47:38.

sector is said Manchester Airport station was dependent on been

:47:39.:47:43.

agreed? Two months ago this house voted overwhelmingly in favour of

:47:44.:47:48.

HS2 are specific understanding of the project. Of course costs must be

:47:49.:47:52.

kept under control but it will be totally unacceptable if the plans

:47:53.:47:56.

for high-speed rail in the Midlands and North were downgraded by a

:47:57.:48:02.

regrettable and secretive review there's not forget the record on

:48:03.:48:08.

aviation. In 2009 the Prime Minister famously said that the third runway

:48:09.:48:15.

at Heathrow will not go ahead, no ifs, no buts. By last July this had

:48:16.:48:20.

morphed into guarantee that I can give is that a decision will be made

:48:21.:48:25.

by the end of the year. It's difficult to take the latest pledge

:48:26.:48:30.

to report by the summer's -- seriously. While this is our failing

:48:31.:48:39.

to deliver on local transport seems -- International schools, local

:48:40.:48:42.

services are squeezed. More than 2400 bus routes have been downgraded

:48:43.:48:47.

or cut altogether. The rail minister said a Christmas that our part of

:48:48.:48:50.

passengers is improving journeys for everyone. But the Galletier 's

:48:51.:48:56.

commuters are being honest buses and trains and some season tickets cost

:48:57.:49:03.

?2000 more than they did in 2010. -- but the reality is. Actuality is at

:49:04.:49:06.

its worst in a decade, worse than when the network was recovering from

:49:07.:49:09.

the Hatfield disaster and ministers are considering further cut to

:49:10.:49:14.

Network Rail's maintenance plans. The possible crisis on local roads

:49:15.:49:19.

gets worse by the day after local upkeep budgets fell by 27% in real

:49:20.:49:26.

terms. And even on walking and cycling, an area where the Prime

:49:27.:49:30.

Minister had a personal interest, I'm worried that ministers might

:49:31.:49:33.

have misinterpreted their brief. That can be the only explanation for

:49:34.:49:38.

publishing a cycling and walking investment strategy that is so

:49:39.:49:45.

utterly pedestrian. Targets for increasing walking journeys have

:49:46.:49:51.

been inexplicably dropped and I hope it didn't make the secular state

:49:52.:49:53.

will take advantage of national walking month to reduce that

:49:54.:49:58.

session. One year ago the premise is that it was his aim to increase

:49:59.:50:03.

spending on cycling further to ?10 a head. -- secretary of state.

:50:04.:50:09.

Analysis of spending figures shows that Government funding for cycling

:50:10.:50:13.

is due to fall to just 72p per head outside London. It is clear that the

:50:14.:50:20.

Government has produced a cycling and walking investment strategy with

:50:21.:50:25.

no investment and the promise to raise spending on cycling has been

:50:26.:50:31.

broken. I'm grateful for the Lady forgiving way, is one of the

:50:32.:50:34.

problems of going first and not being able to follow, asking a

:50:35.:50:38.

number of questions I'm unable to answer but I do find it odd that she

:50:39.:50:43.

talks about the capital investment when David Miliband said in the 2010

:50:44.:50:49.

general election we will have to halve the share of national income

:50:50.:50:53.

going into capital spending, that was on five live in July 20 ten.

:50:54.:50:59.

That is what he said then and that is what their plans were, plans have

:51:00.:51:02.

been to massively increase the investment in public transport and

:51:03.:51:09.

transport across. Wouldn't it make a change if he took some

:51:10.:51:13.

responsibility for the six years and their failings in this place. Across

:51:14.:51:19.

the Government, this Government is failing to deliver the investment we

:51:20.:51:24.

need and is failing to support local sustainable transport. But there can

:51:25.:51:27.

be no doubt the situation would be made even worse if we left the EU.

:51:28.:51:33.

We are on the verge of making a decision that will affect countless

:51:34.:51:38.

generations. Europe has made real improvements to the quality of

:51:39.:51:42.

journeys within the UK and from it to the continent and beyond.

:51:43.:51:46.

Although we need to urgently move to real-world testing of overall

:51:47.:51:47.

emissions from new vehicles had been emissions from new vehicles had been

:51:48.:51:51.

reduced by 95% in the last few years. Next European standards. The

:51:52.:51:59.

EU is a vital source of funding for international and local projects,

:52:00.:52:03.

whether it is Crossrail, new trains or major ports and upgrades, who is

:52:04.:52:07.

often European funded by the transport improvements we

:52:08.:52:11.

desperately need. -- there is often. If we voted to leave airlines would

:52:12.:52:15.

lose their current rights to access the American market, spelling chaos

:52:16.:52:18.

for jobs in the aviation industry and some of our largest car and

:52:19.:52:23.

train manufacturers have made it clear that inward investment and

:52:24.:52:26.

jobs depend on access to the single market. I will close by saying that

:52:27.:52:32.

the transport case for staying in the EU is a whelming, as it is in

:52:33.:52:38.

other policy areas. I hope that when we plan transport services over the

:52:39.:52:41.

coming decades that it is on the basis of a new -- renewed mandate

:52:42.:52:44.

from Embassy of the EU. Before I call the honourable member,

:52:45.:52:52.

there are 18 members wishing to speak in this debate, that works out

:52:53.:52:55.

at about ten minutes, so if everybody takes ten minutes,

:52:56.:53:00.

everybody will get in. This does exclude the SNP spokesperson. Bill

:53:01.:53:05.

Ratcliffe. It is a pleasure to rise in support of the humble address.

:53:06.:53:11.

The programme of government for the upcoming session contains many

:53:12.:53:15.

welcome measures, for example my constituents will be welcoming of

:53:16.:53:18.

the universal service obligation for internet providers to be brought in

:53:19.:53:23.

through the Digital Economy Bill. This will mean that every UK

:53:24.:53:27.

household will have the right to an affordable, fast broadband

:53:28.:53:31.

connection with minimum guaranteed connection speeds, something I have

:53:32.:53:34.

been campaigning for my constituency for some years, one of my pledges at

:53:35.:53:38.

the general election. The more rural areas of my constituency will, I

:53:39.:53:43.

hope, particularly welcome this policy, as many living there over

:53:44.:53:47.

22nd rate internet connections services for far too long. I am

:53:48.:53:53.

pleased also that through the in the direction of the neighbourhood

:53:54.:53:55.

planning and infrastructure built there will be an opportunity to give

:53:56.:53:59.

local communities more power to shape their own areas. I am proud of

:54:00.:54:05.

the diligent work undertaken by members of civic societies across

:54:06.:54:09.

the country, including my own constituency, of which I am a

:54:10.:54:13.

member. Let me be clear neighbourhood planning is not about

:54:14.:54:17.

nimbyism, we're not against development, and indeed I praise Her

:54:18.:54:21.

Majesty's Government's ambition for house-building. It is about working

:54:22.:54:25.

constructively with communities, determining sites for appropriate

:54:26.:54:28.

development and providing the infrastructure necessary to make it

:54:29.:54:32.

viable. Neighbourhood planning is a way to bring communities on board

:54:33.:54:35.

with developers and therefore get more built. A case in point was a

:54:36.:54:40.

recently established neighbourhood forum in order to establish a

:54:41.:54:44.

network band. I'm sure honourable members will have experience of this

:54:45.:54:51.

in their own constituencies. -- a neighbourhood plan. Whilst I may

:54:52.:54:54.

regret the Government could not accept the amendment from the Lords

:54:55.:54:57.

on the community right of appeal in the recent housing and planning act,

:54:58.:55:03.

an amendment many of us supported, I hope the Neighbourhood Planning and

:55:04.:55:07.

Infrastructure Bill would go some of the way to achieving the same

:55:08.:55:11.

sentiment. I also welcome the education, and I commend the goal of

:55:12.:55:15.

continuing to increase the number and quality of academy schools in

:55:16.:55:19.

the coming years. I do, importantly, however, welcomed the fact that this

:55:20.:55:23.

will no longer be on a compulsory basis, as previously proposed,

:55:24.:55:26.

following a rethink from the Government. I wish to extend my

:55:27.:55:30.

thanks to the Secretary of State for Education for taking the time to

:55:31.:55:34.

listen to the concerns of myself and other colleagues about the programme

:55:35.:55:37.

and this important change of tack. I look forward to working with her and

:55:38.:55:41.

others to progress this bill, which includes the vital new national

:55:42.:55:45.

funding formula for schools, which will end the entrenched disparities

:55:46.:55:49.

in school funding and bring about fairness for all pupils. On a

:55:50.:55:52.

related note, I was pleased to hear that measures will be introduced to

:55:53.:55:56.

strengthen social services for children in care, and to increase

:55:57.:55:59.

the number and speed of adoptions in this country. But I say gently that,

:56:00.:56:03.

in desiring greater speed, we should be careful not to sacrifice the

:56:04.:56:08.

suitability of placements or, as the intention of adoptions to find a

:56:09.:56:12.

permanent, stable, loving home, a rushed process could lead to harm in

:56:13.:56:17.

long-term process of systems being overly streamlined. The Children and

:56:18.:56:23.

Social Work Bill will also improve social work provision through better

:56:24.:56:25.

training and standards of social workers and mean that children

:56:26.:56:28.

leaving care will be made aware of the ongoing services they are

:56:29.:56:33.

entitled to, including access to a personal adviser until the age of

:56:34.:56:39.

25. This is particularly welcome, coming just after a report on the

:56:40.:56:43.

disparities in mental health care provision for looked after children.

:56:44.:56:49.

And of course mental health performance is prevalent amongst the

:56:50.:56:52.

prisoner population, and the current levels of mental health care and

:56:53.:56:55.

service for prisoners is not to be standard and should be. I hope that

:56:56.:56:59.

the Government will put a particular focus on improving this as it works

:57:00.:57:04.

to build new reforming presence. The Queen's Speech also contains welcome

:57:05.:57:09.

plans to introduce the NHS Overseas Visitors Charging Bill, which will

:57:10.:57:12.

mean overseas visitors and migrants will be charged for using NHS

:57:13.:57:16.

services that they are not entitled to. Entitled residence will mean

:57:17.:57:22.

that fewer visits from the EU and EEA countries will be able to access

:57:23.:57:26.

free health care. In the NHS, we have one of the greatest and most

:57:27.:57:29.

envied systems in the world, but it has led to the NHS becoming the

:57:30.:57:35.

victim of its own success, with a Charente of health tourism. Overseas

:57:36.:57:39.

visitors coming to the UK to visit from our excellent NHS services

:57:40.:57:42.

without making a contribution and with the British taxpayer paying the

:57:43.:57:48.

bill. Health tourism has been particularly prevalent among

:57:49.:57:51.

visitors from the EU, abusing the AHI scheme for too long. Hundreds of

:57:52.:57:56.

thousands of overseas visitors as per train on our health service.

:57:57.:58:02.

Many Britons receive treatment overseas, but the number is far

:58:03.:58:13.

fewer than those who come here. And of course another way we could

:58:14.:58:19.

provide a huge boost for our NHS is to stop the ?350 million we send

:58:20.:58:24.

every week to the EU, and I fear I may be in Sanders agreement with my

:58:25.:58:27.

right honourable friend on the front bench about this matter. -- in some

:58:28.:58:38.

disagreement. Those contributions are enough to build a fully staffed

:58:39.:58:43.

NHS hospital every week. However, Madam Deputy Speaker, this is not

:58:44.:58:47.

the only way that the EU is currently threatening our NHS, and

:58:48.:58:52.

unfortunately the Gracious Speech did not address it. The

:58:53.:58:56.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, which the EU

:58:57.:59:01.

was determined to pass, May but the UK Government and the NHS facing

:59:02.:59:05.

legal challenge from foreign corporations if we refuse to put

:59:06.:59:08.

some of our public services, including the NHS, and to tender for

:59:09.:59:16.

privatisation. TTIP could forced the partial privatisation of the NHS,

:59:17.:59:19.

and there would be nothing for the UK Government or the British people

:59:20.:59:24.

to do about it, were we to stay as a member of the EU. We on these

:59:25.:59:27.

benches must not be blind to the issue and leave it to other parties

:59:28.:59:32.

to make the case. Now, the symbols and surest way, therefore, to

:59:33.:59:35.

protect the NHS from the unbearable strain of visitor costs, forced

:59:36.:59:43.

privatisation, and the amount of money that would be the new hospital

:59:44.:59:48.

every week, would be for Britain to leave the EU. There is going to be

:59:49.:59:52.

at some stage a trade agreement between the EU and the United

:59:53.:59:55.

States. If we want to protect ourselves from any unintended

:59:56.:00:00.

consequences, it is best to be in there, arguing the case as part of

:00:01.:00:03.

those negotiations, rather than having to stay on the outside and

:00:04.:00:08.

then except the negotiation once it is done, whatever is included in

:00:09.:00:13.

that agreement. I thank the honourable gentleman for his

:00:14.:00:17.

intervention, but if it was a risk of sacrificing our own sovereignty

:00:18.:00:20.

and the ability of this demand to determine its own public policy in

:00:21.:00:25.

the process of international tribunal is determining matters

:00:26.:00:28.

between governments and companies, then I would quite frankly except

:00:29.:00:34.

President Obama's offer to be at the back of the queue for such an

:00:35.:00:38.

agreement. I will go further, because I was delighted to hear in

:00:39.:00:41.

the Queen's Speech that the Government will continue to

:00:42.:00:44.

strengthen national security for investment in the Armed Forces and a

:00:45.:00:47.

commitment to the Armed Forces covenant, and a promise to fulfil

:00:48.:00:52.

our Nato commitment of 2% spending on defence. Let us not forget that

:00:53.:00:56.

it is first and foremost our work and friendship with allies through

:00:57.:01:00.

Nato, not the European Union, that maintains our security on the

:01:01.:01:05.

international stage. The world is a turbulent place, Madam Deputy

:01:06.:01:08.

Speaker, but our security and defence forces keep as strong, and

:01:09.:01:12.

it is right that the Queen's Speech recognises and protect that. Now is

:01:13.:01:16.

not just the time for strengthening our national governance is. We will

:01:17.:01:20.

soon come to a time and the British people will need to sew the strength

:01:21.:01:23.

of their convictions, and I hope they will do the right thing for

:01:24.:01:29.

Britain and vote to leave the European Union next month, allowing

:01:30.:01:32.

us to forge new and prosperous relationships with neighbours all

:01:33.:01:36.

around the world, and not just the ones on our doorstep. However, I am

:01:37.:01:41.

heartened by Her Majesty's Government Gracious Speech, as it

:01:42.:01:43.

lays out a positive programme for government for the next year. It

:01:44.:01:48.

means that after the referendum vote on June 23, I am confident, and

:01:49.:01:53.

indeed hopeful that on the 25th of June we will have a strong

:01:54.:01:56.

Conservative majority government who will go on and lead is united to a

:01:57.:02:02.

Britain brighter and better both at home and abroad. Drew Hendry. Thank

:02:03.:02:07.

you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I associate the SNP group the comments

:02:08.:02:11.

from the Secretary of State about the Egyptian air incident, and of

:02:12.:02:16.

course those of the shadow minister as well this morning. During my

:02:17.:02:20.

remarks, I will focus on three themes, firstly the measures that we

:02:21.:02:25.

in the SNP welcome, at least in their outline descriptions.

:02:26.:02:28.

Secondly, the areas where we feel that other options and measures

:02:29.:02:31.

could have and should have been incorporated, or should be

:02:32.:02:36.

incorporated, and it is never too late, of course, for ministers to

:02:37.:02:39.

take heed of these ideas and take them forward, so I hope they are

:02:40.:02:43.

listening carefully. Thirdly, the actions and examples and lessons to

:02:44.:02:46.

be learned to take the steps required to deliver for the people

:02:47.:02:51.

of the nations of the UK. Before that, however, I'm sure that the

:02:52.:02:54.

Secretary of State will join me in welcoming Fergus Ewing MSP to his

:02:55.:02:59.

new position of Cabinet Secretary for rural economy and connectivity,

:03:00.:03:02.

and also the new Minister for transport in the islands. I would

:03:03.:03:10.

also like to put on record my thanks to the former cabinet secretary and

:03:11.:03:15.

Minister Derek Mackay for their work, some of which I will refer to

:03:16.:03:20.

today, both now performing new roles in the Scottish and Cabinet, and I

:03:21.:03:24.

am sure that UK Government ministers will agree they have worked

:03:25.:03:27.

positively with them during their time in office. Madam Deputy

:03:28.:03:31.

Speaker, I am happy to give way. Can I echo what the honourable member

:03:32.:03:36.

says? Can I also say that I had heard of the appointments just

:03:37.:03:39.

before I came into the chamber but very much hope that we can work

:03:40.:03:43.

together positively in the future on a number of issues which affect both

:03:44.:03:47.

Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. And I'm sure that weather

:03:48.:03:52.

is a progressive move, that will be the case. Madam Deputy Speaker, I

:03:53.:03:56.

said that I wanted to start with the areas weather is a common purpose,

:03:57.:04:00.

and there are some innovative measures on transport, or at

:04:01.:04:06.

promises of innovative measures in transport. That said, to gain

:04:07.:04:10.

support, the rhetoric will need to be followed with an inclusive vision

:04:11.:04:13.

that benefits all of the nations of the UK. An area where this is not

:04:14.:04:18.

yet clear if the investment in further research into autonomous

:04:19.:04:22.

vehicles. Obviously, safety implications and deployment will be

:04:23.:04:26.

considerations, and, Madam Deputy Speaker, this investment is most

:04:27.:04:29.

welcome but will be meaningless to most of the UK nations if it is not

:04:30.:04:34.

supported by the required investment in delivering a truly universal

:04:35.:04:39.

Mobile complications network. Let's not yet again take the approach

:04:40.:04:46.

where the benefits are only seen in some urban areas of the UK. Future

:04:47.:04:50.

network licensing deals should have the conditions of contract as a

:04:51.:04:53.

requirement for rural areas to be prioritised. In these areas all

:04:54.:04:59.

across the nations of the UK, they have suffered for decades because of

:05:00.:05:02.

ill thought out strategy and indeed the ignorance of the needs of those

:05:03.:05:07.

outside the larger cities. Linked closely to this is the need for

:05:08.:05:11.

broadband infrastructure. Madam Deputy Speaker, the SNP have

:05:12.:05:15.

campaigned for a universal service obligation for broadband and are

:05:16.:05:19.

pleased that this is included in the Digital Economy Bill. The Scottish

:05:20.:05:23.

Government is committed to superfast broadband to 100% of premises, all

:05:24.:05:27.

businesses and homes, and when I recently at the Leader of the House

:05:28.:05:33.

in this chamber to match that ambition, he said he did not know

:05:34.:05:36.

how it could be done. It is hoped that the UK Government have figured

:05:37.:05:39.

this out and will roll-out and demonstrate action that matches the

:05:40.:05:42.

words. If it does, that is positive news. UK infrastructure commission

:05:43.:05:48.

is also welcome, but only if it looks beyond the old horizons and

:05:49.:05:52.

prioritises infrastructure for, as I say, all the nations of the UK. To

:05:53.:05:56.

achieve this, more ambition is required in the development and

:05:57.:05:59.

deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure, and I agree with the

:06:00.:06:03.

remarks made earlier by the Labour front bench on this. In addition to

:06:04.:06:07.

autonomous vehicle investment, the two must go hand-in-hand. If that is

:06:08.:06:11.

to happen, it is good, but let's see the detail and that ambition

:06:12.:06:17.

matching what is being said. We possibly entering a point and

:06:18.:06:20.

development where, counterintuitively, roads may

:06:21.:06:23.

actually have the potential to provide another vision for the

:06:24.:06:26.

future of transport. I would like to see the explored more by the UK

:06:27.:06:32.

Government. Green travel, indeed greener travel measures in general,

:06:33.:06:39.

we would have sort greater ambition from the UK Government. While the

:06:40.:06:42.

recent Budget did not remove salary sacrifice games aiding the promotion

:06:43.:06:47.

of cycling, and that is to be welcomed, there is huge opportunity

:06:48.:06:52.

for further investment in cycling. This leads to how the atoms for

:06:53.:06:55.

people and healthier economic benefits. But the lack of a detailed

:06:56.:07:02.

implementation plan for accelerating cycling infrastructure is something

:07:03.:07:06.

we would urge ministers to reconsider. -- healthier outcomes

:07:07.:07:10.

for people. Where is the promised strategy? Given the stated

:07:11.:07:15.

objectives, why is it not a headline this time? What is needed is greater

:07:16.:07:20.

vision, greater urgency, proof that the words equal a true commitment.

:07:21.:07:25.

The SNP Scottish Government are investing ?1 billion annually into

:07:26.:07:28.

public transport and other sustainable transport options to

:07:29.:07:31.

encourage people to get out of their cars. But since 2011, Scotland has

:07:32.:07:37.

built 190 calamities of cycling and walking paths to match the

:07:38.:07:39.

commitment to healthier lives for the people of Scotland where we have

:07:40.:07:43.

seen an increase of around a third of people cycling since 2003. -- 190

:07:44.:07:46.

kilometres. The Secretary of State mentioned HS2

:07:47.:07:59.

earlier. But he ominously omitted Scotland from his list. The Scottish

:08:00.:08:03.

Government are committed to working in partnership with the UK

:08:04.:08:08.

Government on HS2, but the UK Government must demonstrate that

:08:09.:08:12.

their commitment is factual. Will he confirm that is correct and he will

:08:13.:08:17.

commit with this and he will go to Scotland with the full investment

:08:18.:08:22.

needed? HS2 is not the only possibility for a cross-border rail

:08:23.:08:28.

development. The Borders rail link, a programme delivered on time and

:08:29.:08:31.

under budget by the Scottish Government is now open for

:08:32.:08:37.

investigation for going all the way to Carlisle. The Scottish Government

:08:38.:08:41.

will support a feasible study will stop with the UK Government match

:08:42.:08:45.

that to see if it can be realised for the people of the Borders? Was

:08:46.:08:54.

the future of green travel exists for service users through active

:08:55.:09:00.

travel and the development of road, rail and electric, especially if

:09:01.:09:04.

powered by renewable sources, there remains no vision for the UK

:09:05.:09:08.

Government on alternative air travel. The UK is stuck in the

:09:09.:09:13.

vapour trails on this issue. Oslo has become the world's first airport

:09:14.:09:20.

to offer a sustainable biofuels to all airlines with Lufthansa, SAS and

:09:21.:09:25.

KLM already signed up. In the UK there is no such commitment. The UK

:09:26.:09:30.

Government can change this and I would urge ministers to include

:09:31.:09:34.

aviation in the renewable transport fuel obligation. We welcome the UK

:09:35.:09:40.

Government's commitment to do more to the UK airspace strategy. It is

:09:41.:09:46.

overdue. We ask that action in this area be accelerated to address the

:09:47.:09:51.

deficit of more than 40 years. To ignore this poses an increased risk

:09:52.:09:54.

of delays and a damaging impact on commerce. Tackling this and coming

:09:55.:10:01.

into line with the European Commission initiative offers an

:10:02.:10:05.

opportunity to boost the UK economy and provide a benefit for all of the

:10:06.:10:11.

UK nations. But, speaking of things up in the air, whilst nobody will be

:10:12.:10:16.

shocked by a lack of commitment to decide on airport expansion, it

:10:17.:10:22.

remains the elephant in the room. Our frustration is shared by the

:10:23.:10:27.

ministers on these benches. I am certain freed from the internal

:10:28.:10:31.

pressures they would have made a decision, but they remain paralysed

:10:32.:10:35.

by the orders of internal party politics. Madame Deputy Speaker, you

:10:36.:10:39.

were in the chair on a previous occasion when I overran on a

:10:40.:10:44.

response to the statement on yet another delay to airport expansion,

:10:45.:10:52.

whether government ministers and the Prime Minister promised a full and

:10:53.:10:56.

final decision, promises broken over and over. When a person sees and

:10:57.:11:03.

hears that long catalogue of missed opportunities for leadership, what

:11:04.:11:06.

becomes understandable is the frustration and anger of these

:11:07.:11:10.

delays. Rather than repeat the exercise, let me quote the words of

:11:11.:11:16.

the Secretary of State from way back on October 2000 and 12. He said in

:11:17.:11:20.

the South east of the runways are filling up and the Jets are circling

:11:21.:11:25.

our skies. That is hitting our prosperity, it is bad for the

:11:26.:11:29.

environment, it is bidding of investors, it is costing jobs and it

:11:30.:11:34.

is holding Britain back. Madame Deputy Speaker, he was right. Nearly

:11:35.:11:40.

five years ago he was right and in spite of those sage words of the

:11:41.:11:45.

runways are fuller, more Jets are circling and the environment

:11:46.:11:47.

continues to be damaged and investors have been put off. Who

:11:48.:11:51.

knows how many jobs it could have cost? I am grateful to the

:11:52.:11:58.

honourable gentleman. He has now had time to study the Davis report,

:11:59.:12:04.

perhaps he will now tell us which option he supports? I would be

:12:05.:12:07.

delighted if the Secretary of State and the UK Government wants to hand

:12:08.:12:12.

control of development of the UK infrastructure over to the SNP. Like

:12:13.:12:19.

the Borders rail link, like the Queensferry Crossing, we deliver

:12:20.:12:23.

things on time and under budget. By all means give us that decision and

:12:24.:12:28.

we will make that choice for you. Let me come on to wipe this is

:12:29.:12:34.

important to Scotland. Over 90% of international visitors to Scotland's

:12:35.:12:38.

travel by air, more than a third of those use Heathrow as a hub.

