Business of the House

Julian Lewis Excerpts

Thursday 26th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Taxi and private hire vehicles play a vital part in local transport, connecting residents to the local economy and enabling businesses and residents to reach wider transport networks. I certainly join my hon. Friend in encouraging local authorities, taxi and private hire vehicle businesses and passengers to participate in the consultation before it closes. We also have the Minister with responsibility for these matters, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood), sitting next to me.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

Mr Speaker, may I endorse your tribute to the late David Winnick? I had occasion to observe him in action in this House for the first 20 years of my time here, and I can certainly confirm that he was a strong character with an independent mind. That is the best tribute one can make to a resolute Back Bencher.

May I appeal for a debate in Government time on the importance of the credibility of consultation processes, bearing in mind that we have been through one for local government reform and our contributions seem to have been overwhelmingly ignored? It would be a shame if people felt that there was no point in participating in a consultation process because the outcome had been predetermined on party political grounds.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am grateful for what the right hon. Gentleman says about David Winnick. He was a man of independent mind, and as a former Whip, I can attest to that.

On the wider matter of consultations and reviews, I hope that the public do not get to a situation where they believe that their views, having been given, do not count. The reality is that in some cases people will give their views and they simply do not get the outcome that they want. The right hon. Gentleman will know that the Government are keeping under review the number of consultations and reviews. At the appropriate time, I am sure that Ministers will want to bring forward their views, and perhaps we will have a debate on the matter.