"In his statement, my right hon. Friend said that he is seeking political consensus on both sides of the House. By now, he will no doubt have gathered that there is practically political unanimity behind Birmingham airport. Is not the important point that rebalancing the economy of the UK is …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"I will come straight back to the hon. Gentleman on that point. I have met a lot of business people in Birmingham who are arguing strongly for HS2. A lot of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents are definitely asking for it...." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman is making a convincing argument in favour of HS2. He raises the important point that one of the perceived benefits is that economic activity will be drawn up the track. However, there is a risk that economic activity will actually be drawn down the track, away from …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"T6. When addressing the thorny issue of airport expansion, will the Minister look carefully at the huge economic benefits that can be offered at Birmingham airport? Not only is there extensive local support for expansion, but it is an excellent airport...." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"I am pleased to see the new Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond) in his place. He has long been a friend of Wyre Forest. Four or five years ago, when he was a shadow Transport Minister, he visited Wyre Forest to …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"I am grateful to my hon. Friend and neighbour, who is also a member of the Welsh Affairs Committee, and takes a keen interest in what happens in Wales. I will come to that anomaly between cities and smaller rural towns and semi-rural areas, which is a great problem...." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman hits the nail on the head. People living in rural communities are doubly penalised. They face not only high prices, but higher mileage because they probably have worse access to public services. I will continue to make that point throughout my speech. The hon. Gentleman was absolutely …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s intervention. In Wyre Forest, the pricing policy of a local, independent retailer is to make a 3p per litre profit on the cost at which they buy their petrol and diesel. That is interesting, because for a great period, that retailer was substantially …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech
"I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. In order to reinforce the true value of HS2, will the Government give serious consideration to the expansion of Birmingham airport into a UK hub airport? That would create jobs in the west midlands, while also offering a viable and realistic …..." Mark Garnier - View Speech