:12:39.:12:44.

Combined with Gatwick, that is about half of international visitors

:12:45.:12:47.

travelling through the south-east. It is not just tourism. The ?5

:12:48.:12:53.

billion annual whiskey industry, the salmon industry and other exporters

:12:54.:12:58.

need to get international markets. All the time a decision is fudged

:12:59.:13:03.

this harms the Scottish economy. There is another air opportunity

:13:04.:13:10.

open to the UK Government. Not just to Scotland, but to many other parts

:13:11.:13:14.

of the UK, and that is by bringing forward a commitment to public

:13:15.:13:19.

service obligations linking regional airports, point-to-point with the

:13:20.:13:24.

London hubs. This would be a much more enlightened and inclusive

:13:25.:13:32.

airport strategy. Our strategic choice is indeed needed. We also

:13:33.:13:41.

support the establishment of a UK spaceport. This is an exciting

:13:42.:13:46.

opportunity and again subject to how this is progress, we see this... I

:13:47.:13:52.

am happy to give way. I wonder if my honourable friend would ask the

:13:53.:13:56.

Minister to clarify that in his statement, and I was trying to

:13:57.:14:01.

intervene and he did not hear me, was that he mention it would be up

:14:02.:14:05.

to market forces to decide where the spaceport was. We have had

:14:06.:14:09.

discussions in this place in the past talking about awarding a

:14:10.:14:16.

licence to UK spaceport, but you need multiple licenses because you

:14:17.:14:19.

have to license every vehicle. Maybe you could ask on my behalf whether

:14:20.:14:24.

the minister would clarify whether he is going to let the market make

:14:25.:14:28.

the decision and whether there will be the possibility of multiple

:14:29.:14:35.

spaceport is. It is a very important point and I think you have made

:14:36.:14:39.

questing clear, but I am delighted to ask the Secretary of State to

:14:40.:14:44.

respond. We see this development as having great possibilities and would

:14:45.:14:47.

anticipate the UK Government wilfully appreciate the excellent

:14:48.:14:52.

potential sites in Scotland. We encourage the UK Government to work

:14:53.:14:57.

with the Scottish Government, Scottish local authorities and

:14:58.:14:59.

public agencies to realise this potential in Scotland. We would also

:15:00.:15:06.

welcome more detail on developing a genuine aerospace strategy. Part of

:15:07.:15:10.

this must be the investment to address the skills gap in the

:15:11.:15:14.

engineering sector. I would urge ministers to consider some of the

:15:15.:15:18.

work progressed in gender balance issues. It was not that long ago

:15:19.:15:24.

that I quoted the deputy director for the National Aerospace programme

:15:25.:15:29.

with over 40 years experience. She highlighted her struggles as a woman

:15:30.:15:35.

in the industry with only 11% of women, even with 20% graduates of

:15:36.:15:42.

women. This is the lowest female employment in this sector across

:15:43.:15:45.

Europe. There are apprenticeship opportunities in shipping. Transport

:15:46.:15:50.

should include reference to shipping. The Scottish Government

:15:51.:15:56.

work tirelessly, as they did with the Scottish steel issue, to save

:15:57.:16:00.

the iconic Ferguson shipyard, vital to providing vessels and employment

:16:01.:16:05.

for the future. Of course in this place the decision has been to put a

:16:06.:16:12.

delay on the order over the review of shipbuilding and that delay

:16:13.:16:19.

threatens jobs in Scotland just now. I hope the ministers opposite will

:16:20.:16:24.

take this message back to their Cabinet colleagues and get the

:16:25.:16:26.

Treasury to release the brake on that particular development. Madame

:16:27.:16:34.

Deputy Speaker, on the subject of shipping there is also an

:16:35.:16:37.

opportunity to put right the dangerous deficit that has been

:16:38.:16:41.

allowed to continue parentheses of the UK and particularly in Scotland,

:16:42.:16:46.

nowhere more striking than on the West Coast. The right honourable

:16:47.:16:49.

member for Murray has highlighted the dangers of maritime aircraft

:16:50.:16:56.

patrol for Scotland. When added to the removal of Scotland's two

:16:57.:17:02.

emergency towing vessels, it is easy to see why ministers opposite are

:17:03.:17:06.

facing calls from every quarter to commit to permanently securing the

:17:07.:17:10.

remaining vessel and reinstating the second. These are vessels that have

:17:11.:17:17.

deployed sensitively and can assist drifting ships, prevent them from

:17:18.:17:23.

running aground, head of disaster, protecting human lives and fragile

:17:24.:17:27.

environments. They are called emergency towing vessels for a

:17:28.:17:32.

simple reason, they are available for emergencies, such as when they

:17:33.:17:36.

were called into rescue one of the nuclear submarines that had run

:17:37.:17:41.

aground off Skye. Anyone and everyone who understands the risks

:17:42.:17:48.

indices around Scotland, from the industry, from the unions, every

:17:49.:17:54.

Highlands and Islands MP and MSP and local authorities and agencies are

:17:55.:17:57.

all pointing out we cannot wait for another disaster to happen before

:17:58.:18:02.

there is a reaction. There needs to be protected in order to prevent

:18:03.:18:07.

such a disaster. To conclude what the nations of the UK need is not

:18:08.:18:14.

just more words of support for good ideas, but a conductivity strategy,

:18:15.:18:20.

a plan for air, technology, for suitable, sustainable fuels, a plan

:18:21.:18:27.

for marine operators, a plan for health and well-being, tourism,

:18:28.:18:31.

trade and enterprise and a plan for productivity. We must see more and

:18:32.:18:34.

better work from the UK Government on these fronts. Thank you, Madam

:18:35.:18:41.

Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for being called early in this debate. I

:18:42.:18:45.

must give advance apologies for not being able to be here at the wind-up

:18:46.:18:53.

at the end. I have to answer an invitation from her Majesty the

:18:54.:18:57.

Queen to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. I

:18:58.:19:00.

am sure the Minister will understand I am keen to keep that one.

:19:01.:19:07.

Yesterday in the speech we learned of the government's plans to ensure

:19:08.:19:11.

that the UK will be at the forefront of new forms of transport in the

:19:12.:19:16.

modern transport bill. It is an exciting time for the country as we

:19:17.:19:22.

push forward towards a modern transport revolution which includes

:19:23.:19:25.

the potential of the UK's first commercial spaceport, something I

:19:26.:19:31.

shall return to later. The magnitude of the progress we are poised to

:19:32.:19:36.

make becomes very clear when you consider the many years and neglect

:19:37.:19:40.

our transport system has suffered, particularly for those of us" while.

:19:41.:19:46.

However, at long last we are seeing serious investment in the county's

:19:47.:19:50.

infrastructure that will create the opportunities for the future. ?60

:19:51.:19:58.

million project for the main link to Cornwall and the rest of the country

:19:59.:20:02.

is well under way and will relieve massive congestion and delays. I am

:20:03.:20:07.

incredibly proud to be part of this government that is finally

:20:08.:20:11.

delivering on this project which was cancelled by the Labour government

:20:12.:20:15.

when they came to power in the 90s. A further nine mile stretch of the

:20:16.:20:19.

single carriageway further west on the a 30 is due to be upgraded. This

:20:20.:20:25.

route experiences at 25% rise in traffic flow in the holiday periods,

:20:26.:20:31.

so you can understand how important projects like this are for the

:20:32.:20:36.

ongoing growth of this area. For many years residents of Saint

:20:37.:20:39.

Austell have been making impassioned calls for an upgrade on the road

:20:40.:20:46.

between Saint Austell and the A30. Now they're called have finally been

:20:47.:20:50.

answered by this government. This project is planned to go ahead next

:20:51.:20:57.

to funding will have a significant and positive impact on congestion

:20:58.:21:01.

and traffic issues in my constituency, as well as an lock

:21:02.:21:05.

future potential economic growth. But it is not just the roads that

:21:06.:21:10.

are being upgraded. The South West will benefit from new trains,

:21:11.:21:15.

replacing ones that are 40 years old. An upgraded sleeper service, as

:21:16.:21:20.

well as reports into cutting journey times between London by half an hour

:21:21.:21:26.

and a much needed additional route through Devon. Meanwhile, passenger

:21:27.:21:34.

numbers at Cornwall Newquay airport continue to grow and thanks to the

:21:35.:21:38.

government's backing, it has been able to fly into the jet age with

:21:39.:21:44.

its link to Gatwick as well as seeing new routes opening up.

:21:45.:21:48.

Through all this Cornwall has been transformed and its potential is

:21:49.:21:51.

starting to be realised, but there is still much more to do. With our

:21:52.:21:57.

unquestionable appetite to demonstrate our aspiration for

:21:58.:22:00.

growth and better times ahead, Cornwall finds itself edging towards

:22:01.:22:06.

the forefront of the next generation of travel opportunities and is

:22:07.:22:10.

proving itself to be the right choice for the UK's first spaceport.

:22:11.:22:16.

While we wait for the criteria to be released, it is clear that Newquay

:22:17.:22:20.

has established itself as the front runner in this process. I put to you

:22:21.:22:26.

it is the best option of the six short listed. Newquay airport

:22:27.:22:30.

already has a wide and long runway, with the added bonus it has the

:22:31.:22:33.

capacity to be extended fairly easily. The airport is established

:22:34.:22:38.

and thriving and goes from strength to strength and will embrace the

:22:39.:22:42.

growth and development the spaceport would bring. The proposed site is

:22:43.:22:48.

ideally located next to the coast. It has easy access to uncongested

:22:49.:22:55.

airspace and is not in a densely populated area. Making Newquay's bid

:22:56.:23:00.

even more attractive either hugely beneficial links that exists between

:23:01.:23:03.

the neighbouring enterprise zone. After the Chancellor announced the

:23:04.:23:14.

expansion of that zone, the boost for choral's space ambitions works

:23:15.:23:20.

to make the area and even more attractive for commercial

:23:21.:23:25.

investment. As well as permitting the possibility of space tourism and

:23:26.:23:27.

high-speed travel, the spaceport would embrace the commercial

:23:28.:23:33.

satellite market even further. The UK is a world leader, but with a

:23:34.:23:38.

spaceport we could finally secure launching satellites on our own. It

:23:39.:23:43.

is antennae but that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for

:23:44.:23:48.

Cornwall and my constituency to transform our economy. -- it is

:23:49.:23:54.

undeniable. We will see job opportunities and well-paid careers

:23:55.:23:56.

in cutting-edge opportunities in one of the lowest paid areas in the

:23:57.:24:02.

country, higher paid jobs, as well as welcoming new people to the area,

:24:03.:24:06.

the next generation of skilled Cornishman and women will be a body

:24:07.:24:10.

stay in the county they love to call home. -- will be able to stay. For

:24:11.:24:19.

decades, they have been torn between their love and desire to live in

:24:20.:24:23.

their beautiful homeland or seek serious job opportunities elsewhere.

:24:24.:24:26.

I count myself lucky to have been able to make a living for myself

:24:27.:24:30.

without having to leave Cornwall, working in a number of sectors over

:24:31.:24:33.

many years, as well as running my own business. But this is not the

:24:34.:24:37.

case for many of my peers, who were forced to move away in search of

:24:38.:24:44.

other opportunities. But it is still happening today with scores of

:24:45.:24:46.

talented, skilful young people leaving Cornwall behind, often never

:24:47.:24:50.

to return. This has gone on for too long, but we can stop this. Our

:24:51.:24:55.

young people deserve a chance, a real opportunity, just as much as

:24:56.:25:00.

the rest of the country. It is clear the spaceport needs a home that will

:25:01.:25:05.

embrace the brand-new sector of space tourism, and Cornwall can and

:25:06.:25:09.

will pioneer this. As well as boosting visitor numbers from within

:25:10.:25:12.

the UK even further, this could be the key that finally gets a large

:25:13.:25:19.

proportion of the country's overseas visitors to the south-west. Only a

:25:20.:25:23.

small percentage of overseas visitors currently venture outside

:25:24.:25:26.

of London. The benefits of this would be felt right across the

:25:27.:25:32.

south-west. Furthermore, Cornwall has historically led from the front

:25:33.:25:37.

and it comes to industry. Our tin mining and China clay activities are

:25:38.:25:41.

world-renowned, and they have transformed the landscape and the

:25:42.:25:44.

future of Cornwall. As a county, we are also at the forefront of

:25:45.:25:54.

inventions, the mighty Cornishman Richard sugar that created the first

:25:55.:25:57.

steam locomotive, Humphrey Davies signed millions of lives with his

:25:58.:26:01.

safety lamp, and the first-ever radio transmission was sent across

:26:02.:26:04.

the Atlantic Ocean from Cornwall by Marconi. But this heritage is not

:26:05.:26:14.

stopped Cornwall being stifled, unable to build on these advances,

:26:15.:26:18.

Cornwall has not been able to live up to its true potential. Often

:26:19.:26:22.

forgotten by Westminster, its ambitions ignored. But the tide is

:26:23.:26:27.

changing, and Cornwall is on the up under this Government. The granting

:26:28.:26:30.

of the Newquay spaceport would be another major advancement for the

:26:31.:26:35.

region, and we are ready. The county and Newquay in particular, is

:26:36.:26:39.

already a premier tourist destination with millions of people

:26:40.:26:43.

already flocking to the area to enjoy all it has to offer. Not only

:26:44.:26:47.

is Cornwall readily equipped for such an influx of visitors, we

:26:48.:26:51.

understand tourism better than anyone else. Our communities thrive

:26:52.:26:55.

on it, and we have done so for over a century. The Government's latest

:26:56.:27:03.

infrastructure commitments show their commitment to the county, and

:27:04.:27:08.

the six Cornish Conservative MPs are unequivocally working hard with the

:27:09.:27:12.

Conservative Government deliver for Cornwall. What better time now than

:27:13.:27:17.

to push this forward? I personally feel the Government's ongoing

:27:18.:27:21.

commitment to the county shows a belief that Cornwall holds the key

:27:22.:27:25.

for a fairer distribution of growth, and real evidence of our one nation

:27:26.:27:29.

vision, a belief that Cornwall can pave the way forward in this

:27:30.:27:34.

exciting new sector, and a belief that Cornwall will deliver. Madam

:27:35.:27:38.

Deputy Speaker, the right choice is clear, Newquay's bidder for the

:27:39.:27:43.

spaceport holds the excitement and enthusiasm for exploration, the

:27:44.:27:46.

spirit of adventure, and the capability of being the driving

:27:47.:27:49.

force in scientific and technological advances. Let's make

:27:50.:27:55.

the right choice for Newquay, for Cornwall, and for the country.

:27:56.:28:04.

There is a great deal to welcome in this Queen's Speech in relation to

:28:05.:28:10.

transport, and it is reassuring to see how many issues contained in the

:28:11.:28:15.

speech do reflect the requests that have come from the Transport Select

:28:16.:28:20.

Committee. But the real test will be whether the promised measures are

:28:21.:28:24.

actually implemented and do not simply remain aspirations, and of

:28:25.:28:28.

course we will have to see the important details of what is being

:28:29.:28:32.

proposed. I am pleased that the national infrastructure commission

:28:33.:28:36.

is to be made a statutory body charged with a strategic vision for

:28:37.:28:50.

2050. I just hope we are not still discussing increasing hub capacity

:28:51.:28:53.

in the south-east by that date, it is important that a decision is made

:28:54.:29:00.

soon. Heathrow is the right location, it is important decision

:29:01.:29:03.

is made in the interests of the country as a whole and also on

:29:04.:29:06.

behalf of the regions and nations this country. The Northern

:29:07.:29:13.

powerhouse too pictures in the Queen's Speech, and that is

:29:14.:29:17.

extremely important, and again we need to hear not just more words but

:29:18.:29:21.

say actual implementation of proposals and ideas that have been

:29:22.:29:25.

put forward. And that means that transport for the North needs to

:29:26.:29:30.

have effective powers and full accountability, and I don't see any

:29:31.:29:35.

mention of that in this Queen's Speech. It is of course particularly

:29:36.:29:39.

important that electrification schemes, which have already been put

:29:40.:29:44.

forward, are properly costed and implemented. We don't want to see

:29:45.:29:50.

any more stop start processes, where promises are made and much-needed

:29:51.:29:53.

schemes are delayed, or indeed cancelled. And when we are looking

:29:54.:30:00.

at much-needed improvements across the Pennines, the Trans-Pennine

:30:01.:30:03.

improvements, the so-called HS3, I think it is very important for

:30:04.:30:08.

members to remember that Trans-Pennine improvements are not

:30:09.:30:14.

confined to Manchester and Leeds. They also include Liverpool,

:30:15.:30:17.

Newcastle, Sheffield and Hull, just to name a few of the very important

:30:18.:30:24.

places. I am very pleased that age is going ahead, but I would like to

:30:25.:30:30.

hear more clarity from the Minister about the current stories that are

:30:31.:30:34.

now being circulated about possible changes to the face two of HS2, and

:30:35.:30:41.

to get maximum impact from that very important infrastructure, we need to

:30:42.:30:45.

see high-speed 2 linked with other rail investments, as we have been

:30:46.:30:50.

promised they will, and, for example, enabling a direct line to

:30:51.:30:59.

be built from Liverpool to link up with HS2 and HS3, just one example

:31:00.:31:03.

of the way in which major infrastructure investments of

:31:04.:31:05.

national importance can also give great benefit to the regions of this

:31:06.:31:12.

country. I am, Madam Deputy Speaker, pleased to see the Modern Transport

:31:13.:31:18.

Bill. Its promises for commercial development, transport innovations,

:31:19.:31:21.

is extremely important for this country, and it is something that

:31:22.:31:26.

has to often been neglected. I note too the reference to the importance

:31:27.:31:34.

of using new technology for road safety. It is important to note that

:31:35.:31:40.

while the trend on road safety over a decade or so is for improvements,

:31:41.:31:47.

there has been a change in very recent years, and in the last year

:31:48.:31:52.

for which we have recorded figures, 2014, we regrettably saw an actual

:31:53.:32:00.

increase in road casualties. 1705 people were killed on our roads, and

:32:01.:32:08.

22,807 people were seriously injured. Using technology to improve

:32:09.:32:13.

road safety is important, but technology on its own cannot do the

:32:14.:32:20.

job. Education and promotional campaigns are extremely important,

:32:21.:32:24.

and so is enforcement, and I would remind ministers that it matters,

:32:25.:32:28.

yes, that we have the latest technology, but also that we have

:32:29.:32:33.

more people enforcing the rules of the road and looking at bad driver

:32:34.:32:39.

behaviour by having more road traffic officers. During this year,

:32:40.:32:42.

the transport committee produced a report which showed the impact of

:32:43.:32:49.

reductions in road traffic officers, and to improve road safety we need

:32:50.:32:54.

to harness the technology there, but we also need education and fulsome

:32:55.:33:00.

and, P3 go together. I do, Madam Deputy Speaker, have a special

:33:01.:33:11.

welcome for the Bus Services Bill. For too long, buses have been

:33:12.:33:15.

treated as the Cinderella of public transport, yet more people use buses

:33:16.:33:20.

than any other form of public transport. They are a lifeline for

:33:21.:33:24.

millions, enabling people to get to their jobs and to access important

:33:25.:33:30.

local amenities. And this bill, and I hope I can repeat this when we

:33:31.:33:34.

actually see the detail of the bill, is an attempt to put right the

:33:35.:33:41.

weaknesses of the 1985 Transport Act, which left bus services at the

:33:42.:33:45.

mercy of the free market, leaving local authorities to pick up the tab

:33:46.:33:51.

for profitable services, except in London, of course, which is spared

:33:52.:33:56.

deregulation, and which has gone on from success to success, with

:33:57.:33:59.

franchised services using the private sector, but the private

:34:00.:34:06.

sector being employed to follow our transport plan as decided by the

:34:07.:34:10.

public sector, Transport for London. And in terms of the rest of the

:34:11.:34:14.

country, when local gum and cats started to bite and financial cuts

:34:15.:34:20.

started to be amended, local authority support for those

:34:21.:34:23.

subsidised services inevitably fell away. -- when local government cuts.

:34:24.:34:31.

Increased numbers of people feel left out of essential transport

:34:32.:34:36.

services, and they are left without access to work, without access to

:34:37.:34:39.

hospitals, and two shops, and this is not solely rural communities that

:34:40.:34:44.

are being affected, although they have been affected very badly. It is

:34:45.:34:48.

also significant parts of towns and cities who are losing not only

:34:49.:34:52.

night-time services, but important daytime services as well. I want to

:34:53.:34:57.

thank my honourable friend for making those points, and I really do

:34:58.:35:01.

agree with the punchy has made. Night buses have just been cuts in

:35:02.:35:09.

my constituency. -- with the point she has made. But she also agreed

:35:10.:35:13.

that people affected include those with sight loss, and she agreed that

:35:14.:35:17.

this bill is an opportunity to make all new buses accessible for people

:35:18.:35:25.

with sight loss with next stop and final destination announcements? I

:35:26.:35:28.

thank my honourable friend for comments that I certainly agree

:35:29.:35:33.

with. A proper public transport service, including buses, has to be

:35:34.:35:38.

accessible for all people, and proper facilities to enable people

:35:39.:35:42.

with sight loss, and indeed people with other sorts of disabilities, it

:35:43.:35:47.

is absolutely important to have the right facilities there, and I think

:35:48.:35:51.

this is a very important opportunity to do that. And indeed the whole

:35:52.:35:56.

pattern we have seen since passed the regulation is that, while

:35:57.:36:00.

services in London, where the regulation did not take place, have

:36:01.:36:06.

increased, services and indeed there is, services have produced elsewhere

:36:07.:36:09.

in the country while bus fares have increased. This is not acceptable,

:36:10.:36:16.

it cannot be tolerated any further, and the measures to try and remedy

:36:17.:36:25.

this, quality partnerships, quality contracts, they have not resolved

:36:26.:36:28.

the basic question, so I look forward to the publication of the

:36:29.:36:33.

Bus Services Bill. I noticed that the proposal is to enable devolved

:36:34.:36:39.

areas with an elected mayor to use franchise services, following the

:36:40.:36:45.

situation and currently works in London, but I would like to see the

:36:46.:36:50.

details of how that can be extended to other sorts of authorities as

:36:51.:36:55.

well, and to see what financial support goes with that. The power to

:36:56.:37:03.

make bus services accessible, accountable and effective is

:37:04.:37:06.

extremely important, but the finance to make that a real possibility must

:37:07.:37:11.

be there, so I look forward to seeing that. So in summary, Madam

:37:12.:37:18.

Deputy Speaker, I do welcome some very important measures in this

:37:19.:37:24.

bill. We need to see them and acted, and not just to remain aspirations,

:37:25.:37:29.

we need to see proper funding. -- enacted. It is vital proper chance

:37:30.:37:34.

but infrastructure is provided nationally, regionally and locally,

:37:35.:37:39.

and it is also important that there are effective transport services

:37:40.:37:42.

that are accessible and our passenger friendly, and the test of

:37:43.:37:47.

whether this Queen's Speech will deliver those objectives is yet to

:37:48.:37:48.

come. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I

:37:49.:37:59.

would like to focus my remarks on neighbourhood planning and the

:38:00.:38:02.

effect on housing delivery, but first I would like to draw the

:38:03.:38:06.

House's attention to my member's interest. Might I say to the

:38:07.:38:15.

minister before he leaves, the roads minister, a very quick pitch for the

:38:16.:38:22.

A64. I welcome the ?100 billion of investment from this Parliament and

:38:23.:38:26.

the ?13 billion in the Northern powerhouse. 250 million is being

:38:27.:38:35.

allocated to the A64. If that improvement does not include a dual

:38:36.:38:39.

carriageway as far as Barton Hill, it will keep that pinch point down

:38:40.:38:44.

the road. I would ask if he would bear that in mind and look at this

:38:45.:38:52.

for future discussions. I was astounded to hear the Leader of the

:38:53.:38:58.

Opposition yesterday in this house claim that house-building had sunk

:38:59.:39:01.

to its lowest level since the 1920s. The reality is quarterly housing

:39:02.:39:11.

starts, the most reliable guide to housing activity, has doubled since

:39:12.:39:18.

2009. It was below 20,000 at that point and the current quota is over

:39:19.:39:24.

40,000, doubling in anyone's terms, according to the Office of National

:39:25.:39:28.

