Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2026
3 contributions
Transport: Marston Vale
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) on securing this timely debate, and I thank him for the way in which he made the case on behalf of his constituents. I also acknowledge his efforts to support the…
I will ensure that my colleague, the roads Minister, writes to the hon. Gentleman with further information on those plans.
Importantly, we are also working to ensure that the resort is fully integrated into the wider transport system, particularly through East West Rail and its new station at Stewa…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
3 contributions
Rail Freight
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) on securing this debate, and I thank her for providing this welcome opportunity to discuss the critical role that rail freight plays in strengthening supply chain resilience and …
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that concern in his part of England. I will ensure that the Rail Minister writes to him about that matter, or arranges a meeting if that is more appropriate.
In a world of increasing uncertainty and geopolitical volatility, it is vital that we have secure, resilie…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
19 May 2026
High Speed 2: Impact on Communities
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey) for securing this debate, and grateful to other hon. Members for their contributions. I will try to address the points that she and others have raised.
I want to begin by fully recognising the change and upheaval that major infrastru…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
4 contributions
National Accident Prevention Strategy
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I thank the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) for securing this debate. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government. I offer my condolences to all those affected by the incidents in his constituency th…
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We think of all those who have lost their life at work; I think that about 120 people each year are killed in the course of their work. There is also a much more widespread problem of people suffering ill health, particularly relating to work-related stress and me…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 April 2026
4 contributions
Gambling Advertising
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I am pleased to respond to this debate, standing in for my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murray). I begin by congratulating my hon. Friends the Members for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) and for Worthing West (Dr Cooper)…
I thank the right hon. Member for her question, and I will ensure that she receives a written response.
By bringing together industry, platforms, regulators and Government, we will identify ways to clamp down on illegal advertising. We hope to ensure that exposure to illegal gambling advertising is…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
4 contributions
Mountain Rescue
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Lewell. I am pleased to be able to respond on behalf of my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation. I thank hon. Members from across the House for their thoughtful contributions and for shining a light on the vital work …
I understand the concern that the hon. Member and other hon. Members have raised but, as he will appreciate, that falls outside my Department’s remit. However, I will ask my colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to respond on that point and on other questions that have been raised. …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
21 April 2026
SS Richard Montgomery: Masts
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am responding on behalf of the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Keir Mather), who is responsible for maritime matters and has led this work within the Department but is not available this evening. I am grateful to my hon.…
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
4 contributions
Topical Questions
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight the benefits of active travel. This Government are so enthusiastic about that, and we have set out £626 million of active travel funding to support it. Very shortly we will publish our cycling and walking investment strategy, which will guide local…
My hon. Friend remains a great champion for this project. The Government are delivering on devolution. We are providing the Lancashire combined county authority with £641 million in this spending review. The decision about whether to progress this scheme as a local priority is one for the authority.…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
3 contributions
Bus Service Funding: Mayoral Strategic Authorities
This Government believe in better buses across the UK, and half of the £1.4 billion local authority bus grant resource funding is going to support services in mayoral strategic authorities. Altogether, they will receive more than £11.5 billion of consolidated funding up to 2030 to improve and delive…
My hon. Friend is a great champion for local transport. This Government are committed to supporting improved bus services, and at the spending review we confirmed more than £3 billion in long-term funding until 2028-29. We believe that local leaders are best placed to make decisions about services i…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
5 contributions
Local Bus Services
Bus services are vital for connecting communities to jobs, education and essential services. We have confirmed over £3 billion for buses over the next three years, including providing multi-year, long-term funding to give local authorities the certainty to invest in local services, and our Bus Servi…
We are committed to working with local leaders, including Mayor Claire Ward, to improve buses. We are providing the East Midlands combined county authority with £65 million between now and 2028-29, which can be used to increase bus provision across the local area. I know that Mayor Claire would be v…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
5 contributions
Road Safety
The road safety strategy envisages a safer future for everyone on the road, including targets to cut deaths and serious injuries by 65%, and 70% for children, by 2035. It promotes partnership working across Government, local authorities, police and emergency services, industry and others to save tho…
I know that there have been multiple pedestrian casualties at the gyratory in my hon. Friend’s constituency, and action is needed to prevent future issues. Last week, I met TfL to hear about its new Vision Zero action plan, and partnership working with great local leaders, such as Mayor Khan, is vit…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
9 contributions
Rural Roads
I shall attempt to do that. It is a pleasure to serve, with you in the Chair, Mr Stringer. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on securing today’s debate on the condition of roads in rural areas.
First, let me respond to some of the hon. Member’s points. He suggest…
Let me make a bit more progress and then I will, of course, come back to the hon. Member.
