Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Tuesday 5th March 2024

(3 weeks, 3 days ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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Significant investment is going in to reduce both general wait times and cancer wait times. More patients on the cancer pathway have been seen than ever before; nearly 220,000 patients were seen last December following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer, representing 117% of December 2019 levels. We continue to keep this under review and continue to strive to make the system go faster and reduce the elective backlog.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call the shadow Minister.

Abena Oppong-Asare Portrait Abena Oppong-Asare (Erith and Thamesmead) (Lab)
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NHS figures from December show that the number of women waiting for gynaecological treatment reached another record high of nearly 600,000. That number has tripled since 2012. A Labour Government will cut NHS waiting lists in England by funding 2 million more appointments a year. What can the Minister say to the women waiting urgently for treatment?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Monday 17th October 2022

(1 year, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I am grateful for the opportunity to pay fulsome tribute to my hard-working predecessor for his incredible work in not just getting the strategy over the line, but agreeing the £2 billion of funding that will support the implementation of that strategy over the next three years. I am delighted to be carrying on his great work.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call the Opposition spokesperson, Sarah Owen.

Sarah Owen Portrait Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)
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I know that today’s focus is on heating homes, but for far too many people it is on saving their homes. Nearly 20,000 households have been put at risk of homelessness by no-fault evictions in the past year, a rise of 121%, while the Government dither. Mortgages are soaring, rents are rising, homelessness is increasing, and 1,300 Ukrainian refugee households, many with children, are homeless because of the Department’s failure to act on repeated warnings. The Chartered Institute of Housing says that without action this Government will break their promise to end rough sleeping by 2024. Will the new Minister tell us whether they are sticking to that pledge, or will he tell us the truth—that the homelessness crisis will not be fixed by increasing bankers’ bonuses, but will only be fixed by a change of Government?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 19th May 2022

(1 year, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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My hon. Friend continues to make powerful points on behalf of his constituency. I am sure my noble Friend Baroness Vere, the Buses Minister, will be happy to meet him.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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We now come to the shadow Minister, Sam Tarry.

Sam Tarry Portrait Sam Tarry (Ilford South) (Lab)
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Well, well, well, the Minister and the buffoons on the Back Benches talk of enhancing bus services, but at what cost? Today, Labour party research—[Interruption.] I suggest the Minister listens to this. Today, Labour party research shows that ZEBRA, or zero-emission bus regional area, funding to the tune of £15 million has been awarded to Arrival, which is interesting because that bus company is run by one Mr Denis Sverdlov, one of President Putin’s closest allies. The funding will see Arrival’s buses on the streets of the UK, sanctioned by this Government.

This Government are supposed to have sanctioned everyone connected to the Russian Government as a result of the horrific war in Ukraine, so I have one simple question: why is millions of pounds of UK taxpayers’ money being handed to one of Putin’s nomenklatura? This is not Bus Back Better but buses straight to Russia.

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I completely appreciate the importance of local rail services. We are working not only to restore rail services following the pandemic but, through things such as the restoring your railway scheme, to open new lines and services throughout the country. We continue to invest record amounts. As the lead on the integrated rail plan, I am particularly interested in ensuring that we get local services right throughout the north of England. I am happy to discuss with the Rail Minister the points the hon. Gentleman has raised, to see what more we can do in his area.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call the shadow Minister.

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Portrait Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)
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On Tuesday, we will see the opening of the fantastic Elizabeth line, which will run from east London right through the incredible town of Slough and on to Reading. It shows just what can be achieved when a Labour Government decide to make an ambitious public transport investment, as they did back in 2005 by introducing the Crossrail Bill. That stands in stark contrast to this Government, who are cutting services, jobs, safety checks and infra- structure projects throughout our rail network. The only thing they have increased is fares, and by eye-watering amounts. Will the Minister explain how huge cuts and huge fare hikes will do anything to get people back on to trains and to tackle the climate and cost of living crises?

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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I remind hon. Members—I know that Chief Whips and Whips do not know—that topical questions are meant to be very brief.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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The Government are aware of the impact that electricity lines across the port of Tyne have on businesses in the area. Electricity network infrastructure is a matter for Ofgem as the energy regulator, but the Government continue to engage with the National Grid and the Port of Tyne authority to help find the right solution to manage a key piece of electricity network infrastructure in the area. Of course, I would be happy to arrange any suitable meeting for the right hon. Gentleman and his parliamentary colleagues.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 17th March 2022

(2 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to bus drivers, who worked throughout the pandemic. The Government supported the work of local bus services with £1.7 billion of funding throughout the period. We do not intervene, however, on the levels of remuneration in private businesses, with the exception of setting rates for the national minimum wage and the national living wage.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call shadow Minister Sam Tarry.