Statistics. For further prove could I suggest members opposite visit any

:39:29.:39:35.

building site and talk to any brickie, chippy or spiky who will

:39:36.:39:40.

put you right. If they do not know any business people I am very happy

:39:41.:39:46.

to put them in touch with them. I am very much welcoming of the fact that

:39:47.:39:52.

all local authorities have to have a plan in place by 2017, but also

:39:53.:39:57.

neighbourhood plans. They give local communities a say into what is built

:39:58.:40:05.

where and what it will look like. Clearly neighbourhood planning must

:40:06.:40:09.

work with local authorities to agree the numbers allocated to a

:40:10.:40:14.

particular settlement. I am very grateful to my honourable friend who

:40:15.:40:18.

has been generous with his time, both in terms of working with the

:40:19.:40:23.

government, but also volunteering to visit my constituency to help our

:40:24.:40:27.

local communities develop their own neighbourhood plans. These plans are

:40:28.:40:32.

without question part of the solution to the increase in house

:40:33.:40:37.

building that we need to see. I very much welcome the changes contained

:40:38.:40:42.

within the Queen's speech to make neighbourhood planning easier and

:40:43.:40:46.

more powerful for local communities. I do not support any community right

:40:47.:40:51.

of appeal will stop planning is tough enough without adding more

:40:52.:40:56.

obstacles to the planning process. However, I do think current rules

:40:57.:41:03.

and subjective calculations with a five-year land supply can undermine

:41:04.:41:06.

the expensive and time-consuming process of neighbourhood planning.

:41:07.:41:13.

To give you an example, Gladman, a name that strikes fear into many

:41:14.:41:18.

planning officers, have been successful twice recently in my

:41:19.:41:28.

constituency, due to their ability to demonstrate the District Council

:41:29.:41:35.

only had 1.47 years of land supply, yet nine months later the revised

:41:36.:41:39.

analysis carried out by the local authority by Anne expensive

:41:40.:41:42.

consultant, Hamilton District Council now believe they have an

:41:43.:41:49.

eight year plus land supply. In effect, this creates two perverse

:41:50.:41:55.

outcomes. A subjective approach to assessment housing market needs

:41:56.:41:58.

incentivises the kite flying carpetbaggers like Gladman, but this

:41:59.:42:05.

incentivises local communities from establishing a neighbourhood plan.

:42:06.:42:09.

Even though the neighbourhood may be ahead of its own housing, a shortage

:42:10.:42:16.

by the local authority over all can mean an inappropriate development

:42:17.:42:19.

can be forced onto the local community. Perhaps, Madam Deputy

:42:20.:42:25.

Speaker, I can suggest two simple solutions. They are consistent with

:42:26.:42:30.

the recommendations of the local planning expert group that says

:42:31.:42:35.

there is currently no definitive guidance on the way to operate the

:42:36.:42:42.

strategic housing market assessment. One would be a definitive and

:42:43.:42:49.

objective guidance on housing need revised only at specified intervals.

:42:50.:42:55.

If I might suggest a brutally simple formula, we have 26 million homes in

:42:56.:43:00.

the UK and we need to build 250,000 homes per annum. If each local

:43:01.:43:06.

authority group build a minimum 1%, we would meet our national housing

:43:07.:43:14.

targets. Secondly, a housing delivery chest for a neighbourhood

:43:15.:43:18.

planning area. If the neighbourhood was hitting its prescribed numbers,

:43:19.:43:23.

it could not be subject to an aggressive application based upon

:43:24.:43:27.

local authority under delivery. This would deter the kite flyers and

:43:28.:43:32.

encourage and incentivise more communities to develop their own

:43:33.:43:36.

neighbourhood plans and bring forward schemes that communities

:43:37.:43:42.

proposed and consented to. I am interested in his comments about

:43:43.:43:46.

common basis for assessing housing need. It is something the Select

:43:47.:43:52.

Committee recommended, it is something that Lord Matthew Taylor

:43:53.:43:56.

recommended in his work on planning guidance. It would take a lot of the

:43:57.:44:01.

heat out of local controversy about how numbers are arrived at. I think

:44:02.:44:08.

he is putting forward a very good proposal that the government ought

:44:09.:44:14.

to take seriously. On many occasions in the Select Committee we are in

:44:15.:44:20.

full agreement. I want to move onto another very important area in my

:44:21.:44:25.

community, the number one business priority in the UK, for many

:44:26.:44:32.

business people in my community, according to every business person

:44:33.:44:37.

you speak to, or according to the Institute of directors, it is access

:44:38.:44:41.

to digital connection, superfast broadband and mobile phone networks.

:44:42.:44:46.

To give the government credit, we have seen a step change in access to

:44:47.:44:51.

these networks since 2010, even in rural North Yorkshire. 88% of

:44:52.:44:57.

premises are now covered by superfast broadband and 91% will be

:44:58.:45:05.

by 2017 and 95% by 2019. But there is a growing gap between the haves

:45:06.:45:13.

and the have-nots. The voices of those without broadband

:45:14.:45:15.

understandably grow louder and more vociferous. For a home or business

:45:16.:45:22.

superfast broadband is no longer considered a luxury, but an

:45:23.:45:26.

essential for utility and we must treat it as such. I welcome the very

:45:27.:45:33.

bold ambition in the Queen's speech for our universal service

:45:34.:45:37.

obligation, a digital imperative that this government will deliver

:45:38.:45:42.

on. To meet this imperative and a further commitment to increase speed

:45:43.:45:46.

as demand and behaviour also increases, we need a new

:45:47.:45:51.

relationship between the consumer and the network operator, in

:45:52.:45:57.

particular BT. I must say I am sceptical about Ofcom's halfway

:45:58.:46:01.

house solution, an internal separation of open reach and BT. It

:46:02.:46:07.

is inconceivable that a separation of assets will separate the vested

:46:08.:46:13.

interests of the network from the commercial opportunity of the

:46:14.:46:17.

wholesale and retail and content provider operations of BT. I and

:46:18.:46:25.

many colleagues will hold Ofcom and BT to account for the huge

:46:26.:46:29.

improvements required, including particular fare cost for access to

:46:30.:46:35.

its ducts and a clear network map of the allocations. Only this and a

:46:36.:46:40.

technology neutral approach will deliver the solutions we need. BT

:46:41.:46:48.

and open reach have actively plus far deterred third-party operators

:46:49.:46:50.

and complimentary technology solutions from reaching the past

:46:51.:46:56.

other technologies cannot reach, namely point-to-point wireless, and

:46:57.:47:07.

a roll-out of fibre to premise. The only future solution available.

:47:08.:47:15.

Fibre to premise in the UK is 2% in this country, compared to 6% in

:47:16.:47:20.

Spain where competitors can access ducts and polls more cheaply and

:47:21.:47:25.

readily. Can we also look at creative community solutions. A

:47:26.:47:32.

voucher scheme for satellite is welcome, but would ministers

:47:33.:47:35.

consider allowing residents to combine vouchers to contribute

:47:36.:47:40.

towards the cost of installing community-based fibre schemes. We

:47:41.:47:43.

also need more clarity and operation between backbone operator open reach

:47:44.:47:50.

and other technologies so solutions can be provided today. If community

:47:51.:47:53.

or commercial point-to-point wireless providers are deterred

:47:54.:48:00.

through future roll-out plans and uncertainty around the solutions,

:48:01.:48:04.

those solutions are sidelined rather than rolled out to people in need.

:48:05.:48:08.

These are real people with real businesses and real jobs. In my

:48:09.:48:18.

constituency there is a provider of quality garments for the larger

:48:19.:48:28.

lady, Ample Bosoms. The Black Swan, an award-winning hostelry close to

:48:29.:48:35.

where I live is suffering as a result of these delays and

:48:36.:48:40.

referrals. In conclusion, I am very pleased with the measures included

:48:41.:48:46.

in the Queen's speech and I very much commend those initiatives to

:48:47.:48:54.

the House. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I do not think I can follow

:48:55.:48:59.

on from the last point that the honourable gentleman raised a

:49:00.:49:03.

certain garment manufacturers in his constituency, so I will move on to

:49:04.:49:08.

issues about devolution which I am particularly interested in. I want

:49:09.:49:13.

to talk about the proposal with regard to the business rates, then

:49:14.:49:18.

buses and then move on to housing. In terms of devolution we have had

:49:19.:49:22.

the word Northern Power has mentioned again in the Queen's

:49:23.:49:28.

speech. Ministers have to be aware that there is welcome for the

:49:29.:49:33.

general intentions on devolution, the intention to get the economic

:49:34.:49:36.

performance of our northern cities up to the level of the national

:49:37.:49:40.

average, we are unique in the European Union and that our major

:49:41.:49:44.

cities do not perform better than the national average economically,

:49:45.:49:49.

while that is the intention there is a great deal of scepticism in my

:49:50.:49:56.

constituency as we see job losses from HSBC, over 600 in Sheffield,

:49:57.:50:09.

when we see as well a company in administration in my constituency

:50:10.:50:13.

with 400 jobs at threat. We see uncertainty over steel plant at

:50:14.:50:18.

Stockbridge and Rotherham. All these things are things we would look to

:50:19.:50:22.

government to at least recognise the importance of. Then we see

:50:23.:50:27.

government itself creating 600 job losses at HMRC and directly, and in

:50:28.:50:34.

complete contradiction to what the Transport Secretary said, moving 200

:50:35.:50:38.

jobs from headquarters in Sheffield down to London without any rationale

:50:39.:50:43.

being given in terms of cost savings. Indeed it will cost more to

:50:44.:50:50.

move staff from Sheffield to London, but that is what the government

:50:51.:50:55.

intends to do. They talk about devolving powers, but they actually

:50:56.:51:00.

centralised jobs. That is causing a great deal of anger in Sheffield and

:51:01.:51:04.

is something that the government could do here and now and give a

:51:05.:51:09.

clear indication that the word Northern Power has start to mean

:51:10.:51:13.

something in practice to the people who live in my constituency and in

:51:14.:51:19.

the Sheffield region. In the Queen's speech the major devolved powers and

:51:20.:51:23.

bills are firstly about business rates. I am pleased that the

:51:24.:51:29.

Secretary of State has had discussions with the Select

:51:30.:51:32.

Committee and we are conducting enquiries with the intention of

:51:33.:51:35.

trying to assist that process. There is genuine support for the

:51:36.:51:44.

localisation of business rates. We are already hearing about issues

:51:45.:51:49.

that need resolution, whether it be about those matters that are going

:51:50.:51:55.

to be devolved alongside the business rates, the appeals system,

:51:56.:52:00.

or concerns about whether an area loses a major firm that contributes

:52:01.:52:05.

to its rateable income, about revaluations, about the very

:52:06.:52:11.

difficult issue of how to marry up providing incentives to growth and

:52:12.:52:15.

at the same time helping those areas with needs that cannot grow as

:52:16.:52:21.

quickly as others. There are a lot of issues, the government recognises

:52:22.:52:25.

those complications, therefore they will do a further consultation in

:52:26.:52:29.

the summer. It is right we get this issue correct, so making sure we

:52:30.:52:34.

have more time to do that is more important than rushing it. The

:52:35.:52:38.

Select Committee will produce an interim support and then come back

:52:39.:52:43.

with ministerial information and evidence later on to produce a final

:52:44.:52:49.

report. That is a good example of the Select Committee and the

:52:50.:52:52.

government working together to better achieve an objective which we

:52:53.:52:53.

share. The 100% retention of business rates

:52:54.:53:05.

should only be Verstappen a wider fiscal devolution. -- a first step

:53:06.:53:12.

in a. There was also the challenge that we are only really devolving

:53:13.:53:15.

the retention of the money from business rates with a bit of power

:53:16.:53:19.

over areas with elected mayors to reduce the business rate or to have

:53:20.:53:24.

a small levy for infrastructure projects. What we won't have,

:53:25.:53:29.

however, is local control over the business rates system itself, and if

:53:30.:53:33.

in the future a government made a significant change, like they have

:53:34.:53:36.

just done with small business rate relief, that could in the future

:53:37.:53:41.

significantly affect the rate income of local authorities without their

:53:42.:53:45.

having any say whatsoever in the system and the changes in it. So I

:53:46.:53:49.

think there was a wider debate about whether it is just the retention of

:53:50.:53:53.

business rates or why the localisation of the system itself

:53:54.:53:56.

which we should be moving towards. That is an issue I am sure we will

:53:57.:54:00.

come back to when we discuss the bill. I welcome the buses built, it

:54:01.:54:05.

is right that, in the end, particularly in areas where there

:54:06.:54:08.

has been devolution deals as an important part of that is the

:54:09.:54:15.

ability, if they so wish, for local mayors to be able to take up

:54:16.:54:18.

franchising arrangements, such as those that exist in London. The

:54:19.:54:22.

current legislation is inadequate, because as has been found out in the

:54:23.:54:26.

north-east, where a transport authority wants to go for quality

:54:27.:54:32.

contracts, they are second-guessed by independent bodies which

:54:33.:54:37.

themselves come to a different view about what the public interest is. I

:54:38.:54:40.

have an old-fashioned view that local elected councillors, local

:54:41.:54:45.

elected mayors, are better placed to decide the public interest than any

:54:46.:54:49.

appointed quango, and therefore I support that. Franchising is not of

:54:50.:54:54.

itself a panacea for everything, but it can help drive up standards, it

:54:55.:54:59.

can improve ticketing arrangements, it can make better use of resources

:55:00.:55:04.

by ensuring there is not over provision of buses on some routes

:55:05.:55:08.

and no provision and others. It can better deal with pension

:55:09.:55:11.

concessions, and it can reverse the trend of a 50% fall in the bus trips

:55:12.:55:18.

per head of population, which has happened in areas like my own, in

:55:19.:55:23.

Sheffield, since deregulation came into effect in the 1980s. We

:55:24.:55:28.

pioneered cheap fares and public transport of a high quality in South

:55:29.:55:34.

Yorkshire back in the 1970s, even before the GLC moved in that

:55:35.:55:38.

direction. We were proud to do so, and it has been downhill ever since

:55:39.:55:43.

once the regulation came into effect. -- deregulation. That will

:55:44.:55:51.

only work in itself if it is seen as part of a wider approach to

:55:52.:55:54.

integrated transport, and I put on record my very great disappointment

:55:55.:55:59.

that the tram project has once again been delayed. Network Rail have

:56:00.:56:03.

announced that, after ten years of thinking about it, the delayed to

:56:04.:56:08.

2017 now cannot be achieved, and they cannot even tell us when the

:56:09.:56:12.

delayed date is going to be that they will be set at some stage in

:56:13.:56:16.

the future. This is an absolute disgrace, Network Rail have a system

:56:17.:56:23.

which has been operating in Germany for 30 years. 30 years in Germany,

:56:24.:56:27.

ten years thinking about it in the UK, and we have not even got a date

:56:28.:56:32.

when the trams are going to start running on the network, even though

:56:33.:56:35.

the transport minister, I am pleased to say I was with him when he got on

:56:36.:56:39.

one of the trams that is being delivered, but we have no data about

:56:40.:56:44.

when it will run on the tracks. This is a complete nonsense. The

:56:45.:56:48.

Government should launch an inquiry into it. Indent of wider issues, we

:56:49.:56:52.

want them assurances from government that a station for HS2 will be in

:56:53.:56:58.

Sheffield and that HS3 will link Sheffield as well as Leeds across

:56:59.:57:01.

the Pennines, as well as a commitment to the review of the

:57:02.:57:05.

Pennine tunnel which many of us are really interested in. Finally, if I

:57:06.:57:13.

could talk about housing, very interesting, we had in the general

:57:14.:57:17.

election promises of a million homes from the Conservative Party, which I

:57:18.:57:21.

think was a target. The minister afterward said, when I ask them

:57:22.:57:25.

about the target, that it was only an aspiration. I presume, now it is

:57:26.:57:29.

in the Queen's Speech, that it is now a clear and firm commitment. You

:57:30.:57:33.

don't put figures in the Queen's Speech without committing to them,

:57:34.:57:37.

do you, Madam Deputy Speaker? Of course you don't. My only concern is

:57:38.:57:43.

looking at what the CML said yesterday in a very interesting

:57:44.:57:45.

piece, when they said they were unsure that the 200,000 starter

:57:46.:57:49.

homes and the 125,000 shared ownership bodies were a deliverable.

:57:50.:57:52.

They thought the numbers were too big, they raised questions about the

:57:53.:58:02.

distortions are the market, questions about the building block

:58:03.:58:05.

of the Government's programme of getting towards 1 million homes. At

:58:06.:58:10.

some point the penny might stop with ministers that we're not going to

:58:11.:58:13.

achieve the 250,000 homes here we need to build in this country

:58:14.:58:17.

without a substantial programme of social house-building with local

:58:18.:58:20.

councils, as well as housing associations, as a key part of that.

:58:21.:58:24.

Without that commitment, and the Government are taken all the money

:58:25.:58:31.

away from social housing, I do not believe the Government will achieve

:58:32.:58:35.

their aims. I do not know where the minister will be in four years' time

:58:36.:58:39.

to answer that, probably elsewhere and not responsible for having to

:58:40.:58:44.

explain why that figure has not actually been reached. Finally,

:58:45.:58:49.

Madam Deputy Speaker, if I can just say, whooping off these subject

:58:50.:58:53.

altogether, something completely different, yesterday, together with

:58:54.:58:56.

the honourable member for Cardiff South and Penarth, and a number of

:58:57.:59:02.

other members, it was a pleasure to go with members of the Somaliland

:59:03.:59:08.

community in England to Downing Street to present a letter to the

:59:09.:59:13.

Prime Minister. It is 25 years yesterday since Somaliland got its

:59:14.:59:17.

independence from the British Empire. It has had a troubled

:59:18.:59:20.

history since then, it had a union with Somalia, an Italian

:59:21.:59:25.

protectorate. It then had a very bitter civil war to fight against a

:59:26.:59:31.

dictatorship and achieved through that process its de facto

:59:32.:59:35.

independence. It is now run as a democracy, having had had

:59:36.:59:43.

presidential election, having had a narrow election result accepted by

:59:44.:59:47.

the losers. Somaliland is a democracy that is not recognised by

:59:48.:59:50.

the international community. I understand it is very difficult for

:59:51.:59:53.

the UK Government as the former colonial power to be the first

:59:54.:59:57.

country to recognise Somaliland. Well that is being asked for by the

:59:58.:00:00.

Somaliland government and the community in this country is whether

:00:01.:00:02.

the British Government now would at least give an undertaking that it

:00:03.:00:09.

will accept that it would recognise, it would encourage an international

:00:10.:00:14.

commission to look at the status of Somaliland with a Bluetooth looking

:00:15.:00:18.

at the fact that it is de facto an independent country but the -- it is

:00:19.:00:27.

not recognised de jure by the international community. I was

:00:28.:00:32.

extremely pleased that infrastructure and transport

:00:33.:00:34.

featured so prominently in the gracious address, not just because

:00:35.:00:37.

of the impact that this debate will have on my own constituency, but

:00:38.:00:44.

also because it shows the Government's keenness to get on and

:00:45.:00:48.

deliver economic growth, and infrastructure and transport are at

:00:49.:00:52.

the heart of growing our economy and the rest of England and in the UK

:00:53.:00:56.

too. As the railways minister knows from the many times she has come to

:00:57.:01:00.

my own constituency, she stood with me in orange overalls and all the

:01:01.:01:07.

rest, train lines, breathing in heavy smoke, I campaigned last year,

:01:08.:01:10.

and she joined me in my pledge to end up stopping stalling, and we are

:01:11.:01:21.

doing everything we can to tackle the disgusting air-pollution

:01:22.:01:24.

problems must as many members of the house will know from visiting Bath,

:01:25.:01:30.

it is blighted by dangerously high levels of air pollution, and plans

:01:31.:01:34.

to encourage residents to use public transport, as well as large-scale

:01:35.:01:36.

infrastructure projects which divert traffic around the city will be huge

:01:37.:01:41.

steps in improving this problem. Want except light up the ministerial

:01:42.:01:47.

team here will pass onto the roads Minister. -- one example I hope. One

:01:48.:01:54.

of our key plans within the area is our integrated transport plan that

:01:55.:01:58.

involves the long overdue, well, 30 years overdue A36-46 link road, 30

:01:59.:02:07.

years is enough to get on with a critical transport project. For

:02:08.:02:11.

vehicles to bypass path and still reach their destination, and it is

:02:12.:02:14.

very crucial to get on and build this critical link road. -- Bath. No

:02:15.:02:20.

surprise that I wanted to raise this issue, probably because it is the

:02:21.:02:24.

only thing I ever talk about here! As well as the commitment to

:02:25.:02:28.

transport, the Government looking to this crucial project, the Prime

:02:29.:02:30.

Minister has written to me recently in order to extend his invitation

:02:31.:02:35.

for me to work with highways England on that particular project. I really

:02:36.:02:39.

do hope, following on from the changes to vehicle excise duty

:02:40.:02:43.

announced in the previous Budget, that some funding will become

:02:44.:02:45.

available in order to improve our strategic highways network. In fact,

:02:46.:02:53.

anyone looking to use it for the next pub quiz, the A36-46 is the

:02:54.:02:58.

only strategic highway in the entirety of the UK not to be

:02:59.:03:01.

connected, and I'm sure that will be used in many pubs across the UK.

:03:02.:03:08.

Other transport plans which will really help Bath become a more

:03:09.:03:11.

prosperous city include a new junction on the M4, and is just

:03:12.:03:22.

before the general election. -- announced just before. The greatest

:03:23.:03:29.

investment in the railway since Victorian times, the great

:03:30.:03:33.

electrification of the great Western mainline, will make a massive impact

:03:34.:03:37.

to the regional economy in the West of England, as well as the

:03:38.:03:40.

improvements to the cycling network, the rail network between Heathrow

:03:41.:03:44.

and the great Western mainline, four miles of track which is long

:03:45.:03:48.

overdue, and would make a massive impact to the west and does not need

:03:49.:03:52.

to be put on hold until they make a decision on the Heathrow Airport

:03:53.:03:57.

expansion. Some of these are already in place and I look forward to

:03:58.:04:03.

working with the Government on some of these bills. I would join with

:04:04.:04:06.

other members to say I really hope that the decision will be made on

:04:07.:04:09.

where to build the third runway this year. It has taken far too long, and

:04:10.:04:14.

we really need to start and make a decision ASAP in order to enable

:04:15.:04:19.

Willie as a country to grow and our economy to grow too. -- enable

:04:20.:04:32.

us as a country. Driverless cars present a unique opportunity to

:04:33.:04:38.

fundamentally change transport in this country by cutting congestion,

:04:39.:04:42.

reducing emissions and saving lives. It is important the Government

:04:43.:04:48.

recognises the need to incorporate technological innovation, and it is

:04:49.:04:53.

hoped the House will prepare legislation for driverless cars in

:04:54.:04:56.

the future. Companies in Bath are looking at introducing this

:04:57.:05:00.

technology to reap the benefits it promises to bring. I am glad there

:05:01.:05:05.

is no whip here at the moment, but I look forward to reading the details

:05:06.:05:12.

of the bill, just to find out exactly what the legislation will

:05:13.:05:16.

say about how that will benefit the wider sector. Madam Deputy Speaker,

:05:17.:05:19.

I would also like to turn to the bus is built, and your forms to public

:05:20.:05:27.

transport services. -- the buses Bill. I promise to not bore the

:05:28.:05:35.

House by going through the timetables, but the West and

:05:36.:05:39.

evolution bill is in process, and I hope we can cover a positive

:05:40.:05:42.

conclusion to seal this deal as quickly possible. -- the Western

:05:43.:05:54.

devolution deal. Bath and the West of England will benefit from the

:05:55.:05:56.

increased franchising powers being devolved to the region if he's come

:05:57.:06:01.

to fruition. To encourage more people in Bath and the West of

:06:02.:06:07.

England to use buses, an integrated strategy is needed across rural

:06:08.:06:12.

areas especially. Economies of scale can help pass on savings to

:06:13.:06:16.

travellers, just as they were in London when they were introduced. I

:06:17.:06:23.

have met with numerous passenger focused groups, and they are all

:06:24.:06:26.

concerned with the future viability of services. This new buses bill

:06:27.:06:35.

will ensure the long-term stability of the project. Madam Deputy

:06:36.:06:38.

Speaker, users want to be confident that they can complete their whole

:06:39.:06:42.

journey easily, reduce cost and make it to their destination on time.

:06:43.:06:46.

