"I have a feeling that the noble Lord might be speaking from experience given the depth of his knowledge. I met my neighbour—not that we live in a particularly rural area—who had these issues. That is why the Government are investing so significantly into the whole area of charging. One …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"The noble Lord hits on a very important point, but I emphasise to the House just how seriously the Government are taking this point. We have 88,000 public charge points in the UK and 920,000 domestic charge points, and all motorway service stations have them—I take the noble Lord’s point …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"My noble friend raises some crucial points. When I go home, I have to tell people that, in going around London, one of the most dangerous exercises is crossing the road because of the fear of unregulated cycles coming through. We have had many debates on this. I do not …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"The Government have the £4 billion DRIVE35 programme supporting investment in zero-emission vehicle manufacturing R&D and the supply chain in the UK. We are working across the whole system looking at where gigafactories are located and, most importantly, working closely with the sector. I point out that we have an …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"Just to broaden the issue, the majority of schemes are delivering economic benefits and have created additional lane capacity, which is beneficial now and into the future. I think it goes back to the perception issue. Smart motorways remain our safest roads, and we are monitoring the impact of investment …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, for his Question. I assure him that safety is our top priority. While National Highways reports show that smart motorways are meeting or exceeding safety objectives in all but one upgrade, we know that people need …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"I can absolutely assure the noble Baroness that no more smart motorways will be installed. It is difficult when you inherit a programme, and it has obviously been done with the best of intentions—to save lives, increase capacity, help people move around and support the economy. Obviously, the costs involved …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"My noble friend raises an interesting point, but I have to go back to the fact that 793 people were killed or seriously injured on the motorways in 2023, compared with 1,120 on A-roads. Making sure that we consider carefully how we can improve driver safety, whether that means looking …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"The noble Lord will be aware that we do not hold that level of detail on potholes, but what I can say is that this Government have made the biggest commitment of financial support to local authorities, so they can assess priority need and get on and repair the roads …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech
"My Lords, the UK is a global leader in the transition to zero-emission vehicles, with the largest EV market share of any major European economy in 2025. The Government are committed to working with manufacturers, charge point operators and fleets to ensure that the transition is a success. We are …..." Baroness Blake of Leeds - View Speech