Sam Tarry Portrait Sam Tarry (Ilford South) (Lab)
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Happy St Patrick’s Day, Mr Speaker. During the height of the covid pandemic, bus drivers worked tirelessly, often at considerable risk to their health, to keep our vital services functioning by helping NHS staff and other essential workers reach their destination. This week, a Unite the union survey said that we now face bus driver shortages in 99% of garages, which clearly severely hampers services across the country. The same survey said that an average of 90% of respondents believe that the mass exodus is a direct result of low pay and poor working conditions. Those heroes of the transport industry clearly deserve something better, so is it not high time for operators to reward the efforts of our vital transport networks and the people who work on them, and give those bus drivers the pay rise and improvements in working conditions that they thoroughly deserve?

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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My hon. Friend continues to be the strongest possible champion for this scheme and for his constituents. I know he met the Roads Minister to discuss this recently, but I know my noble Friend the Baroness Vere will be more than happy to meet him again. Discussions about this scheme remain ongoing.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call the shadow Minister.

Gill Furniss Portrait Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)
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The road investment strategy will now have to take into account remedial work on smart motorways. Just last week it was revealed that for almost a week prior to a tragic collision on the M4, vehicle detection technology, there to protect stranded motorists, had been broken. What is more, overnight it has been reported that one in six stopped vehicle detection cameras on the M25 are currently out of action. These serious flaws in safety-critical technology on smart motorways are continuing to put lives at risk. I beg the Minister to urgently address these serious flaws and, in the meantime, to reinstate the hard shoulder before more lives are needlessly lost.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 24th June 2021

(2 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Better transport is central to the Government’s agenda to level up the north. The TransPennine route upgrade is already under way, our national bus strategy is being delivered and we will soon publish our integrated rail plan for the midlands and the north, ensuring that transformational rail improvements are delivered as quickly as possible.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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It is just that we need the TransPennine trains to go through Chorley, not Wigan.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 29th April 2021

(2 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Robert Largan Portrait Robert Largan [V]
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After five years, Andy Burnham is finally getting on with franchising bus services in Greater Manchester, and this is a step that I broadly welcome. However, there are many towns, like Glossop, Hadfield and New Mills, that are just outside Greater Manchester and rely heavily on cross-border bus services. Does the Minister agree that the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Derbyshire County Council need to work closely together to ensure that my constituents are not forgotten in any changes to bus services, and that we should take this opportunity to improve local bus routes, including delivering a badly needed direct bus from Glossop and Hadfield to Tameside General Hospital?

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am sure the same will apply to Lancashire.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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Indeed, Mr Speaker. I thank my hon. Friend for being such a great champion of active travel across his constituency of High Peak. Of course, it is for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to determine the geographical area of the franchising scheme. Local transport authorities may also join together to produce joint plans and should seek to do so where local economies and travel-to-work areas overlap significantly. He makes a strong case, and I certainly hope that the local authorities in question will listen to him.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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We now come to shadow Minister Sam Tarry.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 11th March 2021

(3 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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Dudley is indeed pioneering research and development into very light rail, and I am pleased that the West Midlands Combined Authority recently signed off funding into the Dudley interchange. Mayor Andy Street’s vision is for it to be the best-connected region in the country, and the Chancellor has confirmed the £4.2 billion intra-city transport fund, as well as the levelling up fund, in the Budget. I am sure that, with his help, Dudley will get its fair share of transport infrastructure funding. I am looking forward to riding the metro to Dudley Zoo very soon.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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And they will all go in twos.

Sally-Ann Hart Portrait Sally-Ann Hart [V]
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Investing in improved transport infrastructure is well recognised by my hon. Friend as a necessity for turbocharging our economy and levelling up. Beautiful Hastings and Rye has some of the most antiquated road and rail infrastructure in the country, which inhibits economic growth and is the reason why HS1 must be prioritised.

If we are serious about levelling up left-behind communities, does my hon. Friend not agree that HS1, as promised by previous Ministers, now needs to be delivered? What discussions has he had with the Treasury to ensure that funding will be available to finance such a vital project?

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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The hon. Gentleman has been in this House long enough to know that the Prime Minister is always right.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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You might be proved wrong.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I have just told the House, the budget for Northern Powerhouse Rail available to Transport for the North last year was £59 million; next year it is £67 million. Looking at that funding alone, it has all the money it needs in order to deliver on the priorities in the north of England. At the same time, we are getting on with delivering, with £29 billion invested in transport across the north of England since 2010, while in the Budget we committed to over £40 billion more for transport and rail infrastructure projects, £17.5 billion in renewals and upgrades over the next three years, and £22.6 billion for HS2. We are getting on with delivering, levelling up and building back better from covid-19.