Passengers will be delighted to hear that the bill will require operators

:06:47.:06:51.

to share route, fair and schedule data with app developers so that

:06:52.:06:54.

they can keep up to date on the move on how their journey is likely to

:06:55.:06:59.

progress, to make it even easier for commuters we need to see smart

:07:00.:07:03.

ticketing introduced. At a time when you can pay for a cup of coffee with

:07:04.:07:07.

a tap of your card, it is crazy across the bus network in Bath and

:07:08.:07:10.

the rest of the country outside of London that the only way to pay for

:07:11.:07:14.

a bus is by having the correct change in your pocket. Many of our

:07:15.:07:18.

constituents rely almost solely on their bank cards, and the need to

:07:19.:07:22.

find cash to use a bus leads many to get into their cars. Smart card

:07:23.:07:28.

ticketing was introduced in London, passenger numbers went up, prices

:07:29.:07:32.

went down. The introduction of a similar integrated and technology

:07:33.:07:35.

focused system will reduce congestion across the country, and

:07:36.:07:41.

confront the disgustingly high levels of air pollution. I hope

:07:42.:07:46.

buses across the country will be brought into the 21st century. I

:07:47.:07:49.

cannot speak on the infrastructure built without taking a moment to

:07:50.:07:54.

discuss the important subject of broadband, which my honourable

:07:55.:08:00.

friend spoke so eloquently about. I am inundated, like most of ours

:08:01.:08:04.

across the House, about high-speed broadband, problems of access. Even

:08:05.:08:11.

in a city like Bath, which has a fast-growing tech economy, they are

:08:12.:08:15.

struggling to access high-speed broadband. Thus productivity is

:08:16.:08:16.

awarded. I welcome the commitment to the

:08:17.:08:38.

broadband service obligation. It is important to maintaining a strong

:08:39.:08:46.

economy. Lastly, I cannot speak in relation to the infrastructure build

:08:47.:08:50.

without drawing attention to the critical shortage of housing in the

:08:51.:08:58.

west of England. I know that the Minister came to bar a couple of

:08:59.:09:01.

months ago to lay the bricks in some of those homes, but in Victorian,

:09:02.:09:07.

Georgian, Roman cities that many of us represent the housing that was

:09:08.:09:11.

built was never made for cars and the road networks are not there in

:09:12.:09:16.

order to sustain the nature of growth. If we lay more roads, better

:09:17.:09:23.

roads, better equipped roads, as well as better railway systems in

:09:24.:09:33.

order to fuel our housing needs, we will be able to deliver those new

:09:34.:09:36.

towns we are in need of across the UK. In conclusion I welcome the

:09:37.:09:42.

Government's continued commitment to supporting the economic recovery by

:09:43.:09:48.

supporting jobs and apprenticeships and investing in infrastructure. We

:09:49.:09:53.

have spent far too little compared to other countries. The actual

:09:54.:10:01.

delivery of infrastructure projects, though, remains slow and a very

:10:02.:10:05.

lengthy process. We must remember that efforts need to be made to

:10:06.:10:10.

ensure that large infrastructure projects come to fruition in a

:10:11.:10:16.

timely manner. This is the responsibility of Government,

:10:17.:10:17.

devolved Government and local councils. Thank you, Madam Deputy

:10:18.:10:29.

Speaker. I would like to start with an apology because unfortunately I

:10:30.:10:35.

am unable to stay for the duration of the debate and listen to the

:10:36.:10:39.

summit up. Unlike the honourable member for still a new peak I am not

:10:40.:10:43.

going to Buckingham Palace, I have to go back to my constituency. The

:10:44.:10:50.

theme of the day's debate is transport and local infrastructure

:10:51.:10:56.

and infrastructure and investment drives growth and long-term business

:10:57.:11:00.

related jobs. Any sensible investment in infrastructure should

:11:01.:11:03.

be welcomed. I would argue that more can be done and that is why the

:11:04.:11:09.

SNP's proposals of releasing an additional 0.5% spending per year

:11:10.:11:15.

should be considered. This would free up an addition of ?150 million

:11:16.:11:23.

and eliminate the need for cuts in the Chancellor's austerity budgets

:11:24.:11:28.

and still leave left over for long-term investment and stimulate

:11:29.:11:34.

growth. Not only that, such a proposal still leads to net debt and

:11:35.:11:38.

borrowing falling over the current Government. Other ways of free up

:11:39.:11:45.

money would be to scrap the idea of Trident renewal which is now

:11:46.:11:55.

estimated to be ?205 billion. If the SNP's proposals for an alternative

:11:56.:12:01.

summer budget was implemented, other giveaways could be reversed. We

:12:02.:12:06.

could stab the ?28 million commitment to Hinkley Point C and

:12:07.:12:09.

also the five other nuclear power stations in the pipeline. That would

:12:10.:12:17.

create another half ?1 trillion of investment for infrastructure. That

:12:18.:12:22.

would be a truly transformational summer. It would double the current

:12:23.:12:28.

infrastructure delivery plan and allow that plan to be truly national

:12:29.:12:32.

and for Scotland to get its fair share of it. What could we do with

:12:33.:12:38.

that additional money? We have heard about roads a lot today in the

:12:39.:12:44.

chamber and additional investment would be welcome. There is another

:12:45.:12:50.

thing associated with roads, and that is the shortage of HGV drivers.

:12:51.:12:58.

This has the potential to impact as all because of the potential

:12:59.:13:00.

knock-on price of goods in the shops. 85% of goods within the UK

:13:01.:13:08.

are delivered by road. It could also have a knock-on impact on exports.

:13:09.:13:12.

It is another target the Chancellor is currently failing on. Madam

:13:13.:13:17.

Deputy Speaker, industry at the moment suggests there is a potential

:13:18.:13:23.

shortage of some 45,000 HGV drivers by the year 2020. It is well known

:13:24.:13:30.

the cost of training is approximately ?3000, which prevents

:13:31.:13:34.

many individuals from taking up the training. The test itself is ?230.

:13:35.:13:40.

If you are unemployed, there is no way you can access this. If you are

:13:41.:13:44.

young you can forget it because you do not have that money behind you.

:13:45.:13:49.

Some initiative could create career opportunities for the younger

:13:50.:13:59.

generation. The Government says it is the industry's responsibility to

:14:00.:14:04.

step up. But given the average fleet size is six trucks and 85% of

:14:05.:14:08.

businesses are classified as medium or small, the industry does not have

:14:09.:14:14.

the capacity to step up and the Government is missing a trick. If

:14:15.:14:20.

you think about covering the cost of training and tests, that is much

:14:21.:14:26.

cheaper than the payments associated to companies involved in the work

:14:27.:14:34.

programme and it reduces welfare payments in general if people are

:14:35.:14:48.

put into work. In reality, although I am asking for additional

:14:49.:14:51.

investment, this would be spent to save move and make inroads into

:14:52.:14:58.

630,000 unemployed 18-24 -year-old is in this country. In terms of

:14:59.:15:04.

local infrastructure, the most important aspect for many people is

:15:05.:15:12.

housing. We cautiously welcome the UK's Government ambition for

:15:13.:15:20.

creating the homes. However survive the UK Government has had a poor

:15:21.:15:25.

record on affordable homes. I have often spoke out on the right to buy

:15:26.:15:32.

scheme. It is obvious we have to build more homes, not just for sale,

:15:33.:15:40.

but for rent at affordable prices. Instead we have got a Government

:15:41.:15:43.

that is crippling housing associations with enforced rent cuts

:15:44.:15:49.

as well as the sale of more attractive stock. In Scotland after

:15:50.:15:55.

a sell-off without replacement, the SNP have also entered the right to

:15:56.:15:59.

buy for council houses and that was the right thing to do when faced

:16:00.:16:03.

with such an imbalance and depleted stock. The UK Government continues

:16:04.:16:09.

with the men that with a 141 replacement it will solve matters.

:16:10.:16:14.

There is no guarantee what like-for-like replacement means. The

:16:15.:16:21.

replacement is clearly dependent on land supply. Is the right to buy was

:16:22.:16:28.

introduced, there have been over 35,000 sales. At the moment it is

:16:29.:16:37.

clear there will not be a realistic like for like replacement. A recent

:16:38.:16:46.

National audit report confirms that in 2014-2015, 8500 homes were sold

:16:47.:16:51.

and for them to be replaced, then there needs to be rise up to 2130

:16:52.:16:59.

per quarter. I would like to know what the minister is going to do to

:17:00.:17:04.

achieve that. To demonstrate that much more can be done the Institute

:17:05.:17:09.

for Fiscal Studies have highlighted that the Scottish Government spends

:17:10.:17:13.

85% more per head on social housing than in England and Wales. The SNP

:17:14.:17:18.

Government outperforms other parts of the UK in terms of social sector

:17:19.:17:24.

completions and with over 31,000 affordable homes delivered today,

:17:25.:17:28.

two thirds of these are available for social rank, the SNP is

:17:29.:17:33.

delivering on promises and that is why we were elected for a third

:17:34.:17:42.

term. I would like to see much more investment in general in transport

:17:43.:17:47.

and infrastructure. My honourable friend for Inverness, Nairn,

:17:48.:17:55.

Strathspey and Biden, suggested rail investment. More needs to be done in

:17:56.:18:00.

relation to the high-speed rail line and it should be extended to

:18:01.:18:04.

Scotland and at the very least the existing network north of crew needs

:18:05.:18:17.

to be updated. -- Crewe. The idea of a spaceport has been touched on and

:18:18.:18:22.

I welcome the idea, but it is critical that Government sets out a

:18:23.:18:25.

clear assessment criteria for making a decision. In general I would

:18:26.:18:32.

support any of the Scottish airports that are short listed, but I have to

:18:33.:18:38.

say, like many people, I want to make a pitch for my local airport,

:18:39.:18:43.

Prestwick airport. This would give my constituency a great boost. The

:18:44.:18:47.

reality is it is the most logical choice. The railway concludes a halt

:18:48.:18:57.

at Prestwick and there is a close motorway network, so Prestwick is

:18:58.:19:00.

the most accessible of the airports under consideration. There is

:19:01.:19:05.

already an aerospace industry located at Prestwick and the Glasgow

:19:06.:19:10.

area has got existing technology firms. Other runways in the UK

:19:11.:19:18.

suffer from fog problems, so it is a logical choice. In conclusion I

:19:19.:19:24.

cannot emphasise enough the importance of infrastructure

:19:25.:19:28.

investment. It is something the SNP has taken seriously since coming to

:19:29.:19:34.

power in 2007. We have heard about the new Queensferry Crossing and 31

:19:35.:19:41.

miles of rail in the Borders. It drives growth, reduces congestion

:19:42.:19:48.

and increases productivity. There are people on the benches opposite

:19:49.:19:52.

and some beside me that I wedded to the idea of austerity and Trident at

:19:53.:19:57.

any cost. I would suggest additional investment in roads, rails, housing,

:19:58.:20:04.

broadband access for all and energy security are more likely to get

:20:05.:20:07.

members elected and more importantly to create a true legacy that will

:20:08.:20:13.

stand the test of time. I am grateful to be called to contribute

:20:14.:20:19.

to the debate on the Queen's Speech and I am very pleased to follow the

:20:20.:20:24.

honourable for Kilmarnock. I want to cover a few transport issues if I

:20:25.:20:28.

may. Good to see the Government has taken action on drones. They are a

:20:29.:20:34.

nuisance and a danger and are a menace to commercial aviation. But

:20:35.:20:41.

the big absence in any reference in the Secretary of State's speech is

:20:42.:20:46.

to aviation expansion and the airports commission report which is

:20:47.:20:52.

overdue and has been referred to by my honourable friend, the Shadow

:20:53.:20:56.

Secretary of State, and the honourable gentleman for Inverness,

:20:57.:21:02.

Strathspey and now, who is just about to leave, I am glad I got that

:21:03.:21:09.

in, on the basis that this is a long overdue decision. It is 50 years

:21:10.:21:14.

since we have had any airport capacity increase in the south-east.

:21:15.:21:20.

There was a 2003 white paper, the 2008 decision by the Labour

:21:21.:21:25.

Government. The coalition decisions stimulated by the Lib Dems and the

:21:26.:21:30.

Tory manifesto of 2010 to withdraw support of the third runway at

:21:31.:21:35.

Heathrow. The U-turn, and the promise year on year that we will

:21:36.:21:40.

get a decision and we are still awaiting that decision. We hope to

:21:41.:21:44.

see that that comes forward sooner rather than later. My preference is

:21:45.:21:51.

for Heathrow, but I would not like to see Gatwick frustrated because

:21:52.:21:54.

aviation is an important economic tool for the UK internationally and

:21:55.:22:01.

importantly for parts of the UK that rely on those international

:22:02.:22:03.

connections. It would be good to see movement on that. The honourable

:22:04.:22:08.

gentleman for Inverness also mentioned shipping to his credit. It

:22:09.:22:13.

was disappointing that the Secretary of State did not mention shipping in

:22:14.:22:18.

any sense on the basis that it is so important to the UK economy, it

:22:19.:22:22.

contributes billions of pounds, notwithstanding the challenges

:22:23.:22:28.

referred to. The Government has got a fairly good record on supporting

:22:29.:22:31.

shipping and I am surprised they would not want to make more of that

:22:32.:22:35.

and maybe the Minister would want to put a sentence in saying that

:22:36.:22:38.

shipping is important to the UK Government because that is where the

:22:39.:22:41.

sector is. On buses, the point has been made,

:22:42.:22:59.

deregulation has worked in London, I know the Secretary of State laid the

:23:00.:23:04.

blame on Labour in 1999, quality contracts has not worked, but in

:23:05.:23:09.

London deregulation has worked because of privatisation,

:23:10.:23:12.

franchising has worked because it has been regulated, and that should

:23:13.:23:15.

be afforded elsewhere. My honourable friend from Denton and Redditch did

:23:16.:23:19.

make the point that this should not be restricted just to those local

:23:20.:23:22.

authorities which have elected mayors, it should be for all local

:23:23.:23:25.

authorities right around the country. I am grateful to the guide

:23:26.:23:44.

dogs and for their briefing. -- Guide Dogs For The Blind. Two other

:23:45.:23:48.

asides and transport, if I may, Madam Deputy Speaker, before moving

:23:49.:23:53.

on to housing. Road safety, the Government eliminated targets for

:23:54.:23:56.

the reduction of killed and seriously injured on our roads in

:23:57.:24:00.

2010 because the Secretary of State at that time did not support any

:24:01.:24:04.

targets that the Government might not be able to meet because failure

:24:05.:24:08.

would be an opportunity to be criticised. We have had consensus on

:24:09.:24:14.

the ambition to reduce deaths and seriously injured people on our

:24:15.:24:18.

roads across the House for over 30 years, started by the honourable

:24:19.:24:24.

member for old Lee Westwood. I am delighted to give way. Targets are

:24:25.:24:30.

not the same as results, and I'm sure he would celebrate with me that

:24:31.:24:33.

British roads safer than they have ever been, and one death is too many

:24:34.:24:40.

on our roads. We continue to work to drive down road deaths and the

:24:41.:24:45.

causes of accidents. I am grateful for the Minister's intervention, and

:24:46.:24:50.

I do not for a second underestimate the ambition of the front bench

:24:51.:24:54.

opposite to reduce deaths and seriously injured. My point is that

:24:55.:24:59.

we need to demonstrate that ambition. We have had targets for

:25:00.:25:02.

the reductions in deaths and seriously injured on our roads for

:25:03.:25:06.

over 30 years, started by Mrs Thatcher when the honourable

:25:07.:25:12.

gentleman from Worthing West was the road safety minister, and they have

:25:13.:25:15.

been successful, because what it basically says is that what we have

:25:16.:25:19.

got this year is not acceptable, and this year we are going to do this

:25:20.:25:24.

and that. For 35 years, we have scaled it down. For the past six

:25:25.:25:28.

years, we have plateaued and in one instance increased. That is not an

:25:29.:25:32.

indictment of the Government, it is an indictment of the fact that we

:25:33.:25:36.

have lost sight of remission, and I think the Government should bring it

:25:37.:25:41.

back. I have spoken to the Secretary of State, I know they are

:25:42.:25:47.

sympathetic towards this. What is really contradictory is the European

:25:48.:25:50.

Union has targets which the British Government sign up to! The United

:25:51.:25:53.

Nations has targets which the British Government sign up to. We

:25:54.:25:58.

have among the safest roads in the world, we should be proud of it, we

:25:59.:26:02.

should be broadcasting it, and in actual fact we are in denial because

:26:03.:26:06.

we do not speak about it. The other points I wanted to make an aviation,

:26:07.:26:10.

I am happy to give way. Very grateful for you giving way and for

:26:11.:26:14.

your comments earlier. On the subject of road safety, do you agree

:26:15.:26:18.

with me that if one of the driving principles behind developing

:26:19.:26:22.

driverless technology in the UK is increased safety for drivers, that

:26:23.:26:25.

should apply across the wealth and breadth of the nations of the UK and

:26:26.:26:32.

not just in urban areas? I thank the honourable gentleman, he makes an

:26:33.:26:35.

absolutely correct point. Whereas most people, if you look at the

:26:36.:26:40.

details, they might suspect nobody is in charge of driverless vehicles,

:26:41.:26:44.

that is more dangerous, when in actual fact the technology exists

:26:45.:26:48.

now for automatic stop, electronic stability control, it makes these

:26:49.:26:53.

vehicles much safer, because it is the human element which causes most

:26:54.:26:57.

crashes and deaths. If you take out people on their mobile phones,

:26:58.:27:02.

drinking, taking drugs, not wearing seat belts, speeding, these are the

:27:03.:27:06.

causes crashes. Take out the human element, and you will see road

:27:07.:27:10.

crashes tumble and deaths and serious injuries falling. It should

:27:11.:27:15.

be extended the country. The only other point I would make an

:27:16.:27:18.

transport is an air quality, transport contribute over 20% to

:27:19.:27:23.

emissions, and with the advent of new technology, obviously, there is

:27:24.:27:29.

real scope of reducing this, and I hope that the Government will work

:27:30.:27:32.

with the new map of London, Sadiq Khan, in his commitment to actually

:27:33.:27:37.

address this issue more seriously. -- mayor. On housing, the biggest

:27:38.:27:43.

issue in my constituency in London and the vast majority of the country

:27:44.:27:47.

is building new homes. The Minister act knowledge to that the new bill

:27:48.:27:55.

will not help, certainly building new expensive properties in Tower

:27:56.:28:01.

Hamlets will not solve the crisis. The imposition of market rent around

:28:02.:28:07.

Canary Wharf means those prices will be unaffordable to local people.

:28:08.:28:14.

What we need for the sell-off of housing association homes is local

:28:15.:28:18.

replacements, and we need a percentage of all new developments

:28:19.:28:21.

to be affordable homes. London needs people working in the city. If we

:28:22.:28:27.

just look at the staff at the Palace of Westminster, how we expect people

:28:28.:28:31.

to get in here 24/7 from all parts of London, from all parts of the

:28:32.:28:35.

south-east, whether security officers, police officers, co-ops,

:28:36.:28:39.

cleaners or other duties, if they don't have somewhere affordable to

:28:40.:28:45.

stay in London, we are pricing them out of the market. London's economic

:28:46.:28:49.

infrastructure will be negatively affected if we do not make sure

:28:50.:28:53.

there is affordable housing. Finally, I just want to make

:28:54.:28:57.

reference to the speech yesterday by the honourable gentleman for

:28:58.:29:01.

Worthing West, 71-75, the sold reform. I want to thank the Minister

:29:02.:29:08.

for housing for his interest in these matters. -- leasehold reform.

:29:09.:29:18.

The honourable gentleman has encouraged progress on the issue,

:29:19.:29:21.

whether it is about people exercising the right to buy,

:29:22.:29:25.

retirement homes, private sector sales, the vast majority of new

:29:26.:29:31.

properties, notwithstanding that the sector is raising its own standards.

:29:32.:29:35.

Most of us believe that there is need for regulation and statutory

:29:36.:29:39.

reform of the sector and the leasehold knowledge partnership

:29:40.:29:41.

working very hard to help people who are in a very difficult situation in

:29:42.:29:45.

this regard. The last couple of points I would make, Madam Deputy

:29:46.:29:51.

Speaker, to take out the time afforded by interventions,

:29:52.:29:55.

disappointment that there is nothing in the Queen's Speech on banning

:29:56.:29:59.

wild animals in circuses. I went to a photocall with kids from Bolton,

:30:00.:30:05.

from a primary school, to Number Ten on Tuesday at this week. This is a

:30:06.:30:09.

Government commitment, a personal commitment from the Prime Minister

:30:10.:30:12.

that this will be in the legislative programme by 2020. I am sure it will

:30:13.:30:17.

come, disappointing it is not out now. It is not a major issue in

:30:18.:30:21.

terms of national politics, but it does affect a lot of people around

:30:22.:30:26.

the country. Business rates and the return of business rates to local

:30:27.:30:29.

authorities, great news for my constituency in Tower Hamlets, where

:30:30.:30:35.

we have got the City of London fringe, Canary Wharf is in the heart

:30:36.:30:39.

of my constituency. Holding onto those business rates will make us go

:30:40.:30:42.

from one of the poorest boroughs in the country to one of the richest,

:30:43.:30:47.

the Government will have a mechanism to equalise, which has always been

:30:48.:30:50.

the case, I am not clear how that will work, and I look forward to

:30:51.:30:53.

hearing from the Minister later, if he has time. Citizen service, my

:30:54.:30:59.

honourable friend in business questions this morning, the shadow

:31:00.:31:02.

Leader of the House from the Rhondda, said it is welcome to see

:31:03.:31:06.

citizens service as going and do a statutory putting, but youth

:31:07.:31:11.

services have been cut right across the piece. -- onto a statutory

:31:12.:31:19.

footing. Some scouts, the air training Corps, Sea Cadets, the

:31:20.:31:25.

Prince's Trust, which has recently moved its London and south-east

:31:26.:31:30.

headquarters, doing fantastic work, seeing an adult service on a

:31:31.:31:36.

statutory basis is equally welcome. Organisations would be very much in

:31:37.:31:41.

support of that. Very brief points, Madam Deputy Speaker, and local

:31:42.:31:44.

government and planning, when we passed the 2008 bill, the Secretary

:31:45.:31:51.

of State on the front bench may be speaking later, leading the bill for

:31:52.:31:58.

the Labour governance, we introduced an independent planning commission

:31:59.:32:01.

for projects of national significance, and one of the first

:32:02.:32:05.

things the coalition did was to repeal the bill. Five years later,

:32:06.:32:08.

the Conservatives now realise that there is a need for a fast-track

:32:09.:32:13.

planning procedure for nationally significant infrastructure. It is a

:32:14.:32:16.

real contradiction and a conflict between local councils, where we

:32:17.:32:22.

have the prospect of shale extraction and fracking, and I think

:32:23.:32:26.

the vast majority of people in the country, notwithstanding the clamour

:32:27.:32:28.

from the environmental movement and the Greens that shale should not be

:32:29.:32:32.

preceded with, they would much rather see us using our own natural

:32:33.:32:37.

resources than importing gas from the US or Qatar or Russia in terms

:32:38.:32:43.

of economics and you do. Shale extraction makes much more sense,

:32:44.:32:47.

and the conflict between local communities being panicked into

:32:48.:32:52.

opposing these applications and the need for that national industry to

:32:53.:32:56.

be developed as one that the Government obviously has to address.

:32:57.:33:01.

A last point in terms of the counter extremism, the anti-terrorism issues

:33:02.:33:04.

and security, these are all very welcome. We are living in much more

:33:05.:33:09.

dangerous times, the balance of civil liberties alongside the

:33:10.:33:13.

opportunity for the security and intelligence forces to protect us is

:33:14.:33:17.

a real challenge. When the three girls from Bethnal Green went to

:33:18.:33:22.

Syria, everybody clamoured, why didn't the security forces

:33:23.:33:26.

intervene? But the same people, the exactly same ones were objecting

:33:27.:33:29.

when the Government try to improve security and intelligence gathering

:33:30.:33:34.

and interception. I was in support of identity cards in the last Labour

:33:35.:33:38.

government, it was wrong that we did not proceed with them, wrong that

:33:39.:33:41.

the Government is not proceeding with them. It would be a simple

:33:42.:33:46.

mechanism, when we are all carrying our own idea the shape of credit

:33:47.:33:50.

cards or contactless payment cards or whatever, Heidi cars would be a

:33:51.:33:53.

positive step forward. Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. --

:33:54.:34:01.

ideally cards. Phil Wilson. I want to talk about the importance

:34:02.:34:06.

of rail manufacturing, primarily attaching its importance to the

:34:07.:34:11.

local economy in my constituency. The Hitachi rail Europe factory

:34:12.:34:14.

opened last year in Newton a cliff, creating 730 jobs, with many more in

:34:15.:34:21.

the supply chain. The factory is a superb modern facility costing ?82

:34:22.:34:26.

million, the largest private sector investment in the north-east of

:34:27.:34:29.

England since Nissan. The factory's first task is to build the

:34:30.:34:33.

next-generation intercity trains for the great Western line, which will

:34:34.:34:38.

begin entering service next year, and then the East Coast Main Line

:34:39.:34:42.

from 2018. For those who use the service on a regular basis, that day

:34:43.:34:49.

cannot come too soon. It has also one contract for trains in Scotland

:34:50.:34:54.

and the Trans-Pennine route. Hitachi build the first bullet train in

:34:55.:34:57.

Japan in the 1960s, and I understand they are now on the seventh series

:34:58.:35:02.

of bullet trains, and I want to see that technology brought to Britain

:35:03.:35:06.

and manufactured in Newton Aycliffe. But because of their expertise,

:35:07.:35:10.

Hitachi could manufacture the rolling start for HS2 in Newton

:35:11.:35:13.

Aycliffe if it wins the contract. This would provide a great boost for

:35:14.:35:17.

manufacturing in the north-east and the rest of the UK. So I would like

:35:18.:35:24.

to see the 730 jobs already been created as a minimum. And there are

:35:25.:35:28.

other areas of expansion also. Hitachi Rail Europe is called

:35:29.:35:35.

