Oral Answers to Questions

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 29th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

For too many disabled people, the railway remains a system of barriers rather than connections. To improve disability access at stations, we continue to deliver step-free access through the Access for All programme. Since July 2024, we have completed improvements at 31 stations across the country; a further 22 are in progress on site, and 36 are in design. Last month, we committed to make level boarding from train to platform a baseline expectation for all new Great British Railways trains.

[Catherine Fookes]

I thank the Secretary of State for her answer, but over 1,500 people have signed my petition to make Chepstow station fully accessible. Currently, disabled travellers need to go east into England, cross over a road, get back on a train and travel back through Chepstow to go west to Cardiff, so Chepstow residents were incredibly disappointed that they missed out on the last round of Access for All funding, despite being nearly at the top of the priority list given by the Welsh Government to Westminster. Can the Secretary of State please confirm when the next Access for All round will begin, and when Chepstow station will be fully accessible to residents?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend paints a vivid picture of how critical accessible stations are, not just to her constituents but to people travelling across the country. She will know that Chepstow was nominated for Access for All funding in 2022, but was not selected for funding by the previous Government. Future funding, beyond what I spoke about in my first answer, will be considered at the next spending review, and I would be keen to work with my hon. Friend to understand how the case of Chepstow station can be raised at that time.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

Disabled residents and anyone who relies on the lift at Bishop’s Stortford train station have found it consistently out of service in recent months. That is making it harder for them to get to work, school and other activities. I understand that discussions regarding a long-term fix are ongoing, but our community still lacks clarity on what those works will involve and when they might take place. The Rail Minister kindly supported my campaign to get the platform 1 lift at Hertford North train station over the line. I would be grateful if Ministers could lend their support again by asking Network Rail and Greater Anglia to bring forward a clear plan for restoring reliable step-free access at Bishop’s Stortford.

[Heidi Alexander]

I am very sorry to hear about the problems that my hon. Friend’s constituents are experiencing at Bishop’s Stortford station. I am aware of those problems and know that they were further impacted by the extreme temperatures this summer. A full lift replacement is planned for 2028, but I realise that that will sound like a long way off to his constituents. In the short term, I will ask my officials to meet Greater Anglia to explore how we can alleviate disruption for residents, and I would be happy to keep him updated on that.

[David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)]

May I just put it on the record that the Tour de France will be passing through my constituency twice?

Will the Secretary of State investigate the position on Kirkconnel station in my constituency, on the Nith valley line? Kirkconnel is a former mining community with an older population, and many people are unable to use the station because of infirmity or poor mobility.

[Heidi Alexander]

As the right hon. Gentleman will know, matters relating to the railways are devolved, but I will look into the accessibility issues at the station he refers to and progress any necessary conversations with colleagues in the Scottish Government.

[Mr Will Forster (Woking) (LD)]

One of the lifts at Woking station was out of service for 40 days in one year, and constituents in West Byfleet have complained that their station’s platform is too high for them to use safely. What is the Secretary of State doing to make sure that stations on the South Western Railway line are accessible for all?

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said in my earlier answer, we do have a programme of work happening across the country at the moment, whether that is further design work on stations or construction works that are under way. In reference to the two stations that the hon. Gentleman mentioned—Woking and West Byfleet—I would be happy to look at the details and discuss with him whether future improvements could come forward as part of the next spending review.

[Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Gateshead South) (Lab)]

4. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in airport drop-off fees on airport users.

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[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

5. What discussions her Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on minimising disruption to road users during essential roadworks.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

My Department regularly discusses roadworks and other highways matters with the Northern Ireland Executive through the UK Roads Leadership Group.

[Jim Shannon]

I thank the Secretary of State for her answer; I am glad to hear that she has discussions with the relevant Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Local businesses on the A25 Castleward Road in Strangford have seen their trade reduced by some 90%, and I believe there is a sensible solution: to work at night. I have suggested that to the Department back home as a way of alleviating the impact on local businesses. Will the Minister ensure that those discussions take place? At a time when businesses are struggling to meet their basic staffing and operating costs, it is essential to protect our traders.

[Heidi Alexander]

I completely understand why the hon. Gentleman raises these matters. Whether it is people travelling on the roads or businesses that are impacted by roadworks, the impacts are felt across the entirety of the UK. We have discussed these matters through the UK Roads Leadership Group, and I can tell him that a code of practice was recently published. It provides guidance for authorities on how to better co-ordinate roadworks with neighbouring authorities and utilities—by considering overnight works, for example—to minimise disruption.

[Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)]

The Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 allows the Northern Ireland Executive to bring in a lane rental scheme to charge contractors a daily rate for disruptive roadworks, but they have chosen not to take this position. Will the Secretary of State extol the virtues of the lane rental scheme to the Northern Ireland Executive? While she is at it, will she take the final steps to give the lane rental powers under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 to the Mayor of London, to cut traffic in Ealing Southall too?

[Mr Speaker]

We are struggling to stick to Northern Ireland. Pick what you can out of that, Secretary of State.

[Heidi Alexander]

I will do my best to address both elements of my hon. Friend’s question. From my experience as the Deputy Mayor of London, I know the difference that lane rental schemes can make to manage the most disruptive impacts. I will certainly pursue discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive about lane rental, because I know it could make a real difference in that part of the UK as well.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to improve passenger rail services.

[Jo Stevens (Cardiff East) (Lab)]

10. What steps she is taking to improve passenger rail services.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

For too long, our railways have not been run in the service of passengers. We are turning this around, with six operators already brought into public ownership under this Government and the renationalisation of Great Western Railway on 13 December. Next year, the creation of Great British Railways will bring the management of track and train together, ending decades of fragmentation, and delivering better and more reliable services for passengers.

[Dave Robertson]

My constituents rely on the Cross-City line to get them in and out of Birmingham, but the last train back from Birmingham in the evening does not run as far as Lichfield, meaning that we cannot make the most of the nightlife there. As Christmas approaches, does the Secretary of State agree that it is time to change that and boost the evening service from New Street to Lichfield City, so that my constituents can make the best of Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas market?

[Heidi Alexander]

I thank my hon. Friend for his tireless campaigning on rail issues, and I know these services would make a real difference for his constituents over the Christmas period. I welcome the work done by West Midlands Trains and the local community on developing proposals for this trial. I think our publicly owned railways should work in the service of passengers, and these extra trains would be a great example of that. I very much back his call for this trial to take place.

[Jo Stevens]

I thank my right hon. Friend, because my Cardiff East constituents were absolutely delighted with the announcement yesterday of £30 million for Cardiff Parkway station. Mine is the only constituency in the capital city without a train station, so this will be transformational for growth, jobs and travel. Before the Senedd election, the Welsh Labour Government agreed to a funding contribution, alongside private investors, to ensure that this project is delivered. Can she please confirm whether, in the five months since that election, the minority Plaid Government have said they will honour that intergovernmental agreement?

[Heidi Alexander]

It is for the new Welsh Government to confirm their own contribution to this project, so that we can get on and deliver it as quickly as possible. To my knowledge, no such confirmation has been provided to date. I am really pleased that we confirmed our contribution in the Budget yesterday, and I congratulate my right hon. Friend on her campaigning on this issue for her constituents. She was an excellent Welsh Secretary, and it was an absolute delight to work alongside her and start to put right the historical wrongs of under-investment in the Welsh railways.

[Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

May I constructively suggest a way in which the Secretary of State could help three Cabinet colleagues—the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, who is building a major reservoir in my constituency; the Housing Secretary, who has big plans within Cambridgeshire; and the Chancellor, who often talks about the Oxford-Cambridge arc? Securing a light rail link to the reservoir will shape the public response to it, but the Department for Transport currently does not seem to be involved at all with the other Departments. I do not expect her to be familiar with the scheme—it is primarily for one of her colleagues—but could she write to me setting out what her Department might do to help those other Departments deliver on their aims?

[Heidi Alexander]

This Government are investing considerably in improving rail services and public transport connections in Cambridgeshire. I would be happy to follow up on the detail of the right hon. Member’s proposal. I would just say that, with the East West Rail proposals linking Oxford to Cambridgeshire and the opening of the new station at Cambridge South, significant investment is going into this part of the country, but I will come back to him with the detail on his point.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

In yesterday’s Budget, there was one mention of Northern Powerhouse Rail. One of the easiest ways to deliver benefit for passengers would be to unlock the indefinitely paused York area capacity scheme. Will the Secretary of State commit to continuing to look at this, and make sure that passengers in Harrogate and Knaresborough, and along that line, get trains when they need them with the service they would expect?