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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My hon. Friend is a tireless champion for Wakefield. A bypass for Denby Dale would be a matter for the local highways authority—in this case, Kirklees Council—to consider, but it is something it could consider as a bid into the Government’s recently announced £4.8 billion levelling up fund, which has improving local transport connectivity as one of its top priorities.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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Let us go to Christian Matheson—[Interruption.] We will come back to him.

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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The Department is considering my hon. Friend’s ideas fund bid for the East Didsbury to Stockport Metrolink line. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the assessment process, and I am sure my hon. Friend the rail Minister would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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Let us return to Christian Matheson.

Christian Matheson Portrait Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab) [V]
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We will try again, Mr Speaker. I was pleased with the Hendy report on cross border connectivity, which talked about improving the north Wales coastline and access to HS2. Central to that is the Chester to Crewe line. Why not crack on now with electrifying and upgrading that line, and with the track re-layout as part of the Growth Track 360 project at Chester? Will the Minister commit to that?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 3rd December 2020

(3 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sara Britcliffe Portrait Sara Britcliffe
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Since being elected, I have been working with Ministers on the reopening of the Skipton to Colne railway line and the potential for a freight terminal in Huncoat. It is an essential line, well worth the investment, that will connect east Lancashire to Yorkshire. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss the progression of the railway line and freight terminal, and will he look again at supporting an engineering study for the project?

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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Let us have the hon. Member for Colne.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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Indeed. I thank my hon. Friend for her continued and tireless campaigning on this matter. Given that my constituency of Pendle will, as you have identified, Mr Speaker, be one of those that most benefit from the reopening of the Colne-Skipton line, I will recuse myself from commenting directly on the scheme, but I know she has met my hon. Friend the rail Minister, who continues to consider the proposals carefully.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Thursday 2nd July 2020

(3 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I pay tribute to the work that my hon. Friend did when he was a Department for Transport Minister. Work is now under way on platform 0 at Leeds and is expected to be completed by early next year. It will enable Northern to operate services more reliably.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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Sounds like Harry Potter, doesn’t it?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Monday 18th May 2020

(3 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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We continue to work with the metro Mayors to look at these issues, and we work closely, in conjunction with Treasury Ministers, to ensure that the funding necessary is provided and that we can support public transport networks right across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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We now come to Jim McMahon. I congratulate him on his new job.

Jim McMahon Portrait Jim McMahon (Oldham West and Royton) (Lab/Co-op)
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Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. May I start by paying tribute to our frontline transport workers, and may I offer my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives through covid-19?

The latest advice from the Government now explicitly rules out providing personal protective equipment, such as face masks, to drivers, instead reserving them for health and social care workers. The response on this is that the health advice apparently does not support it. If the evidence says that masks will not save them, gloves will not save them and banning the handling of cash will not save them, that begs the question: what will save them, given that transport workers, including bus drivers, are more likely to die from covid-19 than the general population? Can that evidence be provided to the House of Commons Library so that it can be properly looked at and investigated? We cannot allow transport workers on the frontline, working to keep our country moving, to face a greater risk than the general population.

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Andrew Stephenson Portrait The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Andrew Stephenson) [V]
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Recent analysis by LNER indicates that such a service could be viable and the Department is exploring this further.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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We now go, with audio only, to Sir Edward.

Edward Leigh Portrait Sir Edward Leigh [V]
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Mr Speaker, I am sorry that you do not have a picture because the broadband in rural Lincolnshire is so bad. That is why it is even more important that we get our through train from Grimsby and Cleethorpes down to London, which we have been promised again and again. It is a huge catchment area. All the Government have to do is to kick-start this project. Given that they are spending £100 billion on HS2, if they just give us £1 million, LNER will give us the through train. Will the Government fulfil their promises and kick-start the through train to London from Grimsby and Cleethorpes?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Lindsay Hoyle
Tuesday 4th February 2020

(4 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. We must have short questions. I call the Minister to respond.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson
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I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I have already agreed to meet her, as did my predecessor, but neither offer has been taken up. On 23 January, the consular murder and manslaughter team held a workshop bringing together key stakeholders, including Murdered Abroad, the Help for Victims homicide service, the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan police and the Chief Coroner’s Office to focus on always improving our support for bereaved families. I participated in that meeting. We will always strive to improve the service that we provide to those who have loved ones murdered abroad.