Hitachi Rail Europe for a reason, and the reason is simple and --

:35:36.:35:39.

Hitachi sees the UK and the north-east as their launch pad for

:35:40.:35:41.

exporting Rod Studd into the European Union, one of the reasons

:35:42.:35:45.

why are continued membership of the EU was vital. -- exporting rolling

:35:46.:35:51.

stock. Hitachi have great confidence in UK manufacturing capabilities,

:35:52.:35:55.

and I can only endorse their faith in the workforce in Newton Aycliffe

:35:56.:35:58.

and the surrounding area. It that you have moved their global

:35:59.:36:01.

headquarters for rail to London and have opened a European rail research

:36:02.:36:06.

centre in London also. They have done all of this for one primary

:36:07.:36:10.

reason, because the United Kingdom is part of the European Union. But I

:36:11.:36:14.

do worry about future investment in the plant if we leave the EU. What

:36:15.:36:19.

I'm saying is not meant to be part of some project here is, but I

:36:20.:36:24.

believe it would be irresponsible of me as the MP for Sedgefield, when

:36:25.:36:28.

Newton Aycliffe is based, if I do not express my deeply held rallies

:36:29.:36:32.

about the future of Japanese investment if we leave the EU. --

:36:33.:36:39.

deeply held worries. Those are based in statements made by the chairman

:36:40.:36:42.

of Hitachi in an interview with the Financial Times in 2030 and under

:36:43.:36:46.

the headline Hitachi president warns UK against leaving Europe, so,

:36:47.:36:53.

leaving the EU. -- in 2013. He said that he did not expect the UK to

:36:54.:36:58.

leave the EU, but I would have to reconsider how to manage our rail

:36:59.:37:03.

business. In an article in the financial terms this year, he wrote,

:37:04.:37:10.

Britain is the centre of Hitachi's largest overseas infrastructure

:37:11.:37:15.

projects in rail and new nuclear power. We invested in the country as

:37:16.:37:18.

the best base for access to the entire EU market. For manufacturing

:37:19.:37:23.

and supplies, we depend on skills and parts that come from within the

:37:24.:37:29.

UK and from Europe. Take away its EU membership, and the investment case

:37:30.:37:33.

looks very different. Someone wants to see Putin leave the EU, -- some

:37:34.:37:44.

want to see Britain leave the EU, but they have to come cavalier with

:37:45.:37:45.

facts. I believe the recent and consistent

:37:46.:38:08.

statements prove there would be further repercussions in the UK if

:38:09.:38:13.

we do leave. Because this speech is not part of some called Project

:38:14.:38:18.

fear, if Britain votes to leave the EU, on the 23rd of June, the Hitachi

:38:19.:38:24.

factory in my constituency will not close on June the 24th, but I am

:38:25.:38:30.

deeply concerned about the factory's ability in the long-term to generate

:38:31.:38:37.

more jobs without unfettered access to the EU market base. In a recent

:38:38.:38:44.

survey I undertook of businesses in my constituency, over 50% responded

:38:45.:38:49.

and said leaving the EU would have a negative effect on their investment

:38:50.:38:54.

plans for the future. Is he aware that I made exactly the same point

:38:55.:38:59.

at a meeting of the all-party Parliamentary group for aerospace

:39:00.:39:03.

about a large employer next to my constituency. It is not simply about

:39:04.:39:11.

attacks in his constituency, it is major manufacturers and suppliers

:39:12.:39:14.

right across the UK that are having these very same fears. I am making

:39:15.:39:20.

the point about Hitachi because it is based in my constituency. But for

:39:21.:39:25.

a lot of foreign investors being part of the EU is key to their

:39:26.:39:30.

plans. I am disappointed that members of this house are prepared

:39:31.:39:33.

to play fast and honest with the facts also. I quote in the Daily

:39:34.:39:44.

Mail, I agree with an open border immigration policy because it means

:39:45.:39:52.

they do not have to worry about is getting more people, they think they

:39:53.:39:56.

can get a steady flow of unskilled labour from abroad. This is a slur

:39:57.:40:02.

on the name of good employers like Hitachi who have built their factory

:40:03.:40:05.

in the North East because of the local people, and the skills they

:40:06.:40:11.

have. 95% of the workforce in Newton Aycliffe comes from the North East.

:40:12.:40:15.

They are skilled and well paid. Because of their commitment to the

:40:16.:40:21.

local people as a major employer, they have sponsored the University

:40:22.:40:27.

technical college built overlooking the Hitachi factory. They will have

:40:28.:40:35.

over 60 young people once they opened their doors in September.

:40:36.:40:41.

They will be equipped with the essential skills required for the

:40:42.:40:47.

world of work. All of this is possible because Hitachi and

:40:48.:40:51.

Sunderland University have made this possible and it is possible because

:40:52.:40:56.

of the employer's belief in the local people. But it is also

:40:57.:40:59.

possible because we are part of the European Union. Hitachi have written

:41:00.:41:06.

to the workforce underlining their position on Europe. It is what a

:41:07.:41:11.

responsible employer does. They have made it absolutely clear that the

:41:12.:41:15.

decision on the 23rd of June is a decision for the British people and

:41:16.:41:20.

it would be remiss of them not to stake their permission as a

:41:21.:41:24.

responsible employer. This is some of the text they have sent. Like

:41:25.:41:29.

many other international companies we invested because of the UK's

:41:30.:41:34.

strong fundamentals and read access to talent. We are also here to have

:41:35.:41:39.

access to the entire EU and the European market, in particular we

:41:40.:41:44.

depend on skills and parts that come from the UK and Europe at large. We

:41:45.:41:50.

can understand the EU is not perfect, but the UK's departure

:41:51.:41:55.

would create huge uncertainty for all Hitachi businesses in the UK in

:41:56.:42:01.

terms of economics, skills and talent and would affect the ability

:42:02.:42:07.

and is long-term growth. It would have a negative impact on the UK

:42:08.:42:11.

economy and carry significant risks for the remainder of the EU. We

:42:12.:42:16.

believe a strong, united Europe with the UK in a single, open market,

:42:17.:42:23.

offers the best conditions for Hitachi's business. The matter could

:42:24.:42:28.

not be made any clearer. I, like a lot of people in the North East,

:42:29.:42:32.

campaigned long and hard to ensure the Government went ahead with the

:42:33.:42:37.

deal to bring Hitachi to the North East because of the jobs and

:42:38.:42:41.

investment it would bring. I am not prepared to stand idly by to watch

:42:42.:42:46.

that investment being threatened by leaving the EU. That is why I will

:42:47.:42:52.

be campaigning for the remainder on June the 23rd. Thank you, Madam

:42:53.:43:03.

Deputy Speaker. While I understand the sensitivity of the time it in

:43:04.:43:08.

relation to the EU referendum vote, this could have been avoided if the

:43:09.:43:12.

State opening had been delayed as we on this side suggested. There will

:43:13.:43:18.

be a number of areas in which the Government's programme falls short

:43:19.:43:21.

and one of these is providing support to carers. There was nothing

:43:22.:43:26.

in the Queen's Speech to ensure local authorities have the resources

:43:27.:43:33.

necessary. The 2011 census shows the number of carers increased by 11%

:43:34.:43:41.

and the steepest rise has been in those caring for over 50 hours per

:43:42.:43:46.

week. The number of older carers is also increasing. One in seven people

:43:47.:43:52.

over 80 is now providing unpaid care to family and friends. In the last

:43:53.:43:56.

seven years that number has increased by 40% and is now 417,000

:43:57.:44:02.

people in their 80s. Failure to address the needs of older carers

:44:03.:44:06.

will mean many of them will find it difficult to cope with their

:44:07.:44:11.

responsibilities. Eight UK has said as public funding falls further and

:44:12.:44:16.

further behind, we worried that very old people are being expected to

:44:17.:44:20.

fill the gap. They cannot do it on their own and we should not take

:44:21.:44:28.

advantage of their determined desire to do right. -- Age UK. The current

:44:29.:44:33.

pressure is bringing carers closer to breaking point. Areas this month

:44:34.:44:40.

there was an annual report that highlights the difficulties for

:44:41.:44:44.

providing quality services for carers against a backdrop of

:44:45.:44:50.

continued local authority costs. It says the spirit of the care act 2014

:44:51.:44:56.

had not become a reality for all and carers are struggling to get the

:44:57.:45:02.

report and the support they need. Evidence of public services are

:45:03.:45:07.

creaking under pressure, the right services are harder to find and

:45:08.:45:12.

vital support is cut or under threat, leaving many carers and just

:45:13.:45:17.

about the future. I have praised the impact of funding cuts in the care

:45:18.:45:21.

sector on a number of debates because social care is too easy a

:45:22.:45:27.

target for cuts. Ministers are prepared to slash local authority

:45:28.:45:34.

budgets. The Local Government Association has estimated the

:45:35.:45:36.

implementation of the national living wage will cost an additional

:45:37.:45:43.

?330 million for home care and residential care providers this year

:45:44.:45:47.

alone. I can give you an example from Salford. The 2% social care

:45:48.:45:55.

precept will raise ?1.6 million in Salford, but the cost of

:45:56.:45:58.

implementing the national minimum wage is 2.7 million. It is easy to

:45:59.:46:04.

see that that multiplied up and down the country. Despite what ministers

:46:05.:46:10.

say, there is no extra funding for social care this year and only ?105

:46:11.:46:16.

million next year. Pleas were made by the director of adult social

:46:17.:46:24.

services for the Chancellor to bring forward ?700 million to address

:46:25.:46:28.

these financial pressures. Failure to do this could lead to care

:46:29.:46:32.

providers failing or just walking away from publicly funded care. That

:46:33.:46:37.

could have serious consequences for the vulnerable people who rely on

:46:38.:46:43.

care services. It is unfair to think that unpaid family carers will be

:46:44.:46:47.

able to pick up the pieces if care providers fail due to these cost

:46:48.:46:52.

pressures. Unpaid carers are already under increasing pressure because of

:46:53.:46:57.

the policies. One third say they have experienced a change in the

:46:58.:47:02.

amount of care and support they received. 60% say the amount of care

:47:03.:47:08.

and support they received has been reduced because of cost or

:47:09.:47:12.

availability. In some cases those cuts have been significant. One

:47:13.:47:18.

carer said, the social worker who assessed my wife said all direct

:47:19.:47:25.

payments were being reduced. We work discussing the needs and without

:47:26.:47:31.

warning the budget was cut by 30% immediately. It is not surprising

:47:32.:47:35.

that 54% of carers surveyed felt that the quality of life would get

:47:36.:47:41.

worse. The care act was supposed to ensure that all carers were entitled

:47:42.:47:45.

to a timely assessment of their needs, yet one in three carers who

:47:46.:47:49.

have had an assessment have had to wait six months or longer. Nearly

:47:50.:47:55.

40% of carers caring for someone at the end of life had to wait six

:47:56.:48:00.

months or more for an assessment. There is no time at the end of life

:48:01.:48:05.

to be considering in six months' time what a carer needs. I would

:48:06.:48:10.

urge the Minister on the Treasury bench to pressure Health Minister is

:48:11.:48:14.

to respond to the independent choice review which was published over a

:48:15.:48:18.

year ago and to consider a new review which extends the end of life

:48:19.:48:31.

issues. Even when carers receive an assessment many of them feel it does

:48:32.:48:36.

not address their needs. Almost 70% felt they need to that regular

:48:37.:48:42.

breaks from caring and 74% said they did not feel the support they needed

:48:43.:48:45.

to juggle care with work was considered sufficient. It appears to

:48:46.:48:50.

some carers that assessment is a listing exercise that provides no

:48:51.:48:56.

real help. One said all assessment areas were considered by my

:48:57.:49:00.

assessor, but due to cut there was no support they could offer me. I

:49:01.:49:05.

was listened to, but there was no positive outcome. Along with the

:49:06.:49:09.

emotional stress and physical exhaustion, many carers are finding

:49:10.:49:14.

it has a real impact on their finances. Of those struggling to

:49:15.:49:19.

make ends meet, nearly half of the carers survey are cutting back on

:49:20.:49:22.

essentials like food and heating. Others are borrowing money and a

:49:23.:49:28.

third are using up their savings and that is not sustainable. I'd urge

:49:29.:49:32.

Government ministers to act to ensure that the carers have the

:49:33.:49:36.

financial support they need. They need access to services to help them

:49:37.:49:42.

in their caring role. Meaningful action needs to be taken to promote

:49:43.:49:47.

their health and well-being. The assessments should be accessible and

:49:48.:49:50.

should be more than a tick box exercise. The greatest speech did

:49:51.:49:58.

not provide any assurance that the Government will address the funding

:49:59.:50:04.

problems that I have outlined. The move to full business rate retention

:50:05.:50:08.

by local authorities will not address the chronic underfunding of

:50:09.:50:12.

social care. As with the social care precept, we have something that

:50:13.:50:19.

fails to consider needs and with further create inequalities in

:50:20.:50:23.

funding for social care. The areas where funding is most needed will be

:50:24.:50:28.

the areas that gain the least from the funding retention. It seems

:50:29.:50:36.

likely we will continue to see those higher costs for carers and lower

:50:37.:50:39.

levels of support for them or the person they care for. It was

:50:40.:50:44.

disappointing the gracious speech failed to mention the injustice of

:50:45.:50:53.

1950s born women who face additional financial hardship because of the

:50:54.:50:57.

Government's failure to provide fair conditional arrangements, an issue

:50:58.:51:02.

we have debated a number of times. We will have a pensions bill that

:51:03.:51:06.

does nothing to address that injustice. I want to outline some of

:51:07.:51:16.

the options being put forward. They seem to keep saying, there are no

:51:17.:51:23.

viable options. When we had an opposition day debate on these six

:51:24.:51:28.

options were put forward by the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary.

:51:29.:51:30.

He suggested changing the timetable to delay the pension age increase

:51:31.:51:39.

until 2020, so it would not read 66 until 2021. He suggested capping it

:51:40.:51:47.

at 12 months. Keeping the qualifying age for pension credit on the

:51:48.:51:50.

previous timetable which would help out some of the women facing the

:51:51.:51:55.

greatest financial hardship. I notice the Treasury bench does not

:51:56.:51:59.

seem to be interested in the 2.6 million women who are suffering

:52:00.:52:03.

hardship through the policies they have caused. It is a pity they have

:52:04.:52:08.

bothered to be here and not listen. The fourth option is to take a

:52:09.:52:11.

reduced state pension at an earlier age. I know the Select Committee has

:52:12.:52:17.

put forward that option, but I do not support it. The other option is

:52:18.:52:22.

to extend the timetable for increasing state pension age by 18

:52:23.:52:30.

months so it reaches 66 by 20 22. I have suggested the Government look

:52:31.:52:34.

at the idea of a bridge pension such as paid in the Netherlands. Two

:52:35.:52:37.

women... I am very grateful that my

:52:38.:52:46.

honourable friend has raised the issue of the 1950s women, and I

:52:47.:52:50.

congratulate her on becoming the chair of the group last week. But

:52:51.:52:58.

she will also be aware, no doubt, of the colleagues in the Welsh

:52:59.:53:02.

Assembly, Labour colleagues in the Welsh Assembly, that have tabled a

:53:03.:53:05.

motion to the devolved institution calling on the British Government to

:53:06.:53:08.

introduce fair transitional arrangements for these very women.

:53:09.:53:14.

Absolutely, and we keep coming back to this, I fear, again and again

:53:15.:53:18.

until the Government realises that it is not reasonable to expect women

:53:19.:53:24.

who were expecting a pension at 60 to live on nothing. I have

:53:25.:53:27.

constituents trying to live on their savings. Does my honourable friend

:53:28.:53:32.

and share the concern that the Government has made a cynical

:53:33.:53:37.

calculation here that most women will reach pensionable age by the

:53:38.:53:40.

time of the next general election and the Government is hoping the

:53:41.:53:44.

problem will go away, even if the injustice does not? They may have

:53:45.:53:48.

made that calculation, but they are wrong, because there are 2.6 million

:53:49.:53:53.

women affected by this over the ten years of the changes being made, and

:53:54.:53:57.

I think they will find hundreds of thousands of very angry women, their

:53:58.:54:02.

family members, husbands, sisters, children, and the numbers really

:54:03.:54:07.

ought to mean ministers take it more seriously than they appear to be

:54:08.:54:10.

doing today. To finish that detail, people are interested in this - an

:54:11.:54:16.

example of a bridge pension was set at around ?400 a month, a better

:54:17.:54:22.

option than forcing women with 40 years or more of national insurance

:54:23.:54:26.

contributions already in our lives onto the work programme or onto ESA,

:54:27.:54:32.

JS say at 62 and 63, it is disgraceful to treat women born in

:54:33.:54:37.

the 1950s that way. I would repeat what some but he said on social

:54:38.:54:41.

media, the lack of concessionary travel, while we are discussing

:54:42.:54:46.

transport, for some people whose estate pension age has changed. It

:54:47.:54:51.

really is a question, why should there be concessionary travel at the

:54:52.:54:54.

age of 60 in London but not in other parts of the country? So I am

:54:55.:55:01.

delighted, and I'm glad my honourable friend race did, that 120

:55:02.:55:04.

and rebel members signed up to the new group to support the campaign

:55:05.:55:10.

last week. -- 120 honourable members. It will hold the Government

:55:11.:55:15.

to account on the issue of the 1950s born women affected by changes to

:55:16.:55:18.

the state pension age and campaign on all the seas around state pension

:55:19.:55:23.

age. I look forward to helping the group with that aim, making some

:55:24.:55:27.

real progress to help my constituents. -- all the issues.

:55:28.:55:34.

Hundreds of thousands of 1950s born women are affected by this

:55:35.:55:38.

injustice. I have raised these issues, Madam Deputy Speaker, which

:55:39.:55:44.

affect 2.6 million women in the UK, at first affected by this

:55:45.:55:47.

Government's changes, and 7 million unpaid family carers. There was

:55:48.:55:51.

nothing in the gracious speech to help those nearly 10 million people.

:55:52.:55:56.

I have talked about their issues, it is a pity there are no measures to

:55:57.:55:59.

help them. I hope we will see some extra measures. Thank you, Madam

:56:00.:56:11.

Deputy Speaker. Now, yesterday, we had a day of tradition, pomp,

:56:12.:56:15.

ceremony, lots of fancy costumes. But behind the reality of the

:56:16.:56:22.

Gracious Speech is the fact that we have another year of Conservative

:56:23.:56:28.

government. I would like to start by commending the Government, not

:56:29.:56:33.

something I often do, for their opening paragraph of Her Majesty's

:56:34.:56:37.

Gracious Speech, because I think it is something that all members of

:56:38.:56:41.

this House really ought to be able to sign up to. Her Majesty said

:56:42.:56:46.

yesterday, Mike Government will use the opportunity of a strengthening

:56:47.:56:50.

economy to deliver security for working people, to increase life

:56:51.:56:54.

chances for the most disadvantaged. I welcome that statement of intent,

:56:55.:56:59.

because that is something that brought me into the Labour Party,

:57:00.:57:06.

and I believe in social justice, I believe in fighting against

:57:07.:57:11.

inequality in whatever form it manifests itself, but I say to the

:57:12.:57:16.

Government, you will be scrutinised on the measures that you bring

:57:17.:57:22.

before this House of Commons, because intentions are all fine and

:57:23.:57:25.

well, but it is your actions that you will be judged on. And for a

:57:26.:57:31.

government that speaks about helping the most disadvantaged, I just would

:57:32.:57:38.

like to remind them of their actions over the past six years. The

:57:39.:57:42.

reliance that many of my constituents now have on foodbanks.

:57:43.:57:49.

The increase in tuition fees, trebles and the last Coalition

:57:50.:57:54.

Government. The abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance that

:57:55.:57:57.

helped some Anita is advantage to young people into further education.

:57:58.:58:04.

The pernicious and evil bedroom tax that has hurt so many families in

:58:05.:58:12.

this country. The reduction in social security support, including

:58:13.:58:15.

for those who are disabled and those who are in work but in low paid

:58:16.:58:24.

work. So, yes, let's try to increase the life chances of the most

:58:25.:58:29.

disadvantaged, but it is an actions, not the words that ministers will be

:58:30.:58:34.

judged. I want to talk very briefly about a number of the measures that

:58:35.:58:40.

were mentioned by Her Majesty in the Gracious Speech. Firstly, the buses

:58:41.:58:49.

bill, something that is long overdue, particularly for my city

:58:50.:58:53.

region of Manchester, and we will be one of the areas with an elective

:58:54.:58:58.

mayor. I ask ministers why it is only going to be available for those

:58:59.:59:02.

areas with an elected mayor, and why it should not also be available to

:59:03.:59:06.

other local authorities that have problems with their bus services and

:59:07.:59:11.

want to introduce an element of control back into planning a

:59:12.:59:18.

strategic transport network. But in terms of Greater Manchester, it is

:59:19.:59:22.

good news, because 80% of public transport use is by bus. The effects

:59:23.:59:29.

of deregulation are quite clear - at its peak, there were 500 million bus

:59:30.:59:37.

journeys in Greater Manchester. Last year, that was 220 million. That

:59:38.:59:43.

shows the decline in bus usage. But in terms of car ownership, there are

:59:44.:59:49.

still 31% of households in Greater Manchester that do not have access

:59:50.:59:55.

to a car. So bus travel, tram travel and local train travel is really

:59:56.:00:00.

important, and as I say, 80% of those public transport journeys in

:00:01.:00:04.

Greater Manchester are made by bus. And of course it was in Greater

:00:05.:00:07.

Manchester where we saw the worst aspects of the bus wars at the

:00:08.:00:14.

height of the deregulation madness, where, rather than having sensible

:00:15.:00:19.

competition, in a tendering process, where network areas can be planned,

:00:20.:00:28.

the standards can be set, the timetable regulated, and you allow

:00:29.:00:31.

the tendering process a fair, competitive process in a tendering

:00:32.:00:39.

regime to take place. But in Greater Manchester we had the opposite, we

:00:40.:00:44.

didn't have a plan system, we had a unplan system, the competition was

:00:45.:00:49.

not in a council committee room in a fair and transparent planned network

:00:50.:00:54.

system, it was on the roads, and it was chaos. And it destroyed the bus

:00:55.:00:58.

industry in Greater Manchester. So I really do hope that the buses bill

:00:59.:01:04.

will be a success and that those areas that want to take on those new

:01:05.:01:08.

powers are able to do so. As we are talking about devolution, I want to

:01:09.:01:18.

talk about the business rates, because that is something that can

:01:19.:01:24.

be a success, but I think the Government needs to tread very

:01:25.:01:27.

carefully. Again, in Greater Manchester, we have come to a real

:01:28.:01:31.

understanding of what is needed in the conurbation, and we have come to

:01:32.:01:35.

an agreement through the combined authority that the business rates

:01:36.:01:39.

will be pooled and shared, and that is really important, because if we

:01:40.:01:43.

are going to make sense of the devolved settlement that Greater

:01:44.:01:47.

Manchester has got, we have to acknowledge that not all parts of

:01:48.:01:51.

Greater Manchester are the drivers of growth. But we have to make sure

:01:52.:01:56.

that people from across Greater Manchester have the skills, have the

:01:57.:02:00.

education, have the transport links to access the jobs that are created.

:02:01.:02:06.

And the wealth that those jobs that are created in the growth areas of

:02:07.:02:09.

the conurbation, the benefits of those jobs are spread out across the

:02:10.:02:15.

whole conurbation, and that is why pooling and sharing is so necessary.

:02:16.:02:19.

Because I acknowledge that probably my own constituency is not one of

:02:20.:02:26.

the major areas of growth in the conurbation. It is the city centre,

:02:27.:02:32.

it is around Manchester Airport and Airport City, it is in Trafford

:02:33.:02:38.

park, the Trafford Centre, Salford quays, at around MediaCityUK. But we

:02:39.:02:43.

have to make sure that the wealth that is generated in those areas is

:02:44.:02:47.

spread across the entire conurbation. And that is why I hope

:02:48.:02:52.

the Government will ensure that there are fair arrangement is in

:02:53.:02:57.

terms of the retention of business rates. Because without it, to put it

:02:58.:03:02.

simply, one of the two boroughs I represent, tame side, is a net gain

:03:03.:03:08.

under the current system of business rates, and that is because it is

:03:09.:03:12.

predominantly a residential borough. Most of the big industries have

:03:13.:03:16.

disappeared and have not been replaced with anything like the

:03:17.:03:20.

number of companies that could generate substantial business rates.

:03:21.:03:24.

That is not to say the borough council are not trying, but to put

:03:25.:03:29.

it in context, if we did not share with the rest of Greater Manchester,

:03:30.:03:35.

I think tame side would require another 17 Ikeas to be built just to

:03:36.:03:39.

break even and the new system. We have to be very careful, and that is

:03:40.:03:43.

why a sensible approach of pooling and sharing recognises those

:03:44.:03:52.

challenges. Now, I also want to draw the House's attention to where the

:03:53.:03:57.