[Heidi Alexander]

As part of Northern Powerhouse Rail, we are prioritising improvements in the Yorkshire region, such as services from York to Leeds, and between Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds. Indeed, I was in Bradford just last week to make the announcement about a brand-new station at Bradford, which is much needed. I know the hon. Member continues to champion the case for the York area capacity study. We will continue to keep all of this under review, because we must provide the right number of trains, where people need them and when they need them.

[Dr Marie Tidball (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab)]

The Penistone line, which runs through my constituency, serves over half a million people, eight constituencies, six hospitals, four universities and a network of colleges, schools and GP surgeries, but it has only one train an hour. Our Government are funding phase 1 of upgrading the line, but further funding is needed to deliver phase 2 to enable two trains an hour along our line—the spine that connects south and west Yorkshire. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that delivering both phases of the upgrade together will most effectively secure two trains an hour, and will she meet me ahead of the next spending review to discuss delivering the full upgrade and two trains an hour to ensure growth in every postcode along the line?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend and I have met on this issue, and she is right to say that the Government are making that investment in phase 1. I remember discussing it with her when I was at Sheffield station for the Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement earlier this year. I would be happy to continue those conversations about phase 2 as we head into the next spending review.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

My London constituency does not have a tube service. My residents are entirely reliant on South Western Railway services to get to work, school and elsewhere. Stations such as Hampton and Whitton have seen passenger footfall close to or exceeding half a million in the last year, yet the services are infrequent and less reliable since nationalisation. Will the Secretary of State back my call, supported by thousands of local residents with the timetable review under way, for far more frequent and reliable services for such stations?

[Heidi Alexander]

The hon. Lady is right to mention the timetable review that is under way. I would be happy to discuss with South Western the options with regard to Hampton and Whitton. I would just note that one of the benefits of renationalising South Western Railways has been the roll-out of the new Arterio fleet of air-conditioned trains that are providing more capacity. I also recognise the important work that South Western has done to reduce the number of cancellations that come about as a consequence of the unavailability of staff. We need to get the basics right on South Western to provide the service that she and her constituents deserve.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Alison Griffiths (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) (Con)]

Labour promised that nationalisation would deliver a more reliable railway. Two years on, it is getting worse. Between April and June, all Government-run operators saw cancellations rise or punctuality fall. Ministers say that Great British Railways will turn that around when it launches next year. They promised its implementation timetable and draft licence consultation this autumn. On this last sitting day of October, neither has yet appeared. When will they, and when will passengers see the improvements they were promised?

[Heidi Alexander]

May I start by congratulating the hon. Lady on her appointment to the Opposition Front Bench? I think this is the first opportunity that I have had a chance to do so from the Dispatch Box. She is right in some respects. We do need to make more progress on improving punctuality and reliability, and I cannot pretend that I am happy with performance across the entirety of the rail network at the moment. However, I would gently point out to her that at the last reporting period, cancellations across publicly-owned operators were 3.9% compared to 4.9% for operators yet to transfer and still in private ownership. On punctuality, 82.6% of stops by publicly-owned operators were within three minutes of their scheduled arrival time, compared with just 73.8% for operators yet to transfer.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Olly Glover (Didcot and Wantage) (LD)]

A £1 billion order for 29 new five-car, battery-electric trains for TransPennine Express was recently announced. While welcome, it has raised some eyebrows, with Modern Railways magazine estimating that the cost is nearly double that of conventional electric-only trains. It would cost a staggering £25.2 billion for similar deals to replace England’s passenger trains that have diesel engines. Are we on the right value-for-money track with this approach to rolling stock specification and procurement?

[Heidi Alexander]

I was delighted to be in Derby a few weeks ago to announce the new fleet of battery-electric trains for TransPennine Express. It is a £1.2 billion investment. Included in that are hundreds of millions of pounds of maintenance costs for the duration of that contract. We are working on procurements for both Southeastern trains and Northern trains at the moment. Value for money and affordability will be central to the decisions we make on those procurements.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

8. What recent progress she has made on helping to improve the experience of air passengers through regulation of the aviation industry.

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[Kirith Entwistle (Bolton North East) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking to improve rail services in Bolton North East constituency.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

We are investing in the rail network in the Greater Manchester area, including the Bolton-Manchester line and services to Blackburn. These investments will improve reliability, which, combined with our funding for longer trains with more seats, will substantially boost capacity. We are also investing in key stations, including crucial upgrades at Salford and Manchester Victoria.