We all recognise that rural Britain depends on reliable, safe and resilient roads. When those roads fall into poor condition or suffer flooding, the impacts on rural residents and businesses—often with limited…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
12 February 2026
School Minibus Safety
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) on securing a debate on this important subject. I pay tribute to her campaigning. I know that she has shown real determination in working with her constituents, education unions and others on this issue throughout her time in the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
6 contributions
Topical Questions
We published the motor insurance taskforce report in December, highlighting the actions being taken to tackle claims costs and, ultimately, to help reduce motorists’ premiums. We are also consulting on a minimum learning period for learner drivers, which may help to reduce premiums if the number of …
As I am sure the hon. Gentleman knows, we consulted on the third cycling and walking investment strategy. That consultation closed in December and we are carefully considering all the representations that have been made. We will publish the final strategy in the spring.
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
3 contributions
Rural Transport Connections
In rural communities, good public transport options can make the difference to being able to access work, education and opportunities. The Bus Services Act 2025 gives local leaders real control, so that they can plan routes and timetables that work for villages and more remote areas, not just commer…
I thank the hon. Lady for her thoughtful question. As I have already acknowledged, under the previous Government, millions of bus miles were lost, particularly in rural areas. However, the Bus Services Act puts power back with local leaders, and enables franchising and enhanced partnerships of munic…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
4 contributions
Support for Road Users
This Government understand the vital importance of our roads to people up and down the country each and every day, and we are backing our groundbreaking ambition with record investment. Last month, we published the first road safety strategy in over a decade, setting out our plans to reduce the numb…
I am sorry to hear about that incident. I share my hon. Friend’s relief that no one was injured. As he knows, improvements to junctions across the A50 corridor in Staffordshire are being considered as part of the pipeline of potential future major enhancements to the strategic road network. He is un…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
3 contributions
Bus Fare Cap
Only the Labour party has a serious, sustainable plan to provide better bus services across the country, with affordable fares and lifeline services where people need them most, including in rural areas. The Government’s £3 bus fare cap is helping passengers save money on everyday journeys, which is…
The hon. Member is right to raise concerns about the affordability of bus fares. Unfortunately, the previous Government talked about maintaining the cap, but allocated absolutely no funding to doing so. That is why we have introduced the £3 cap, but we are also supporting local transport authorities…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
6 contributions
Driving Test Waiting Times
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s top priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times while upholding road safety standards. In November 2025, the Government announced that we will change the booking system so that only learner drivers will be able to book and manage tests, wi…
Like my hon. Friend, I understand the importance of learners being able to access driving tests, particularly when a driving licence is essential for accessing jobs and training. The upcoming booking system changes, continued recruitment and extra tests through overtime schemes will benefit learners…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
5 February 2026
Road Safety
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for her powerful and moving speech in opening today’s debate, and thank so many Members on both sides of the House for their thoughtful and heartfelt contributions. I wish we had more time for the debate; I know I will not be able to respond…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 February 2026
Transport in the South-East
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I congratulate the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) on securing this debate, and thank all hon. Members for giving us a tour of the south-east and of its residents’ concerns. I welcome this opportunity to highlight all the im…
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
3 contributions
Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) on securing this debate, and on speaking so enthusiastically and eloquently about regional transport connectivity, inequality and the cost of toll journeys such as those on the Tamar bridge and the Torpoint ferry in her …
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I will make a diversion to the south-east of England to say that the Government are committed to delivering the lower Thames crossing, which is the most significant road-building scheme in a generation. It will provide access to more than 400,000 jobs wit…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
29 January 2026
Railways Bill (Eighth sitting)
Clause 18(2)(a) reads:
“in the manner best calculated to promote the interests of users and potential users of railway passenger services including, in particular, the needs of disabled persons”.
Is that not specifically saying that it is a duty to promote the needs of passengers and potential pas…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
3 contributions
Horse and Rider Road Safety
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd; I know you have a deep personal commitment to road safety. I congratulate the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr Dillon) on securing this debate and thank him for raising the vital issue of road safety and vulnerable users, specifically horse riders…
My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I agree with him.
As has already been noted, despite the investment of £2.4 million in paid advertising raising road users’ awareness of the changes to the code, it is clear that more action is needed. As set out in the strategy, we are considering optio…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 January 2026
43 contributions
Road Safety Strategy
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on our new national road safety strategy.
It is a sad truth that, by the time I finish speaking and we hear the Opposition’s response, it is likely someone will have died or been seriously injured on our roads. It is an even sa…
I welcome the support from the shadow Secretary of State for our measures to tackle road harm. I was slightly surprised by his comment about the coverage in the press because we did of course publish the strategy yesterday, giving him the opportunity to have a full 24 hours to read it. Nevertheless,…
+41 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
4 contributions
Topical Questions
The disused part of the rail network is currently in the custody of National Highways. I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman that many of those trails provide excellent opportunities for walking, wheeling and cycling; indeed, I have spent many happy times cycling on the Tissington and Monsal tr…
The Government are committed to supporting walking, wheeling and cycling. In addition to the £626 million funding announced on 10 December, we have consulted on the third cycling and walking investment strategy. The consultation closed on 15 December, and we expect the strategy to follow by this spr…
+2 more contributions in this session