Government talks about tackling some of the deepest social problems in

:03:58.:04:00.

society in order to improve life chances. And the Gracious Speech

:04:01.:04:08.

went on to say, Her Majesty said, my Government will introduce new

:04:09.:04:12.

indicators for measuring life chances. I am a little bit cynical,

:04:13.:04:17.

because I don't think it matters how you look at the causes of you change

:04:18.:04:24.

the measures to give you the answers you want, I think what we need to do

:04:25.:04:29.

is to actually tackle poverty in a holistic way. I will give way. I

:04:30.:04:34.

thank the honourable member, would he agree with me that this idea of

:04:35.:04:38.

improving life chances is just another way of saying we are

:04:39.:04:42.

scrapping poverty targets? That is very much might worry, and I hope

:04:43.:04:47.

the Government can reassure us on that, because if it is not scrapping

:04:48.:04:51.

the targets, it is changing the goalposts, and that is my other

:04:52.:04:56.

worry. What we need to be doing is looking at the causes of

:04:57.:05:01.

deprivation, of poverty, and inequality and tackling that. And

:05:02.:05:04.

that really, Madam Deputy Speaker, is where I want to finish, because I

:05:05.:05:08.

think there is one missed opportunity, something the

:05:09.:05:11.

Government will come to consider in due course, because I think if we

:05:12.:05:15.

are going to be serious about tackling the endemic health

:05:16.:05:19.

inequalities that are prevalent in every single constituency to a

:05:20.:05:22.

lesser greater extent in this country, then we need to have much

:05:23.:05:27.

better, joined up government. We need to break out of the silent

:05:28.:05:31.

mentality, we need to get away from this notion that public health is

:05:32.:05:37.

solely a matter for the Department of Health, and actually, I think

:05:38.:05:42.

what we need to have is a national health and well-being strategy that

:05:43.:05:45.

every single government department and every single devolved

:05:46.:05:50.

institution are fully signed up to. And I just give one example. When a

:05:51.:05:56.

bill is introduced to this House, or indeed to the other place, ministers

:05:57.:06:02.

have to certify to the members of this House that the bill is

:06:03.:06:05.

compliant with two pieces of legislation. One is the Human Rights

:06:06.:06:10.

Act, and the other one is the equalities act 2010. I would go

:06:11.:06:14.

further, I think every piece of legislation that we look at should

:06:15.:06:18.

also be health and well-being compliance, and that weight

:06:19.:06:22.

ministers have to say, have to ask a very simple question - does this

:06:23.:06:26.

piece of legislation that I am proposing improve the health and

:06:27.:06:32.

well-being of the citizens? Does it reduce health inequalities to the

:06:33.:06:37.

citizens of the United Kingdom? And, Madam Deputy Speaker, is the answer

:06:38.:06:41.

is no, white wheat legislating for it. Think that is the best way that

:06:42.:06:47.

we can pull all ministers and government departments towards the

:06:48.:06:51.

aim of tackling health inequalities in our country, because all the

:06:52.:06:56.

things, whether it is housing whether it is planning, skills,

:06:57.:07:02.

education, training, leisure opportunities, open spaces, clean

:07:03.:07:07.

air, the environment more generally, whether it is jobs, whether it is

:07:08.:07:12.

transport, all of these things, dealt with by a myriad of different

:07:13.:07:17.

departments, agencies, all of these things impact on the health and

:07:18.:07:21.

well-being of the citizen, and I would like to see much more joined

:07:22.:07:27.

up thinking. So I hope ministers will take that on board, will break

:07:28.:07:32.

out of the silent mentality, and let's for once and for all tackle

:07:33.:07:36.

the health inequalities that also endemic into many parts of the

:07:37.:07:43.

United Kingdom. It is a pleasure to follow the honourable member, who

:07:44.:07:48.

brings excellent advice to the front bench which I hope they will take

:07:49.:07:49.

heed. The Government has a blind spot when

:07:50.:08:02.

it comes to transport and the Humber. There was nothing in the

:08:03.:08:06.

speech yesterday which gave cause for great optimism. The lack of a

:08:07.:08:18.

direct link between Grimsby and London is holding back the area and

:08:19.:08:23.

giving a competitive advantage to comparative towns and city in the

:08:24.:08:27.

region. Grimsby and Cleethorpes combined has a bigger population

:08:28.:08:31.

than your, yet Europe has a travel time to London of under two hours.

:08:32.:08:37.

For people travelling to Grimsby, 40 miles south of Europe, it would take

:08:38.:08:40.

an hour more and they would have to change trains. In the gracious

:08:41.:08:50.

speech there were references to travelling to the moon, but to be

:08:51.:08:53.

perfectly honest my constituents would be happy to get to Grimsby in

:08:54.:09:01.

less than an hour. We are strategically important region for

:09:02.:09:04.

trade and logistics, we are a gateway to Europe with goods worth

:09:05.:09:07.

millions of pounds being shipped in and out of our ports every day. Any

:09:08.:09:12.

plans for transportation in the region should recognise these

:09:13.:09:17.

factors. Yet the Government's 35 page Northern transport strategy

:09:18.:09:22.

does not mention Grimsby once. It is not just for trade and break

:09:23.:09:25.

purposes that our region needs greater focus. Hull city will be the

:09:26.:09:35.

City of Culture in 2017, but connectivity between the South and

:09:36.:09:37.

north banks of the Humber remains poor. 2017 will bring huge benefits

:09:38.:09:45.

to the entire region, but poor transport links threaten to shut the

:09:46.:09:52.

rest of us out. Many fellow Humberside MPs supported my call

:09:53.:09:55.

earlier this year to suspend tolls for Humber Bridge. Lower toll since

:09:56.:10:04.

2012 lead to an increased usage of the bridge. At least whilst Hull

:10:05.:10:09.

city is the City of Culture, there should be free travel across the

:10:10.:10:14.

bridge and it should be ended as a barrier to work and trade. People

:10:15.:10:20.

from Grimsby are excluded from spending the evening there because

:10:21.:10:26.

the last train leaves at half past six. Our public transport network

:10:27.:10:33.

will not allow people who do not drive to access the cultural events

:10:34.:10:39.

in Hull next year. Putting an evening bus and rail services for

:10:40.:10:43.

2017 would be a popular move and could become permanent. Children

:10:44.:10:48.

from all backgrounds should be able to cross the Humber to see the

:10:49.:10:51.

performances in Hull next year, whether or not the parents can

:10:52.:10:56.

afford the tickets and travel. I would like to see the Government

:10:57.:10:59.

supports state schools in the region. These minor steps would go a

:11:00.:11:07.

long way in ensuring that 2017 leaves a lasting impression on this

:11:08.:11:11.

generation. I hope the Transport Secretary will agree to meet with me

:11:12.:11:15.

and my fellow Humberside MPs to discuss these proposals. I would

:11:16.:11:19.

like to welcome the announcement in the gracious speech for a bill to

:11:20.:11:22.

change the franchising system for bus services. But one concern I have

:11:23.:11:28.

is what the effect on services would be if Britain votes to leave the EU.

:11:29.:11:39.

The number one bus is particularly important for our local economy. It

:11:40.:11:44.

goes to the Euro Park, Grimsby's flagship business Park which is the

:11:45.:11:50.

location of hundreds of jobs and training facilities in the town and

:11:51.:11:53.

is also funded by the European Union. If that bus was to stop

:11:54.:11:58.

running, I would be worried about the impact on businesses located at

:11:59.:12:02.

that site. I welcome the view from the Minister as to what he thinks

:12:03.:12:09.

the potential impact Brexit would have. Lastly, a change to the

:12:10.:12:20.

lighting regulations last year meant that community first responders are

:12:21.:12:23.

no longer permitted to attach certain reflective markings to their

:12:24.:12:28.

vehicles. My constituents who is a first responder contacted me to say

:12:29.:12:32.

he was concerned that this could put his safety at risk. If he is called

:12:33.:12:38.

out to an incident on a country road or at night and approaching vehicles

:12:39.:12:42.

do not see him until very late, he could be at risk. He is worried that

:12:43.:12:46.

the lack of reflective signage on his vehicle would make it harder to

:12:47.:12:50.

spot for other emergency service vehicles attempting to locate the

:12:51.:12:54.

site of the incident. I want to put on record my thanks to the Minister

:12:55.:13:02.

for his response to my letter. Firstly, he raised the prospect of

:13:03.:13:09.

an amendment to the regulation in the deregulation act, 2015. I would

:13:10.:13:13.

appreciate confirmation this is something the Government are looking

:13:14.:13:17.

to pursue and what the extent of the and he was suggesting will be.

:13:18.:13:21.

Secondly, he wrote about concerns that members of the public having

:13:22.:13:26.

Battenberg attached to their vehicles as they went about their

:13:27.:13:31.

daily business revaluing delivery, given that the purpose of the

:13:32.:13:35.

signage is visibility for safety purposes, I am not sure I see why

:13:36.:13:40.

that should be such a bad thing. The minister said there would be a

:13:41.:13:44.

consultation on this and I would appreciate more information on what

:13:45.:13:47.

an opportunity is my constituents will have to be into that. I hope he

:13:48.:13:52.

can address these issues in a letter to me after the debate today. I am

:13:53.:13:58.

sure everyone will agree first responders do an incredibly

:13:59.:14:01.

important job and they should be given all the tools they need to do

:14:02.:14:04.

the job safely and to the best of their abilities. It is a pleasure to

:14:05.:14:11.

speak in this and to follow the contributions that have been made so

:14:12.:14:17.

far. To go back to the Queen 's speech with drones, driverless cars,

:14:18.:14:21.

space boys, space plans, it seems like a bit of sci-fi movie. A

:14:22.:14:32.

forward-looking, fully prepared United Kingdom, Great Britain and

:14:33.:14:35.

Northern Ireland is what we need and want, taking the lead on the global

:14:36.:14:41.

stage. The future transport of tomorrow will come with it. The bill

:14:42.:14:47.

is forward-looking to that regard. Not only have the provisions for

:14:48.:14:53.

driverless vehicles, space boys and space been included, the insurance

:14:54.:15:02.

market has to reflect the changes. A tonne as vehicles and insurers have

:15:03.:15:10.

already been working to keep the right framework simple. A quick

:15:11.:15:23.

comment about the electric cars. I know a few weeks ago in transport

:15:24.:15:28.

questions I asked the Minister what money was being set aside and he

:15:29.:15:32.

said they were being disbursed about the whole of the United Kingdom. But

:15:33.:15:37.

I think there needs to be a sea change of attitude as well in the

:15:38.:15:42.

high Street. If you are going to have electric cars, you need better

:15:43.:15:46.

charging points, you need them in the high streets and in the garage

:15:47.:15:51.

forecourts and you need them in the shopping centres and the stores as

:15:52.:15:55.

well. That is where the people need to be, so when it comes to setting

:15:56.:16:01.

money aside we need to see a policy that goes right out across the whole

:16:02.:16:05.

of the United Kingdom. It is all well and good to look to the future,

:16:06.:16:11.

that there is existing infrastructure that needs to be

:16:12.:16:15.

sorted out now and not left to the future. There has been a commitment

:16:16.:16:19.

to space spores and space planes, but the minister needs to keep his

:16:20.:16:26.

feet on the ground for now. There are airport issues outstanding. The

:16:27.:16:30.

Government still cannot agree on where to build a new runway in the

:16:31.:16:38.

south-east. Heathrow is willing to meet the requirements set and they

:16:39.:16:41.

have proven they are willing to go further. Surely the process to

:16:42.:16:48.

secure the company's Premier future is important for our future as it is

:16:49.:16:55.

for the rest of the United Kingdom. Heathrow for us, for Belfast city

:16:56.:17:02.

and the Belfast International airport and is collectivity guess as

:17:03.:17:06.

to the rest of the world and it will help our economy grow as well. Some

:17:07.:17:13.

of the things we have seen over the last few weeks when it comes to

:17:14.:17:17.

collectivity, I know it is not my constituency, but it is good to

:17:18.:17:23.

recognise it. We have more direct lines that go to China and get the

:17:24.:17:29.

collectivity right and make sure we all benefit across the whole of the

:17:30.:17:35.

United Kingdom. One of those who was speaking yesterday in relation to

:17:36.:17:40.

Heathrow three said they will be praise for the futuristic vision and

:17:41.:17:43.

there were complaints that the Government's programme made no

:17:44.:17:49.

mention of long range expansion to airports in the south East. There

:17:50.:17:55.

was no commitment to make a final decision on a new runway for more

:17:56.:18:00.

conventional aircraft, although there was a discussion about the

:18:01.:18:07.

spaceport. I wish the Government to make the decision once and for all.

:18:08.:18:13.

Every member who has spoken so far has referred to the bus services and

:18:14.:18:19.

they are most welcome and I bet the Government for that as well, but we

:18:20.:18:23.

need to see that commit and turned into action. The bill has the

:18:24.:18:27.

opportunity to make a real difference to people. Talking buses

:18:28.:18:35.

are an exciting prospect for the future and if you look at its

:18:36.:18:42.

implementation, it will make a great difference to vulnerable people. We

:18:43.:18:48.

are facing competition from over 20 other rivals including the United

:18:49.:18:54.

Arab Emirates in regard to spaceports. The bill paves the way,

:18:55.:19:03.

but like the bus services Bill, we need to see that vision become a

:19:04.:19:06.

reality. A quick comment about drones. We need to have better

:19:07.:19:12.

monitoring, better regulation, better control. We need to make sure

:19:13.:19:18.

they are used correctly. Like many things if they are used correctly,

:19:19.:19:23.

they can benefit us all. But when they are used in a dangerous fashion

:19:24.:19:28.

and for the wrong reasons, for example to bring drugs, mobile

:19:29.:19:33.

phones and money into jails over the walls, there is something wrong. If

:19:34.:19:38.

they are used in a dangerous fashion around airports, we have to control

:19:39.:19:43.

that also. Infrastructure does not mean just transport. The Government

:19:44.:19:52.

are in danger of not finishing the last infrastructure, the Internet.

:19:53.:20:00.

Many honourable members here do not have proper access to broadband yet.

:20:01.:20:05.

It is a commitment that is still moving towards 2020 and it still has

:20:06.:20:09.

to be delivered on. Every UK household has a legal right to a

:20:10.:20:15.

fast broadband connection, but it is something that has to be put into a

:20:16.:20:22.

reality. Hundreds of my constituents contact me each and every week about

:20:23.:20:27.

broadband connection and this is an issue that has been brought up in

:20:28.:20:32.

the House, in Westminster Hall. 30% of my constituents cannot get it.

:20:33.:20:39.

The Government committed some money sometime ago and that money has now

:20:40.:20:44.

out. It is time we had a concrete, strategic plan on paper as to how we

:20:45.:20:50.

will reach 100% and in my constituency I want to see that

:20:51.:20:56.

happening. I am pleased to see the commitment to the 1 million houses.

:20:57.:20:59.

I am interested to see how that will work. Again it is important that we

:21:00.:21:06.

have that in place. I will make a plea for social housing and make

:21:07.:21:10.

sure that there is opportunity for those to acquire housing at a rent

:21:11.:21:14.

or at a mortgage value they can afford. I would like to touch on

:21:15.:21:22.

another couple of issues. We have a commitment to the infamous supertax.

:21:23.:21:25.

I fully and totally support it and welcome it. -- the sugar tax. They

:21:26.:21:36.

may be some controversy over the issue, but it is clear what side

:21:37.:21:41.

those who want to make a positive difference are on. Some of my

:21:42.:21:45.

colleagues have a different opinion, but I am pleased to see a Government

:21:46.:21:53.

commitment to that. From obesity, sports clubs, cancer charities, all

:21:54.:21:57.

the stakeholders who want to be on side are on the right side of this

:21:58.:22:03.

measure. It is a good step in the right direction. We have to reduce

:22:04.:22:11.

the risk of diseases associated with obesity of which there are many.

:22:12.:22:18.

There is opposition by those who are affected, but I am pleased to see

:22:19.:22:23.

the Government has done that. No contribution would be complete

:22:24.:22:27.

without the mandatory opinion of the European Union. There is no surprise

:22:28.:22:32.

that I am in the outcome. I wonder why the Queen 's speech was a bit

:22:33.:22:38.

low-key. The abject failure on re-negotiation has put it to the

:22:39.:22:40.

back of the mind of the nation as far as possible. The much lauded

:22:41.:22:48.

sovereignty bill is now going to be scrapped.

:22:49.:22:57.

Time will tell where that will be on the 23rd of June and whatever the

:22:58.:23:15.

result is made. We all know such a move will have little or no impact.

:23:16.:23:19.

The only impact this will have a showing levels of desperation.

:23:20.:23:27.

Playing immigration politics with health. The latest in a long list of

:23:28.:23:33.

insults. The Prime Minister may have a good breadth... We all know

:23:34.:23:43.

resurfacing from such a low depths is dangerous and we're not sure what

:23:44.:23:48.

state of mind he will in. There the issues and I conclude with this. I

:23:49.:23:56.

am pleased to see the issues I've referred to. I am particularly

:23:57.:24:02.

pleased to see the adoption Bill and speed up the system and the delays.

:24:03.:24:09.

Also pleased to see the issue of a reform in prisons. You can build

:24:10.:24:14.

nice, new prisons, but if you don't address the issue of neo- Nazism,

:24:15.:24:22.

radical Islamism, you have to address that issue as well. I look

:24:23.:24:37.

forward to the visit by the President of Colombia. The reason

:24:38.:24:40.

why it is important is because we have a peace process that has worked

:24:41.:24:46.

and it is good to see peace is assembling some sort of normality in

:24:47.:24:50.

Colombia. We welcome that, look forward to that and look forward to

:24:51.:25:00.

securing further process. This party fully committed to the peace

:25:01.:25:11.

process. Our election results is an indication of that. We believe in

:25:12.:25:23.

democratic process. Thank you. Can I turn briefly to the words of the

:25:24.:25:28.

honourable member and E the sentiments made about the visit of

:25:29.:25:34.

the president of Colombia and pay tribute to members from all sides in

:25:35.:25:38.

Northern Ireland who have played a role in the Colombian peace process.

:25:39.:25:42.

I believe members can be proud of the role our colleagues from

:25:43.:25:47.

Northern Ireland played in making the peace process successful. Can I

:25:48.:25:58.

welcome those parts of the gracious address that we are able to support,

:25:59.:26:03.

particularly those purloined successfully from the manifesto. I

:26:04.:26:07.

am pleased the Government will be proceeding with the infrastructure

:26:08.:26:14.

commission. I am pleased to measure -- welcome the measures on the buses

:26:15.:26:20.

bill. I was concerned to hear about the restrictions the Government

:26:21.:26:24.

seems to be placing on these, the ability to regulate bus services

:26:25.:26:30.

will only be extended to areas where the Government has decided there

:26:31.:26:39.

will be an elected mayor. The Government says they don't have a

:26:40.:26:43.

one size fits all policy but they may precede with one on the basis

:26:44.:26:51.

they are going to require out Cheshire Western West and East and

:26:52.:26:55.

Warrington to adopt a male role structure in an area it is not

:26:56.:27:03.

suitable for. The requirement comes with a carrot and a stick and there

:27:04.:27:09.

is no carrot unless we take on an elected may. It is wrong for the

:27:10.:27:15.

area that I represent and I do ask the Minister to bear that in mind. I

:27:16.:27:23.

also welcome the move is to improve infrastructure for electric

:27:24.:27:27.

vehicles. But as I made in the House following the question of the

:27:28.:27:35.

Honourable member for Strangford, infrastructure includes knowledge

:27:36.:27:38.

infrastructure. Electric vehicles are entirely different from those

:27:39.:27:43.

driven by petrol or diesel and I would urge ministers to consider the

:27:44.:27:48.

proposals of the in situ at the motor industry to provide a training

:27:49.:27:52.

and certification programme for engineers said they are aware of the

:27:53.:28:01.

dangers electric vehicles pose to those who work in the industry and

:28:02.:28:04.

are properly trained to deal with these electric engines. I wish to

:28:05.:28:12.

turn in particular to transport infrastructure and the provision is

:28:13.:28:19.

made in the gracious address. In the gracious address, Her Majesty said

:28:20.:28:22.

the Government will continue to support the development of the

:28:23.:28:26.

Northern powerhouse. For me I suspect this is little more than a

:28:27.:28:30.

sham, a slogan to distract from the fact that the suspect -- substance

:28:31.:28:39.

is lacking. It has us all talking about the northern powerhouse rather

:28:40.:28:42.

than examining what the substance is. It has become an accepted

:28:43.:28:50.

reality, a display of mastery in terms of destruction. London gets

:28:51.:28:54.

Crossrail and Crossrail two and now another runway and I confess I do

:28:55.:29:00.

not have a dog in the fight when it comes to wear a new runway would be.

:29:01.:29:06.

I suspect it should be Heathrow if only because that is the option

:29:07.:29:12.

least far away from the country. I would be concerned that

:29:13.:29:14.

infrastructure development is merely seen as an extension of London

:29:15.:29:22.

infrastructure. I have always supported HS2 and will support

:29:23.:29:29.

three, four and five. Investment that brings returns in the shapes of

:29:30.:29:33.

jobs and the spirit to you but I have to say, at the time before I

:29:34.:29:39.

was a member of this place, I wanted HS2 to be built from the north to

:29:40.:29:44.

the south. Instead I fear all we will get is a London to Birmingham

:29:45.:29:48.

line that will do little to encourage growth north. If we do,

:29:49.:29:54.

then we in the north-west of England will become a client region of

:29:55.:30:00.

London, feeding off the scraps of London's economic growth. I was

:30:01.:30:06.

concerned to hear the Secretary of State talk about HSBC transferring

:30:07.:30:09.

their jobs to Birmingham as though that is somehow something to be

:30:10.:30:16.

proud of. It distracts from the whole point which is infrastructure

:30:17.:30:20.

development should generate economic growth of its own not simply shift

:30:21.:30:27.

growth across. The danger now is that the Treasury have announced

:30:28.:30:33.

they will take over the HS2 project and threatened to trim it back so

:30:34.:30:38.

that none of the benefits will be delivered for the north-west. I give

:30:39.:30:49.

way. I am very grateful. In that trimming back process, there is some

:30:50.:30:54.

suggestion the HS2 station at Manchester Airport might have to be

:30:55.:30:59.

dropped. Does he agreed that would be incredibly short-sighted because

:31:00.:31:02.

it is not just about having high-speed rail links to the airport

:31:03.:31:09.

running north to south, but with HS three going east to west, the

:31:10.:31:14.

airport really ought to be a hub and that provides new links, not just

:31:15.:31:19.

from the north-east right the way through to Manchester Airport, but

:31:20.:31:23.

also to places like Chester and beyond in the other direction? The

:31:24.:31:30.

use to talk about an integrated transport policy that might be a few

:31:31.:31:36.

local buses and railway services. What my honourable friend has

:31:37.:31:42.

identified is a transport policy that includes international

:31:43.:31:47.

transport as well. The Secretary of State talked about HS2 having an

:31:48.:31:53.

impact. The danger is because of the uncertainty it is having a negative

:31:54.:31:58.

impact and we are seeing this in the north-west where investment

:31:59.:32:01.

decisions are being delayed until we find out what is being proposed. If

:32:02.:32:07.

the Government is serious about the northern powerhouse, he needs to put

:32:08.:32:13.

a stop to the speculation and commit to an HS2 that benefits the whole of

:32:14.:32:18.

the North. I do not want to see HS2 simply as a new line painted on the

:32:19.:32:25.

London underground map, making the Midlands and extension of London.

:32:26.:32:31.

This means making the reality of a true Northern Rail hub with at least

:32:32.:32:37.

seven HS2 trains stopping an hour to make connections to Cheshire,

:32:38.:32:50.

Warrington and beyond. We need to make sure it is not just people

:32:51.:32:56.

living close to the stations that benefit in the ?40 billion invested.

:32:57.:32:59.

No calls roads and railways should be built to allow all constituents,

:33:00.:33:09.

including the right Honourable member to be able to take advantage

:33:10.:33:13.

of the new services quickly and easily. I understand capacity is a

:33:14.:33:19.

fundamental drive of HS2 but so is reliability and speed. If HS2 above

:33:20.:33:27.

Birmingham is simply designed to link the London, Birmingham,

:33:28.:33:31.

Manchester, it will do more damage than it saves by sucking investment

:33:32.:33:34.

and economic growth out of those areas such as mine and preventing

:33:35.:33:46.

them taking full advantage. I warn ministers the Government really does

:33:47.:34:06.

risk stats Ching -- snatching... Allowing the Treasury to take over

:34:07.:34:11.

the project, we all know has to take place, slashing and burning --

:34:12.:34:19.

burning one investment, cutting out the hub at Crewe, cutting out the

:34:20.:34:25.

Manchester Airport option mentioned earlier, all of these parts will

:34:26.:34:29.

generate the returns that is demanded by that investment. The

:34:30.:34:36.