[Kirith Entwistle]

When I worked in Manchester, my train from Hall i’ th’ Wood station was regularly delayed, cancelled or overcrowded thanks to Northern Rail’s two-carriage service at rush hour. Ten years on, commuters at both Hall i’ th’ Wood and Bromley Cross stations are still being failed by Northern Rail, and, with no Metrolink access, it is no wonder that Boltonians feel left behind. What are our Government doing to connect Bolton to the 21st century?

[Heidi Alexander]

I understand how frustrating it is when services are delayed, cancelled or overcrowded. The Rail Minister has been incredibly clear with Northern management that their level of performance, including in Bolton, has been unacceptable, and they have been instructed to produce an improvement plan. Beyond that, Northern is talking to other train operators to see whether they have additional trains that could be used to increase capacity and reliability. As I mentioned earlier, early planning work is under way to purchase up to 450 new trains for Northern, which could include the replacement of the ageing units on the Clitheroe-Bolton line.

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[Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I am sure I speak for the whole House when I say that our thoughts are with those affected by yesterday’s horrific train crash in Spain. Our Rail Accident Investigation Branch has reached out to offer assistance, and I have written to my counterpart, Minister Puente, to formally offer my condolences.

Yesterday’s Budget gave families the breathing space that they need, and transport is no exception. By extending the 5p fuel duty cut to July next year and lowering the cost of using local public electric vehicle chargers, we are putting money back in the pockets of Britain’s drivers. The Budget also confirmed a total investment of £300 million to upgrade Leeds station: breathing space today backed by investment for the future. This builds on the everyday fixes that we are already making to improve people’s journeys, whether that is the 7,000 miles of road resurfaced this year, the ending of unfair charges for air passengers, the cracking down on antisocial behaviour on public transport or the £2 bus fare cap coming back in January. Those are just some of the ways we are making everyday journeys better, safer and easier.

[Andy McDonald]

I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s remarks concerning the Spanish rail disaster.

Research from Common Wealth estimates that £129 billion was spent on outsourcing public services in 2024-25, generating billions in private profits. I welcome the announcement from the First Secretary of State of a dedicated insourcing unit. Will the Secretary of State meet with recognised trade unions to develop a Department for Transport insourcing strategy, including across rail and other transport services, to improve value for money, rebuild public capacity and protect workers?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is entirely right to raise the opportunity presented by the work being led by the First Secretary of State. I meet with the leadership of the trade unions regularly, and I know that this issue has already been raised at the Rail Engagement Group. Our lifting of the ban on new municipal bus companies in the Bus Services Act 2025 also presents opportunities. Where insourcing drives better outcomes for passengers and better value for the taxpayer, we should undoubtedly look at it.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

I associate myself with the comments of the Secretary of State about the Spanish rail crash.

On 18 June, the Secretary of State said in a statement that the Heathrow expansion is “critical to national growth”. On 27 September the Prime Minister said, however:

“Principally, it’s a matter for London and Londoners”.

And last week, in response to a written parliamentary question, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Selby (Keir Mather), said that the Government will consider the Transport Committee’s recommendations before deciding next steps. Does she agree with herself, the Prime Minister or her junior Minister?

[Heidi Alexander]

The Government’s position on Heathrow expansion was set out in the draft Heathrow expansion national policy statement that we consulted on in the summer. We are working through the responses to it very carefully. The right hon. Gentleman will know that this is a very significant, privately financed infrastructure project, and it is right that we look thoroughly at all the evidence, including the independent economic analysis and the really strict tests on climate, noise and air quality. It is entirely right that the Prime Minister wants to look closely at the detail of such a nationally significant project.

[Mr Holden]

I thank the Secretary of State for that clarification.

Last week, Chancellor Merz set out his plans to scrap the ban on petrol and diesel cars across the EU, saying, “We stand by drivers. We stand with our industry. We stand with open innovation in technology…the internal combustion ban is off the table.” When will this Transport Secretary listen to British business, the unions and British drivers and scrap the zero emission vehicle mandate that is costing British jobs and costing British taxpayers?

[Heidi Alexander]

I say gently to the right hon. Gentleman that the ZEV mandate is the rarest of things: a policy brought in by his Government that I agree with. Sadly, after a good start, even they managed to mess that up. When we came into office, we had to reinstate the 2030 phase-out date for petrol and diesel cars. It is important that we provide certainty to consumers and industry. I believe that approach is working: nearly a third of new cars sold are electric vehicles, up from around a quarter a year ago.

[Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

T4. The recent announcement that 7 Steel will supply Heathrow expansion with low-carbon steel production will be essential both to decarbonise our transport infrastructure and to protect Welsh workers. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that lower-carbon Welsh steel is used in all major rail and transport infrastructure projects?

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[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

T8. I think it is fair to say that there is disappointment on both sides of the House, following Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway’s open-access application being rejected because of concerns about capacity and reliability on the west coast main line. Is the Secretary of State confident that nationalising Avanti will result in the punctuality improvements and extra pathways needed to accommodate new services, which I hope can result in WSMR stopping at Aldridge railway station?

[Heidi Alexander]

I share the right hon. Lady’s disappointment in the decision of the Office of Rail and Road. It can independently make that decision. My had supported the application for that new direct service, which would also have served places such as Shrewsbury. I will work with Network Rail, train operators and Great British Railways, when it is established, to consider all options for new direct services to London, as well as for that part of the route. Some of the investment coming in future years could enable that to happen, because I know how important that is to her constituents and other travellers in the region.

[Lewis Atkinson (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

T7. As the Government prepare their taxi and private hire vehicle Bill, will the Minister ensure that local authorities such as Sunderland have the enforcement powers and resources that they need to regulate all vehicles operating in their area, regardless of where those vehicles are registered?

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[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

In May, the Government announced £57 million in nationwide funding for wi-fi on trains. Some other parts of the country have had many rail upgrades, but the south-west has terrible rail lines, and delays due to the High Speed 2 works at Old Oak Common. Will the Minister commit to a minimum fair share of £12 million for the south-west, to cover the entire Great Western Railway network of 93 inter-city express trains?

[Heidi Alexander]

The fact that Great Western Railways will come into public ownership on 13 December presents an opportunity. The hon. Gentleman talks about the importance of wi-fi; I hope to have more to say on that in the months ahead, because I know how important good connectivity is for people who use our railways.

[Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) (Lab)]

T10. The extension of the fuel duty cut to July 2027 will be welcomed by my Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituents, many of whom rely on their cars for work purposes. What more are the Government doing to help reduce the cost of motoring for those who use their vehicles for work purposes?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is completely right to raise the subject of the pressures that motorists and businesses face. In addition to the extension of the temporary 5p cut to fuel duty, we are also maintaining the road tax holiday for heavy goods vehicles until summer next year. We are making public charging cheaper for those who have already made the switch to an electric vehicle, but do not have a driveway to charge at home, and we continue to offer money off the purchase price of more than 60 models of electric car.

[Stuart Andrew (Daventry) (Con)]

The village of Isham in my constituency is sandwiched between Wellingborough and Kettering, and for 40 years it has been battling to get a bypass. The situation has now got worse because of a huge development of warehousing, yet the bypass has been refused funding. May I invite the Minister to Isham, where I would give him a warm welcome? It is only when people see it for themselves that they can understand how desperately we need this bypass.

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[Andrew George (St Ives) (LD)]

My constituents are not demanding a multibillion-pound, high-speed answer to the five-and-a-half-hour journey time from Penzance to London, for example; they want just a fraction of that amount, to improve the comfort, reliability and punctuality of the service. My hon. Friend the Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire) mentioned that £57 million has been allocated for wi-fi on trains. That is a fraction of the money spent on high speed policies. We understand that the money is being held by the Treasury at the moment; when will it be rolled out? It is desperately needed now.

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire), we are very keen to make progress on better wi-fi connectivity on Great Western services, and I hope to say more on that in the coming months.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Transport Committee.

[Heidi Alexander]

The Chair of the Transport Committee is completely right to highlight the need to increase the amount of freight that we transport by rail. That is why we have set a target of growing rail freight by 75% by 2050, and an interim target of 40% by 2040. We are not publishing a separate rail freight strategy, as I will put that target in the long-term rail strategy when it is published, and I expect Great British Railways to set out in its first business plan how it will achieve that.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

Earlier this week, the all-party parliamentary group on rail had presentations from representatives about access to both airports and seaports. They made the suggestion that modest electrification projects linking seaports such as Immingham to the main line would greatly improve rail freight distribution. Do the Government have plans for such schemes?