Cheshire, West Cheshire and North Wales economic area is one of the

:34:37.:34:39.

fastest-growing in the UK. If the Government wants to pull the plug on

:34:40.:34:46.

that, it's easy, cancelled the HS2 hub at Crewe. If I can return

:34:47.:34:50.

briefly to the area of Road transport and the Minister will no

:34:51.:34:56.

where I am going on this, the end 56 is in need of an upgrade to deal

:34:57.:35:02.

with the possible congestion drivers experience on a daily basis and I

:35:03.:35:06.

know the investment needs to go far beyond this. I have to say to the

:35:07.:35:11.

Minister that I remain disappointment that no action is

:35:12.:35:17.

planned before 2020 and I remind him this is a cross-party campaign, the

:35:18.:35:22.

honourable member is leading the campaign, it has support across the

:35:23.:35:27.

parties because of the importance of the motorway, not just to my area

:35:28.:35:33.

but as a principal artery into North Wales as well. Unless the Government

:35:34.:35:39.

commits to that work now, they will stifle further economic growth and I

:35:40.:35:44.

remind members again that it is not just my area but part of Merseyside,

:35:45.:35:50.

right through into North Wales that depend on the route. If I was being

:35:51.:35:55.

cynical I might predict the Government might make a promise to

:35:56.:36:00.

upgrade the motorway just before the 2020 election, but how such a

:36:01.:36:03.

promise will be taken with the same scepticism as their other promises

:36:04.:36:11.

as the collapse of their pledge to invest in railways. The local

:36:12.:36:16.

authorities are clear about where investment is needed. If there plans

:36:17.:36:21.

doubled the size of their economy are to be delivered and the

:36:22.:36:24.

Government needs to commit to supporting fees. Transport

:36:25.:36:31.

infrastructure doesn't come cheap. In calling for the electrification

:36:32.:36:36.

of the crew to justice Russian -- Chesterton line, upgrade of the

:36:37.:36:44.

M546, I am calling for cash spending which requires prioritisation.

:36:45.:36:48.

Investment must be considered as that, investment to generate

:36:49.:36:57.

economic growth. My area has proved its ability to grow. Its local

:36:58.:37:01.

enterprise partnerships proved its ability to work with local

:37:02.:37:05.

authorities across the political spectrum to deliver that growth and

:37:06.:37:09.

bring in businesses from right across the sectors to work together

:37:10.:37:14.

to achieve that growth. If the Government is willing to waste 70

:37:15.:37:18.

million on and on needed vanity garden bridge across the Thames, it

:37:19.:37:23.

can recognise HS2 is a national project that must benefit the whole

:37:24.:37:28.

of the nation and allow the nation to grow under its own enterprise and

:37:29.:37:33.

not allow London to be the sole driver of economic growth in the UK.

:37:34.:37:41.

Without the correct infrastructure in place, it seems that crumbs from

:37:42.:37:45.

the London table will be all that we get.

:37:46.:37:49.

Can I start I saying that at a time of major economic challenges, it has

:37:50.:37:57.

become obvious that Her Majesty needs a new script writer who can

:37:58.:38:01.

add more substance to the Gracious Speech? As I read it 21 bills

:38:02.:38:07.

mentioned, I thought this was simply a stalled government awaiting the

:38:08.:38:12.

results of the EU referendum but this morning, listening to the

:38:13.:38:18.

Leader of the House, he indicated that at the conclusion of these 21

:38:19.:38:23.

bills, this would complete the full accomplishment of the Tory manifesto

:38:24.:38:30.

after only two years, so a threadbare Queen's Speech with no

:38:31.:38:33.

future plans, a period of long-term economic misery awaiting many

:38:34.:38:39.

people. We should be addressing the chronic problem of productivity in

:38:40.:38:46.

this country. The matter is not even mentioned, the word productivity

:38:47.:38:51.

does not even appear in the Queen's Speech. Before a address some issues

:38:52.:38:58.

of transport and infrastructure, I would like to address a matter

:38:59.:39:02.

related to initiatives in the future connected with anti-terrorism, and

:39:03.:39:07.

here I would like to give some praise to the Government. If you

:39:08.:39:11.

wish to go I brought forward a ten minute rule motion on the subject of

:39:12.:39:16.

establishing standards for forensic linguistic analysts who can analyse

:39:17.:39:23.

text messages and help identify some of the most dangerous people in our

:39:24.:39:28.

society. Although that rule Bill has fallen, the Government have agreed

:39:29.:39:33.

to a meeting with me to discuss if they could take this up in the

:39:34.:39:38.

future and I am grateful for that. But the measures in the speech, I

:39:39.:39:43.

welcome some moves relating to transport and I want to comment

:39:44.:39:48.

briefly on a couple of those areas. When considering the buses built, I

:39:49.:39:53.

would ask the Government to remember amongst others the needs of

:39:54.:39:57.

students, especially those in rural areas who attend colleges. The

:39:58.:40:03.

National Union of Students has already pointed out they consider

:40:04.:40:08.

this one of the major warriors to some students engaging and so I hope

:40:09.:40:12.

the Government will consider that perhaps it would be a good idea to

:40:13.:40:18.

engage soon unfairly deep conversations with the NUS to

:40:19.:40:26.

address the issue. I would like to address an issue raised ride the

:40:27.:40:33.

honourable member for Worsley. She mentioned the great Hall of the us

:40:34.:40:39.

be women in Asian to pensions and she has done outstanding work on

:40:40.:40:47.

behalf of them. She also mentioned concessionary travel schemes that

:40:48.:40:51.

are very important for women and men of retirement age for nearing

:40:52.:40:58.

retirement age. If I recall correctly she said the work in

:40:59.:41:07.

England were in London you can engage with people of 60 but in many

:41:08.:41:13.

areas it is 63 for women. Could I recommend they think about the

:41:14.:41:18.

solution taken by the Scottish Government to have a flat rate entry

:41:19.:41:25.

comment for women and men at the age of 64 concessionary travel. The

:41:26.:41:29.

difference that has made to the lives of large numbers of women and

:41:30.:41:35.

men over the age of 60 in Scotland has been remarkable, and when other

:41:36.:41:42.

members have talked about health and well-being is so important, this

:41:43.:41:46.

would command the support of the whole house. I thank him for raising

:41:47.:41:55.

that point and I think that is a good suggestion for the Government,

:41:56.:42:01.

to adopt the London model, which is for men and women to have

:42:02.:42:04.

concessionary travel at 60. I met some Busby women last week and one

:42:05.:42:10.

said she no longer goes out with a group of Nepal who work her friends

:42:11.:42:15.

because she is still working, she cannot afford the fares, but they

:42:16.:42:23.

have concessionary travel. How unfair to divide friends like that.

:42:24.:42:29.

I thank her for that intervention and that adds to the point that this

:42:30.:42:33.

is not just about travel but about the health and well-being and the

:42:34.:42:38.

ability of people to win gauge with friends and in the community and to

:42:39.:42:44.

contribute more to that community. I am grateful for him giving way. It

:42:45.:42:51.

underlines the benefits of concessionary travel in terms of

:42:52.:42:56.

mental health and with the scourge of loneliness and an ageing

:42:57.:43:00.

population, more people are being isolated and the ability to travel

:43:01.:43:06.

is a real boon. Does he agree with me this is something we should

:43:07.:43:10.

encourage to reduce loneliness? A agree entirely, indeed one other

:43:11.:43:16.

thing I would suggest to the Government is that when they look at

:43:17.:43:20.

their disabled companion programme for those on a disability, it might

:43:21.:43:27.

dig that idea to make that a national programme and not only

:43:28.:43:30.

available on a regional basis, to bring it into line with what is

:43:31.:43:35.

happening in Scotland, which is of great benefit to people who

:43:36.:43:39.

otherwise face considerable disadvantages. I am aware of the

:43:40.:43:45.

time, but I want to mention something that concerns me greatly

:43:46.:43:49.

about the Government's infrastructure plans. When you look

:43:50.:43:54.

at some of the ways in which it has been undertaken, I have to say it

:43:55.:44:00.

leaves a lot to be desired, especially in relation to the way in

:44:01.:44:05.

which some infrastructure projects have been funded and managed. I

:44:06.:44:12.

would like to highlight what some might consider to be the financial

:44:13.:44:16.

shenanigans undertaken in relation to the Thames Tideway Tunnel

:44:17.:44:24.

project, just as an example. This controversial multi-billion pound

:44:25.:44:28.

project has eight think model comprising of conventional equity,

:44:29.:44:34.

made up of about 40% pure equity, 60% subordinated debt, plus

:44:35.:44:41.

medium-term bank debt, to be refinanced with dons issued over a

:44:42.:44:48.

six-year period. If market conditions prevent such a bond issue

:44:49.:44:53.

arising, the youth came government provides a 500 million loan facility

:44:54.:45:00.

as contingent support. Madam Deputy Speaker the ability associated with

:45:01.:45:08.

the ?500 million support is unrecorded in UK Government

:45:09.:45:14.

accounts. This parliament has never been informed of the details of this

:45:15.:45:21.

type of contingent support. It is a dodge, it exposes customers, it

:45:22.:45:25.

should be thoroughly examined by this House. We need to have proper

:45:26.:45:32.

methods of financial management of major infrastructure projects. My

:45:33.:45:37.

honourable friend earlier mentioned that Queensferry Crossing, very

:45:38.:45:43.

close to my own constituency, the new bridge being built across the

:45:44.:45:48.

Forth. Using a new model developed their call the Scottish futures

:45:49.:45:52.

trust, which was due to me got rid of the horrendous PFI, this major

:45:53.:46:01.

new bridge is coming in quicker than planned and ?1 billion under budget.

:46:02.:46:07.

How many other major infrastructure projects in the UK can you recall

:46:08.:46:12.

that art coming in quicker than planned and significantly under

:46:13.:46:17.

budget? Perhaps there would be something to look at their in terms

:46:18.:46:23.

of the Scottish Futures Trust model in terms of investment. We face many

:46:24.:46:31.

transportation challenges in this country, we face many infrastructure

:46:32.:46:40.

challenges. Perhaps above all, we face major productivity and economic

:46:41.:46:44.

challenges. These all should have been featuring much more strongly in

:46:45.:46:48.

this Queen 's speech. We need to do this not just for the benefit of

:46:49.:46:55.

ourselves but for the benefit of future generations. Thank you, Madam

:46:56.:47:04.

Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak. I was eager to speak on the

:47:05.:47:10.

question of transport because I believe there is arguably no more

:47:11.:47:15.

potent a policy which has the capacity to drive increased economic

:47:16.:47:21.

disparity than improved transport, and as a policy area transport

:47:22.:47:27.

arguably requires ever man action more than any other. Infrastructure

:47:28.:47:33.

projects only pay back over the long-term and in the case of real

:47:34.:47:39.

ways, decades. Business finds such project is difficult to finance the

:47:40.:47:44.

way back, including more jobs, increased housing and more diverse

:47:45.:47:50.

business sectors, are critical to our continued prosperity. It is not

:47:51.:47:54.

only politicians who believe this business. Business requires

:47:55.:48:00.

government to show leadership and signal its commitment to helping our

:48:01.:48:05.

business community to deliver what we all agree they are best able to

:48:06.:48:10.

do, increasing prosperity. Unfortunately I fear my constituency

:48:11.:48:15.

and those of so many of my honourable friend will find little

:48:16.:48:20.

comfort in the measures announced in this Queen 's speech. As this House

:48:21.:48:26.

knows, this Government is fond of grant announcements act by grand

:48:27.:48:33.

rhetoric, and no area of government policy is blessed with grand

:48:34.:48:36.

rhetoric than transport. We hear much about sea changes in

:48:37.:48:40.

Renaissance is from the other side of the House. A case in point, the

:48:41.:48:45.

northern powerhouse, or its close relative HS2 Ray. These projects

:48:46.:48:52.

both promise, we have been told, he renewed industrial revolution -- HS2

:48:53.:49:00.

Ray. As an MP who proudly represent the city of Bradford, I was keen to

:49:01.:49:03.

hear more about how this Government intends to improve regional

:49:04.:49:10.

transport, whether railways, buses, roads or error, to rekindle an

:49:11.:49:14.

economic renaissance in my city. I hoped I could offer gratitude to

:49:15.:49:19.

this Government for investing in Bradford, helping make judgments to

:49:20.:49:24.

realise their potential, but in reality little has emerged from this

:49:25.:49:29.

Government's Queen's Speech, other than confirmation that this term of

:49:30.:49:36.

office will be marked by broken promises and a litany of excuses.

:49:37.:49:40.

Despite six years of the so-called northern powerhouse, the only

:49:41.:49:44.

reality is felt by Bradford have been bruising government cuts and a

:49:45.:49:49.

continuing concentration of wealth, economic activity and investment in

:49:50.:49:55.

London and the south-east. Until I and other MPs founded the Government

:49:56.:50:02.

into a U-turn, we faced a broken promise on transport elective

:50:03.:50:07.

occasion. This has now been reinstated, although with a less

:50:08.:50:12.

ambitious delivery date. Bradford is the fifth largest local authority in

:50:13.:50:16.

great Wetton with a growing population of over 20,000 people. It

:50:17.:50:23.

has benefited by having the youngest population of any city in the UK,

:50:24.:50:30.

with 23.5% of the population being under 16 years of age. In ten years'

:50:31.:50:40.

time the population is expected to increase to 969 thousand, Bradford's

:50:41.:50:50.

economy is valued at ?9.2 billion. The 11th largest in the UK. The city

:50:51.:50:56.

is home to a number of major companies including Morrisons,

:50:57.:51:01.

Princes, Santander, Provident financial, and Hallmark cards. In

:51:02.:51:07.

total 17 thousand witnesses called the district of Bradford their home,

:51:08.:51:12.

providing employment to over 195,000 people. Despite these figures,

:51:13.:51:18.

Bradford continues to be shackled by poor connectivity, which is

:51:19.:51:24.

especially glaring when we take time to consider the cities regional

:51:25.:51:29.

relics. Unlike comparators, it has few direct services to other major

:51:30.:51:34.

regional cities. For example, Bradford has no direct rail services

:51:35.:51:42.

to Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, whole or Manchester Airport. And

:51:43.:51:47.

where it does have a major direct service to regional cities like

:51:48.:51:51.

Manchester, the average speed of the journey is 33 mph. A further

:51:52.:51:57.

indictment is a poor regional rail link with Leeds. Currently 45,000

:51:58.:52:03.

workers commute between Leeds and Bradford everyday, the largest flow

:52:04.:52:10.

between any two major cities in the UK, but despite the two city centres

:52:11.:52:14.

being only eight miles apart, three quarters of these journeys are made

:52:15.:52:20.

by car, an unbelievable figure. As many will recall, since I was

:52:21.:52:27.

elected to this House I have reserved my precious few

:52:28.:52:30.

opportunities to question the Prime Minister directly on the subject of

:52:31.:52:33.

regional rail improvement. I first asked about the Government's broken

:52:34.:52:40.

promise around TransPennine elective occasion and my second question

:52:41.:52:44.

centred on the elective occasion of the Calder Valley line, given the

:52:45.:52:49.

key role it promises to play in HS2 Ray and Bradford's and activity.

:52:50.:53:05.

The northern powerhouse and he at present promise no increase in

:53:06.:53:13.

regional connectivity for Bradford. For a city of Bradford's size, the

:53:14.:53:22.

11th largest city in the UK, to be notable by its absence from one of

:53:23.:53:26.

the Government 's flagship infrastructure projects is a stark

:53:27.:53:31.

and disturbing oversight. There was an opportunity in this Queen 's

:53:32.:53:35.

speech to put right this error and to bring forward measures to better

:53:36.:53:41.

connect what is a vital cog in this country is engine room of growth. It

:53:42.:53:46.

is a shame this Government has not chosen to take this opportunity.

:53:47.:53:56.

What an extraordinary waste of time. I counted 42 announcements in the

:53:57.:54:02.

Queens speech and only four of those have not been announced before

:54:03.:54:08.

yesterday. This is a Queens speech which risks being a waste of the

:54:09.:54:15.

Queen's time, the people's time and parliament's time. I cannot recall

:54:16.:54:20.

seeing a queen's speech debate in which the speakers from the

:54:21.:54:27.

Government benches have run out and for the rest of this debate, the

:54:28.:54:33.

benches have been entirely empty. Headline measures, headline measures

:54:34.:54:37.

in this legislation for this year, a little more than a middle managers

:54:38.:54:45.

task list. Stop radical preachers from taking jobs in elderly care

:54:46.:54:55.

homes. Longer school days, more NHS charging for non-EU citizens for the

:54:56.:55:00.

NHS, money for schools bought through a fizzy drinks levy. This is

:55:01.:55:10.

the so what Queen's speech. Minimal, managerial, marking time, minor

:55:11.:55:14.

policy changes, hugely overblown and hugely over briefed to the Minister.

:55:15.:55:22.

What however was not a waste of time was the speech from my honourable

:55:23.:55:25.

friend the Shadow Transport Secretary and indeed many of the

:55:26.:55:31.

speeches from all sides of this House this afternoon. My honourable

:55:32.:55:38.

friend here warned in particular when the Secretary of State for

:55:39.:55:41.

Transport who is not in his place on the bench again, she warned about

:55:42.:55:47.

the gap between what this Government does and what this Government says.

:55:48.:55:52.

She did however welcome the buses Bill and that seemed to get very

:55:53.:55:56.

wide support in the House this afternoon. From the honourable

:55:57.:56:04.

member from Bath, from the honourable friend from Sheffield

:56:05.:56:08.

South East, who also referred to this as the Queen's sci-fi speech.

:56:09.:56:14.

The honourable member made a point of how valuable the buses bill is

:56:15.:56:21.

and it was said earlier on, she made it clear, we welcomed this buses

:56:22.:56:28.

bill but she quite rightly questioned why only for the areas

:56:29.:56:32.

with elected Mahers and so we want to see other mads get the same

:56:33.:56:39.

powers in the same wheres way as they weighed this bill goes through

:56:40.:56:43.

the House. She took the Government to task about the lack of a taxi

:56:44.:56:49.

licensing bill. They want to see the system tightened up so drivers

:56:50.:56:55.

rejected for a licence cannot sidestep that bar by getting a

:56:56.:57:03.

licence in another area. But above all, she took the Secretary of State

:57:04.:57:09.

for task over the continuing delay in government over any decision

:57:10.:57:12.

about the expansion of airports in this country and in particular the

:57:13.:57:16.

decision over that one way in Heathrow. Strongly backed by my

:57:17.:57:23.

honourable friend with the authority she brings as the chair of the

:57:24.:57:27.

transport committee, but also by the member for Bath, the member for

:57:28.:57:34.

Inverness, by the member for Strangford and by my honourable

:57:35.:57:41.

friend for Poplar and Limehouse. He put this in a very good ways, he

:57:42.:57:50.

said the big absence in the Queen's speech was any announcement on

:57:51.:57:54.

airports and on Heathrow. He described it as long over due and

:57:55.:57:57.

reminded the Government about all the groundwork done by the previous

:57:58.:58:03.

Labour government, a white Paper on aviation in 2003, the decision in

:58:04.:58:08.

2008 to see the expansion of Heathrow and then nothing since. He

:58:09.:58:13.

went on to talk about housing, he went on to talk about the damage

:58:14.:58:20.

that the housing and planning act that has just reach the statute

:58:21.:58:26.

book... Let me finish the point about his speech and then I will

:58:27.:58:31.

give way. He went on to leasehold reform and he is one of the real

:58:32.:58:36.

champions in this House about leasehold reform and I was glad to

:58:37.:58:42.

hear that he is now taking an interest. For too long for both

:58:43.:58:47.

governments, leasehold reform has been put in the too difficult to do

:58:48.:58:54.

box so I say to the Minister, to the extent he is willing to act on this,

:58:55.:58:58.

we are willing to support him where we can. I wanted to make the point

:58:59.:59:07.

that given time pressures, what I didn't and wasn't able to point out

:59:08.:59:12.

was our believe the Government's housing record is not very good and

:59:13.:59:17.

notwithstanding the accusations that they have a house built record

:59:18.:59:22.

better than ours, what they are taking credit for is what we paid

:59:23.:59:29.

for and put in the planning before they came to office. He is quite

:59:30.:59:36.

right. You sometimes hear this is a government that has built more

:59:37.:59:41.

social homes than you did, 90% of those built were commissioned by the

:59:42.:59:45.

last Labour government and largely funded by the last Labour government

:59:46.:59:50.

and I have to say, I should know, I was the minister who did it. Let me

:59:51.:59:58.

return to the member for Great Grimsby. She made a strong plea for

:59:59.:00:05.

lower tolls on the Humber Bridge. A barrier, she said, not just to work

:00:06.:00:12.

or trade but also to leisure. Can I say to the Secretary of State, my

:00:13.:00:16.

honourable friend asked whether he would be prepared to meet her and

:00:17.:00:23.

the other MPs from the area to discuss how the barriers that

:00:24.:00:27.

transport creates, especially for young and older people to their

:00:28.:00:31.

leisure as well as to their work and trade, could be overcome. I hope...

:00:32.:00:38.

He is nodding, which is a good sign. I look forward to hearing when that

:00:39.:00:43.

meeting will be going ahead. To my honourable friend for Denton and

:00:44.:00:49.

Redditch, one thing he always brings to debate is passion and principal.

:00:50.:00:55.

I love the way he speaks and he quite rightly said, intentions are

:00:56.:01:00.

all fine but it is all actions we will judge and people will judge

:01:01.:01:05.

this Government. It is fine to talk of social justice, of increased life

:01:06.:01:10.

chances, reducing inequality but we look to the actions for proof that

:01:11.:01:16.

the Government does what it says and means what it says at the same time

:01:17.:01:21.

and frankly, when you look at the scrapping of the education

:01:22.:01:25.

maintenance allowance, the introduction of bedroom tax, the

:01:26.:01:32.

cutting benefits to disabled people, people working hard on low incomes,

:01:33.:01:36.

all the signs point in the opposite direction. He describes finally this

:01:37.:01:44.

Queen's speech as a missed opportunity and I made an

:01:45.:01:47.

interesting argument and I don't know if that is one he will take up,

:01:48.:01:53.

about whether or not as one of the consistent systematic checks this

:01:54.:01:58.

House applies to any new legislation, we couldn't look at

:01:59.:02:02.

whether we assessed its impact on national health and well-being as

:02:03.:02:06.

well. To my honourable friend sitting next to him, the member for

:02:07.:02:13.

Eccles South, there is no more forceful and better champion of

:02:14.:02:18.

older people than she has been consistently over the years. She

:02:19.:02:23.

gave us the extraordinary statistic that one in three carers now have to

:02:24.:02:30.

wait six months in order to get an assessment of their needs, never

:02:31.:02:34.

mind get those needs are met. She said quite rightly it is the cuts,

:02:35.:02:40.

the 4.6 billion cuts to adult social care that are a big part of that

:02:41.:02:45.

story. Rightly she said, nothing in this speech to reassure people

:02:46.:02:50.

conserved about this that the essential funding is in place and no

:02:51.:02:54.

pensions bill either to deal with the problem is that the 2.6 million

:02:55.:02:59.

older women she talks about that have been hit so hard by the recent

:03:00.:03:05.

pension changes. The honourable member who has left the chamber,

:03:06.:03:12.

argued that perhaps adopting the Scottish and London model for

:03:13.:03:17.

concessionary travel might help. My honourable friend for Bradford South

:03:18.:03:21.

quite rightly reminded the House business demands better

:03:22.:03:27.

infrastructure and when you look at a city as big as Bradford, as rich

:03:28.:03:32.

in business history and business innovation as it is now, it is being

:03:33.:03:37.

badly let down by the quality of the investment and transport

:03:38.:03:44.

infrastructure to support it. Grand rhetoric, she described, is what we

:03:45.:03:49.

get from government when real investment, change, improvement

:03:50.:03:53.

falls so far short of that and she says people in her city, businesses

:03:54.:03:58.

and residents alike, will find little comfort in the Queen's

:03:59.:04:03.

speech. I like the argument made reminding the House and the front

:04:04.:04:09.

bench that intellectual infrastructure is part of what we

:04:10.:04:16.

require. It isn't just hard building and capital projects. He urged a

:04:17.:04:21.

training and certification programme for engineers involved in the

:04:22.:04:26.

development of electric vehicles, for instance, and the electric

:04:27.:04:29.

infrastructure to support those road vehicles. He made an important point

:04:30.:04:35.

and one that I and many colleagues in Yorkshire and Humber share. A

:04:36.:04:40.

real fear that HS2 will simple mean faster rail journeys between London

:04:41.:04:47.

and Birmingham, that he said the north-west will be left out and I

:04:48.:04:51.

feel Yorkshire will be left out and I have to say the Secretary of State

:04:52.:04:56.

did nothing to reassure the House about the plans or promises of HS2

:04:57.:05:05.

being delivered in full. Now, when the Secretary of State opened this

:05:06.:05:09.

debate, he talked about UK infrastructure and with a flourish

:05:10.:05:15.

he picked two dates. 1997 and 2010. In 2010, Labour's last year in

:05:16.:05:23.

government, public sector investment or if you like the infrastructure

:05:24.:05:28.

investment from government was 3.4% of GDP. One year later, after the

:05:29.:05:38.