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Ind)]

Meur ras ha myttin da, Mr Speaker. I declare an interest as the chair of the electric vehicle APPG. After more record EV sales, the Government’s consultation on the zero-emission vehicles mandate closed last Friday. The mandate affects only 8% of all registrations of new cars manufactured in the UK. Has the consultation considered the billions of pounds in private sector investment in domestic lithium extraction, battery manufacturing and charge point infrastructure?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can assure my hon. Friend that we look at these issues in the round. He mentions charge point infrastructure. Only this week, I had a roundtable with the main operators of charge point infrastructure, as well as a meeting with the car manufacturers. We have held a review of the ZEV mandate, on which we consulted this summer. The Chancellor has set out the Government’s intention to respond to that by Christmas, so that we can provide certainty to everyone who is contributing to the EV transition.

[Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)]

The decision in July to abandon plans for changes to the remuneration of coastguards was widely welcomed, but that was over three months ago. Coastguards around the coastline tell me that there has been radio silence in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since then. There are a number of whistleblowing complaints about the senior executive team that have simply not been addressed. When will we hear what the Government will do to fix our coastguards?

[Jonathan Hinder (Pendle and Clitheroe) (Lab)]

Not a single rail service has run from Clitheroe on a Sunday for a very long time. I know that the Secretary of State and her team of Ministers have heard many representations from me on this issue, but can they reassure me that they are doing everything they can to get those Sunday services back up and running?

[Heidi Alexander]

I agree with my hon. Friend that his constituents are right to expect a good service every day of the week, including Sundays. I assure him that the management of Northern is around the table with the RMT to work together on a way forward, and I hope to be able to say more soon.

[Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)]

Community transport minibuses, such as Mendip Community Transport, are a lifeline for rural communities, but the minibus driving test is costly—it costs up to £2,000 per volunteer—hard to access and pretty unrealistic for volunteers, and drivers who qualified before 1997, and therefore have the D1 classification on their driving licence, are retiring. Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the industry, and recognise officially the sector’s own minibus driver awareness scheme as a route for car drivers to gain a minibus licence?

[Markus Campbell-Savours (Penrith and Solway) (Lab)]

The last train from London to Newcastle tonight is at 11.08 pm, but the last train from London to Carlisle is at 7.30 pm. Now that the experiment with train privatisation is coming to an end, is it possibly time for a new experiment where the west coast gets the same level of service as the east coast?

[Heidi Alexander]

Avanti West Coast is due to come into public ownership in March next year, and there is an opportunity to look again at the timetable over the course of the next few years. I recognise the importance of later services going direct to my hon. Friend’s constituency as well as to constituencies on the other side of the country.

[Alison Bennett (Mid Sussex) (LD)]

The derailment in the summer between Haywards Heath and Lewes caused great concern to my constituents. It happened during a period of very hot, dry weather that caused the ground to dry out and crack. I understand that Network Rail is looking at ways to change how it maintains embankments and cuttings, but there was no money in yesterday’s Budget for railway services in the south-east. Do the Government have a plan to ensure that our services are punctual and safe?

[Heidi Alexander]

I completely understand why that incident will have been of huge concern to the hon. Member’s constituents. In this control period, we are spending over £2.5 billion on the railways to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. We are awaiting the final report of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch as to the causes of that incident. Network Rail took immediate steps to increase inspections across the network to ensure safety, and the events in Spain yesterday serve as a reminder of why safety must always be paramount on our railways.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

Consideration of eastern access at Hitchin station has been stalled for far too long. I am delighted that, having worked with Ministers and our councils, we have finally been able to get it moving forward, and yesterday’s announcement of £5.6 million in new growth funding for Hertfordshire provides a fantastic opportunity to go further and finally make it happen. Will Ministers meet me to discuss how we can lobby Hertfordshire county council to make the most of this opportunity for my town?

[Heidi Alexander]

In the interests of speed, yes.

[Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)]

Aura Mobility is a company in Falkirk that designs assistive mobility products for disabled people. It and its customers need certainty that any reforms to light zero emission vehicles regulation will protect access to pavements and roads, not reduce it. Six months after the consultation on powered mobility devices closed, when will the Government provide that certainty and publish their response?

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I am aware that the Secretary of State has already answered two questions about Peninsula Transport’s fantastic wi-fi pilot on GWR trains, but if we are to go ahead with rolling it out for nationalisation on 13 December, I gently ask whether there is a way to nudge the Treasury to make that money available.

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend has been a tireless campaigner on this issue, and I know that she depends on GWR services, as do I in my constituency. Having good mobile connectivity is something that people feel strongly about, and it could improve satisfaction with journeys. I will continue my discussions with colleagues across Government to make that happen.