Chancellor did his cuts, it was down to 2.8%. 2.8% in that first year of

:05:39.:05:48.

the last parliament. By the end of the parliament, it was 1.9% GDP. By

:05:49.:05:57.

the end of this Parliament it will be 1.5%. That is the reality.

:05:58.:06:03.

Between the great rhetoric my honourable friend talks about and

:06:04.:06:07.

the actions and the investment and the long-term commitments we see

:06:08.:06:14.

from this Government. So, housing investment, part of the picture.

:06:15.:06:21.

Slashed by 60% in that first year of their last government in 2010. Roads

:06:22.:06:28.

investment slashed in the same year by ?4 billion. The renewables

:06:29.:06:36.

obligation, creating the funding to invest in green energy, removed

:06:37.:06:42.

entirely. This is the reality of what happens when they do rather

:06:43.:06:49.

than talk. The honourable member from Sedgefield, he spoke about why

:06:50.:06:53.

this sort of investment is so important, why it is more than just

:06:54.:06:59.

simply figures, he talked about Hitachi. Huge number of jobs, big

:07:00.:07:05.

boost to the growth of that region because of the investment in our

:07:06.:07:12.

rail system and in the rolling stock required in order to upgrade it. It

:07:13.:07:17.

is that sort of impact in all parts of the country that makes this

:07:18.:07:22.

infrastructure investment more than simply a matter of political and

:07:23.:07:26.

policy debate but one with real impact when we get it right in areas

:07:27.:07:28.

right across the country. But instead of this investment in

:07:29.:07:38.

our future, the Chancellor and Conservative ministers have cut back

:07:39.:07:42.

investment to secure our place in the world, stronger growth and the

:07:43.:07:49.

future welfare of our citizens. The Secretary of State also tried to

:07:50.:07:55.

tell us that yesterday's Queen's Speech was about building a

:07:56.:08:00.

stronger, more resilient, more modern economy, but I have to say

:08:01.:08:06.

after six years of failure, it's clear the Government is doing no

:08:07.:08:13.

such thing, that the Chancellor didn't fix our economic foundations

:08:14.:08:17.

after the global crash. Any right-wing hard-line Finance

:08:18.:08:21.

Minister can cut public spending but his dodging the really tough

:08:22.:08:25.

decisions that he himself promised to take in 2010. Rather than helping

:08:26.:08:32.

British with this is sell to the world, our UK trade gap was a record

:08:33.:08:41.

96 billion in the red last year, the biggest ever deficit since records

:08:42.:08:49.

began in 1948. Rather than reforming the finance sector and rebuilding

:08:50.:08:52.

our production base, jobs in manufacturing in this country are

:08:53.:08:58.

still almost 10% below the level of the pre-global crisis and crash, and

:08:59.:09:02.

rather than rebalancing the economy away from or debt and household

:09:03.:09:08.

consumption, household debt is now forecast to top pre-crash levels and

:09:09.:09:15.

reach 160% of income by the end of this Parliament. So a failure, six

:09:16.:09:23.

years of failure on the economy, an effect that by many of the measures

:09:24.:09:29.

in the Queen's Speech. Six years of failure also on housing on all

:09:30.:09:36.

fronts. So after 2 million more homes were built, 1 million more

:09:37.:09:41.

households became homeowners under Labour, were seen failure on all

:09:42.:09:46.

fronts since 2010. And when this Queen's Speech needed a direction on

:09:47.:09:52.

housing and planning, we got more of the same. Six years of failure,

:09:53.:10:00.

200,000 fewer homeowners in this country, a third of a million fewer

:10:01.:10:08.

under 35, Young people able to own their home now than when the Prime

:10:09.:10:13.

Minister took over. The number of homeless families risen by a third,

:10:14.:10:18.

rough sleeping doubled, up by a herd in the last year alone, and the

:10:19.:10:24.

point my honourable friend for Poplar made earlier, last year that

:10:25.:10:30.

fewest affordable homes built for over two decades. And a housing

:10:31.:10:37.

benefit will that has risen by ?2 billion in real terms over the

:10:38.:10:43.

course of the last Parliament. My honourable friend the chair of the

:10:44.:10:48.

select committee, took the minister to task over his target of 1 million

:10:49.:10:56.

new homes, made the strong argument that social housing, new social

:10:57.:11:01.

housing, affordable housing to rent, must be part of the picture, a point

:11:02.:11:06.

echoed ID honourable member for Strangford. The honourable member

:11:07.:11:16.

for Kilmarnock made a similar point. The sovereign yesterday, in the

:11:17.:11:20.

other place, said, my government will support aspiration and promote

:11:21.:11:24.

home ownership through its commitment to build a million new

:11:25.:11:33.

homes. Build new homes. I say to the minister, who plays fast and loose

:11:34.:11:37.

with figures sometimes, you cannot house people in planning

:11:38.:11:43.

permissions. You can't live in a start. It's new homes built that

:11:44.:11:50.

count and I have to say that to build a million new homes in this

:11:51.:11:54.

Parliament, he has to do a great deal better than we've seen in the

:11:55.:11:59.

last six years. There were fewer new homes tilt to the last Parliament

:12:00.:12:05.

than under any government in peacetime since the 1920s. Even the

:12:06.:12:13.

latest year, 2015, the full year, the number of new homes completed is

:12:14.:12:17.

still so far below where they need to be, a total of just 143 thousand.

:12:18.:12:26.

Still 24% below the peak under Labour during our 13 years. Because

:12:27.:12:33.

growth has been so sluggish under this Government, astonishingly,

:12:34.:12:40.

growing at only 2% on average since 2020, if they don't improve that run

:12:41.:12:46.

rate they won't hit their target until 2033 -- since 2010. So, some

:12:47.:12:55.

of the best policies are bigger than party politics and I will move on to

:12:56.:13:03.

a few. They can command a broad consensus, Bank of England

:13:04.:13:07.

independence, the National planning at, localisation of council planning

:13:08.:13:14.

finance, and in that neighbourhood planning Bill there is a welcome

:13:15.:13:19.

commitment to put the national infrastructure commitment on a

:13:20.:13:25.

statutory footing, as recommended by Labour's review in the last

:13:26.:13:28.

Parliament, so we are pleased the Government has taken that up. We

:13:29.:13:33.

look forward to seeing what come. Purchase powers the Government will

:13:34.:13:39.

bring in this bill. Labour's Lyons review in the last Parliament

:13:40.:13:44.

recommended updating legislation for CPUs to streamline and simplify the

:13:45.:13:51.

powers and to secure CPUs closer to existing use value, so I hope we

:13:52.:13:57.

will see these suggestions in the legislation, among the tests we will

:13:58.:14:02.

use for this bill, but we will oppose the privatisation of the

:14:03.:14:06.

public Land Registry because this will undermine the trust of

:14:07.:14:11.

homeowners, mortgage lenders and solicitors, and risk the essential

:14:12.:14:15.

neutrality, equality and transparency that the registry

:14:16.:14:20.

offered. It's a gift to tax evaders and tax of orders. Mr Deputy

:14:21.:14:27.

Speaker, just to remind the House, the Land Registry returned profits

:14:28.:14:35.

to the taxpayer of ?100 million in 2012, it has delivered a surplus for

:14:36.:14:44.

the taxpayer to the Treasury in 19 out of the last 20 years. It is a

:14:45.:14:49.

public asset making money for the public purse and we should keep it

:14:50.:14:53.

that way. The deeper truth about this Queen's Speech is a

:14:54.:14:57.

Conservative Party riven over Europe and to divide it to prepare a

:14:58.:15:04.

serious legislative programme that even tries to get to tips with the

:15:05.:15:10.

country's problems. This is a Queen's Speech for a quiet life in

:15:11.:15:14.

number ten Downing Street. It confirms a Prime Minister now past

:15:15.:15:20.

his sell by date and as the former Work and Pensions Secretary said

:15:21.:15:23.

when he walked out of the Government, policies are distinctly

:15:24.:15:28.

political rather than in the National economic interest. This is

:15:29.:15:35.

a government that worries more about the political message than policy

:15:36.:15:39.

substance, is more concerned to fix headlines than the housing crisis,

:15:40.:15:44.

the elderly carer crisis, the crisis in wages, the crisis of low

:15:45.:15:52.

investment, productivity, skills and exports, never mind one nation, this

:15:53.:15:57.

is a government and a Queen's Speech that is failing the nation.

:15:58.:16:05.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is my great pleasure to deliver the

:16:06.:16:13.

closing remarks today. It is nice to see the shadow Housing Minister in

:16:14.:16:19.

his place and taking an interest given his absence touring much of

:16:20.:16:23.

last session, I wondered where he had got to. There has been no back

:16:24.:16:29.

seat to the Government's agenda on local growth. Ministers continue to

:16:30.:16:36.

play a part in debates that follow its Queen's Speech because local

:16:37.:16:39.

growth is central to everything this Government does. The honourable

:16:40.:16:45.

gentleman may be used to listening to Labour speeches full of high

:16:46.:16:49.

words and no action but we are focused on delivering for our

:16:50.:16:53.

country. That is what this crucial speech is about. Another thing that

:16:54.:16:58.

never changes is the Shadow Housing Minister himself, going back to old

:16:59.:17:05.

lines he has used before, forgetting to mention that he was the minister

:17:06.:17:10.

who oversaw the lowest level of housing this country has seen since

:17:11.:17:15.

1923, so like a fleeting pop star of yesteryear seek cannot help but

:17:16.:17:22.

think that same tune over and over. He is welcome to keep his record,

:17:23.:17:27.

the one of boom and bust, we will stick to and build upon our record

:17:28.:17:36.

of rescue and reform. He did seem to forget in his opening remarks when

:17:37.:17:39.

he talked about the economic situation in this country, it was

:17:40.:17:44.

like he had forgotten, but this country has not, the sheer mess that

:17:45.:17:51.

his arty left this country in, outlined either letter from the

:17:52.:17:55.

member for a Birmingham, explaining there was no money left, whereas

:17:56.:18:00.

under a Conservative lead government, employment is up,

:18:01.:18:05.

inflation is down, and now wages are up, a country on the move and the

:18:06.:18:10.

Labour Party would do well to stop doing down our country and

:18:11.:18:16.

acknowledge we are moving forward. I'm sure they will come back to tell

:18:17.:18:21.

us what the spending reductions they outlined in their manifesto will be.

:18:22.:18:26.

A more original contribution came from members across this House. The

:18:27.:18:31.

member for Hazel Grove outlined his desire to see Labour planning and

:18:32.:18:37.

his work to support it not just in his own area but generally, and I

:18:38.:18:47.

have spoken to CPRE as well as the Association of National councils,

:18:48.:18:52.

which would welcome neighbourhood planning. The member for Inverness

:18:53.:18:59.

was pleased with some innovation that is in the projects in the

:19:00.:19:04.

Queen's Speech, outlined by the Secretary of State for Transport

:19:05.:19:09.

earlier today, but wanted to see a UK wide when the fat from these

:19:10.:19:14.

measures, they glad he is now agreeing we are better to there. The

:19:15.:19:18.

member for St Austell and Newquay made the case for improvements to

:19:19.:19:28.

roads in his terrier, and I will come to the member for Sheffield's

:19:29.:19:33.

comments on a million homes. The member for Bath, who I've worked

:19:34.:19:38.

closely within making sure we see affordable homes old, so people can

:19:39.:19:46.

have a home of their own, something Labour tried to block we have now

:19:47.:19:51.

delivered, and the fact this can deliver jobs. I look forward to

:19:52.:19:57.

working with the honourable member for Poplar and I appreciate the

:19:58.:20:00.

remarks average improving things for leaseholders. The member for Thirsk

:20:01.:20:08.

outlined his views around Labour plans and we should remember

:20:09.:20:10.

neighbourhood plans deliver more homes. The members spoke on a wide

:20:11.:20:19.

range of matters from transport to health and business rates. The

:20:20.:20:23.

member for Redditch talked about business rates, the member for Great

:20:24.:20:28.

Grimsby outlined issues around the Humber Bridge and I can't give her

:20:29.:20:33.

reassurance that we will make sure tolls on the Humber Bridge will not

:20:34.:20:39.

get to the peak we saw under Labour after week that in 2012. The

:20:40.:20:43.

honourable member for Chester talked about the northern powerhouse,

:20:44.:20:50.

investment for it, and I would say the northern powerhouse is seeing

:20:51.:20:53.

vast investment, showing evolution such that Labour council members are

:20:54.:20:58.

working with the northern powerhouse. Would getting used on

:20:59.:21:06.

this site to discourteous wind-up speeches from ministers opposite.

:21:07.:21:10.

The minister didn't have the courtesy to listen when I was

:21:11.:21:15.

eating, he has just summarised what three members on this site said in

:21:16.:21:21.

about six words. I spoke on the half of 7 million carers and 2.6 million

:21:22.:21:26.

women affected by this date pension age changes made by this Government

:21:27.:21:30.

and I think it deserves a little more than that very words made. This

:21:31.:21:36.

is a so - what Queen's Speech from a so- what government, who cannot be

:21:37.:21:43.

bothered to support it. I am surprised by her slightly

:21:44.:21:47.

intervention on the fact I have not yet and is talking about what

:21:48.:21:52.

members were speaking about, and she should have seen I did refer to what

:21:53.:21:59.

she said, and I will make sure the Secretary of State for Department

:22:00.:22:01.

for Work and Pensions sees her speech and can report to that, and

:22:02.:22:06.

no doubt he will respond to her directly but she can do better than

:22:07.:22:14.

that response. Overall, we have seen speeches from members across the

:22:15.:22:18.

House outlining their views and their concerns about investment that

:22:19.:22:22.

the vote in June can make, and the importance of our membership of the

:22:23.:22:28.

EU, and one think we can agree on is that our membership of the EU lays

:22:29.:22:33.

an important part for investment, especially overseas investment, and

:22:34.:22:39.

I'm sure the member of will agree with me that for housing we note

:22:40.:22:43.

this the ability for investment that is needed for seeing housing

:22:44.:22:47.

continued to grow is important and destruction to that could be

:22:48.:22:53.

damaging, and as housing is damaged so would economy, so it was an

:22:54.:22:55.

important point. As is fitting, today's debate has

:22:56.:23:08.

ranged far and wide. Members will excuse me if I bring us back home to

:23:09.:23:14.

build my department will be leading on. Having completed work on the

:23:15.:23:19.

housing and planning act, the officials who like to stay busy are

:23:20.:23:24.

delighted to be taking on two new bills. The first of these is the

:23:25.:23:28.

neighbourhood planning and infrastructure bill. In the last

:23:29.:23:36.

year, permissions were granted for over 255,000 new homes. Housing

:23:37.:23:45.

stock has recovered from record lows and the number of first-time buyers

:23:46.:23:53.

is up by 57% since 2009. 262,001st-time buyers last year

:23:54.:24:00.

alone. We want to build a million more homes in the course of this

:24:01.:24:04.

Parliament and have a million more first-time buyers. Homelessness is

:24:05.:24:12.

still below the peak it saw under the last Labour government. We want

:24:13.:24:17.

to deliver 400,000 affordable homes giving us the biggest government led

:24:18.:24:22.

building programme this Government has seen since the 1970s and housing

:24:23.:24:30.

was up from 88,000 he left us with, that's a 25% rise just last year

:24:31.:24:39.

alone. I would point out homelessness has doubled under this

:24:40.:24:43.

Government. Is he suggesting homeless people are going to go from

:24:44.:24:49.

a position of being homeless to accessing the so-called affordable

:24:50.:24:53.

homes? What we need to do is make sure we're working right across the

:24:54.:24:59.

piece, making sure our social services, the extra investment we

:25:00.:25:04.

are putting into homeless works right across the board. We will have

:25:05.:25:08.

done our job to the best of our ability when we give everyone the

:25:09.:25:15.

chance to own their homes. She might want to think about the fact that

:25:16.:25:21.

86% of our population want to own their own homes. We want to make

:25:22.:25:25.

sure that as well as seeing that million more homes, we want an

:25:26.:25:31.

enduring, sustainable improvement to the delivery of new housing. The

:25:32.:25:36.

chronic undersupply of new homes is a failure that was decades in the

:25:37.:25:41.

making. Halfway through this decade we can see our changes are making

:25:42.:25:46.

fruit. In this Parliament and the last, we devoted the effort to first

:25:47.:25:53.

rescue and reform housing delivery. To build on each housing reform,

:25:54.:25:59.

learning from experience and forming local relationships are required for

:26:00.:26:03.

delivering. As we saw previously, the quick and dirty approach to

:26:04.:26:08.

building more houses has not been a solution, rather it led to the

:26:09.:26:12.

disaster that has set Britain back by years. The purpose of this bill

:26:13.:26:18.

is to empower local communities to plan and deliver the development

:26:19.:26:22.

they need where they know they need it. It simplifies the neighbourhood

:26:23.:26:28.

planning process, ensuring the voice of the community will be heard as

:26:29.:26:31.

soon as possible and give them confidence about that. The creation

:26:32.:26:35.

of a fully fledged neighbourhood planning system stands as one of the

:26:36.:26:41.

great reforms of this Government. It is now underway in thousands of

:26:42.:26:48.

communities. He knows I have an interest because he was the minister

:26:49.:26:53.

that responded to an adjournment debate in relation to problems in

:26:54.:26:59.

the Haughton Green area of white constituency. What assurances can he

:27:00.:27:03.

give to the people there that the things they want to see happen in

:27:04.:27:08.

their community, can be delivered through his bill, for example, will

:27:09.:27:13.

there be a neighbourhood right of appeal, something which the

:27:14.:27:15.

Government has previously blocked when the Labour Party put amendments

:27:16.:27:25.

down for such a measure? It didn't vote on that, he might want to check

:27:26.:27:30.

back and see how that played out. The point of what we want to achieve

:27:31.:27:34.

through this deal is to make sure there is not a need for third party

:27:35.:27:40.

right of appeal. Prevention is better than cure. Talking to

:27:41.:27:45.

organisations like the CPRE and people who have done neighbourhood

:27:46.:27:49.

plans, that seems to be the more popular way to get things done. I

:27:50.:27:56.

have to say I was one of the Shadow ministers on the localism bill and

:27:57.:28:00.

we did support community right of appeal because I was there. There is

:28:01.:28:07.

a big issue brewing in my constituency, he talks about

:28:08.:28:10.

neighbourhood is having a say, the Secretary of State appears to have

:28:11.:28:13.

dropped support for an application locally. My community are sick of a

:28:14.:28:22.

lack of support there is from the Secretary of State for important

:28:23.:28:27.

green belt issues. I am sure she will appreciate I cannot comment on

:28:28.:28:31.

a particular planning application but we have gone further to ensure

:28:32.:28:36.

green belt property is protected. With regard to the neighbourhood

:28:37.:28:41.

planning part, she might want to look at what her party did. She

:28:42.:28:45.

might want to update her own knowledge. Almost 200 and the plans

:28:46.:28:52.

have passed referendums. We saw a team go through in just one week and

:28:53.:28:57.

more go through week by week. Local people are participants in that

:28:58.:29:04.

planning process. That is helping to transform attitudes to development,

:29:05.:29:08.

to see a more positive approach and whether planning is something done

:29:09.:29:14.

with people, we create trust and we are seeing more homes being given

:29:15.:29:18.

permission. You want to go further and I am determined to give the

:29:19.:29:23.

certainty and the ease to plans people want. It will also ensure

:29:24.:29:28.

planning permissions are imposed are only done when necessary. As

:29:29.:29:34.

Minister for Housing and planning I have had examples of planning

:29:35.:29:37.

permissions with hundreds of conditions attached, the worst of

:29:38.:29:43.

which are those that stop any work happening at all. So-called

:29:44.:29:47.

pre-commencement conditions. The worst was one with over 800. I am

:29:48.:29:52.

aware of cases where half of the conditions attracts require further

:29:53.:30:02.

agreement. -- attachments. These can take months and years to resolve.

:30:03.:30:07.

Ministers will have had resonance or seen examples of sites were

:30:08.:30:11.

permission has been granted and yet not been built out. It is the most

:30:12.:30:16.

frustrating thing for a community to see and we need to put an end to

:30:17.:30:22.

that. The grief it causes is not restricted to the companies who

:30:23.:30:26.

cannot get on with building, it is for communities themselves, those

:30:27.:30:31.

who go through the process of the planning permission. They decide for

:30:32.:30:36.

themselves whether they want new building to happen. That

:30:37.:30:40.

localisation is behind so much of the successful rebuilding we have

:30:41.:30:44.

seen. When sites with permission are then drowned with pre-commencement

:30:45.:30:49.

conditions, disillusionment with the entire system sets in and it is

:30:50.:30:54.

toxic. We need to make sure the powers to decide where building will

:30:55.:30:58.

happen stays in the hands of local communities and that is why we need

:30:59.:31:03.

to refine the process. This is not about taking away any protections or

:31:04.:31:09.

checks, but it is about stopping needless bureaucracy. Our intention

:31:10.:31:13.

is many issues will be resolvable at the same time building is under way,

:31:14.:31:18.

to make sure any legitimate concerns are addressed without holding up

:31:19.:31:23.

production. A third key element of the bill is the completion of our

:31:24.:31:30.

reforms for compulsory purchase. It involves purchase of current not

:31:31.:31:35.

future use of value. The Government is not proposing to change existing

:31:36.:31:39.

fundamental principle, that compensation should be paid at

:31:40.:31:44.

market value in the absence of the scheme underlying compulsory

:31:45.:31:51.

purchase. These are intended to make the process clearer, fairer and

:31:52.:31:55.

faster for all parties involved. We're not changing anything like

:31:56.:32:00.

that. If we want a much wider ranging developers to play their

:32:01.:32:04.

part in building the homes that we need, we must remove risk from the

:32:05.:32:09.

process of planning. Needless uncertainty does nothing to protect

:32:10.:32:13.

the countryside or guarantee good design. But it does is restrict

:32:14.:32:18.

home-building for the biggest players. With this bill communities

:32:19.:32:23.

will have the tools they need to diversify development, enabling the

:32:24.:32:27.

achievement of both quantity and quality in house building. The bill

:32:28.:32:30.

will establish the independent National infrastructure commission

:32:31.:32:36.

on a statutory basis. The commission is the next step in this plan to

:32:37.:32:41.

improve UK infrastructure. This will help deliver our pledge to invest

:32:42.:32:45.

over 100 billion in our infrastructure networks. The second

:32:46.:32:51.

piece of legislation, the local growth and jobs bill, makes an

:32:52.:32:56.

equally important contribution. Not least by giving communities by

:32:57.:32:59.

direct stake in their financial growth. It delivers on our

:33:00.:33:03.

commitment to allow retention of business rates by councils and will

:33:04.:33:08.

allow councils to reduced the business tax rate. It enables

:33:09.:33:12.

combined authority mays to levy a supplement on business rate builds

:33:13.:33:17.

to fund projects. This will need the support of the business community

:33:18.:33:23.

but the potential for locally led infrastructure investment is clear.

:33:24.:33:29.

All of this takes place within the broader context of localism. Of

:33:30.:33:34.

growth and evolution deals right around our country, of the

:33:35.:33:38.

decentralisation of billions of pounds of infrastructure funds,

:33:39.:33:41.

local communities have never had a big opportunity to direct their

:33:42.:33:47.

development. Who can blame certain members. With the political on dead

:33:48.:33:56.

occupying their frontbenchers, a new life in City Hall has never looked

:33:57.:34:00.

more exciting. What I would say to members opposite and members like

:34:01.:34:08.

the shadow secretary is go for it. This has never been a better time to

:34:09.:34:12.

be in local government with more power to do things in your community

:34:13.:34:18.

than ever before. It falls to me to have these final words into Dave's

:34:19.:34:26.

debate but in the years to come... Back to the point I raised about a

:34:27.:34:31.

million new homes. Could we have it on the record, is the million new

:34:32.:34:39.

homes a government commitment? I made it clear, yes, we have an

:34:40.:34:42.

ambition to deliver a million homes in this Parliament and rather than

:34:43.:34:49.

the final words falling to me or anyone else in this House, the final

:34:50.:34:55.

word on transport, infrastructure, housing, other matters vital to

:34:56.:34:58.

local growth won't be heard in this chamber at all. Key decisions thanks

:34:59.:35:06.

to this Government will be made with communities given the power to set

:35:07.:35:13.

their own course. I am proud to be part of a one nation Conservative

:35:14.:35:18.

government that is setting them free to do that. That is why this is such

:35:19.:35:23.

an important speech. Delivering for our country and so I commend it to

:35:24.:35:31.

the House. The question is... That the debate now be adjourned. The

:35:32.:35:43.

ayes have it. The debate to resume Monday next. Let's look at the next

:35:44.:35:53.

bit. Motion of lay members of the committee on standards. I beg to

:35:54.:35:59.

move that the following be appointed as lay members of the committee on

:36:00.:36:05.

standards in accordance with standing member 1409A. The motion

:36:06.:36:18.

proposes the appointment of four additional lay members to the

:36:19.:36:23.

committee on standards. We are started in 2013 with three lay

:36:24.:36:27.

members on the committee which ten elected members. I would like to

:36:28.:36:32.

thank the three appointed at that

:36:33.:36:33.

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