Commons
Westminster Hall
9 December 2025
2 contributions
Network Rail Timetable Changes: Rural Communities
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Stuart, and a pleasure to see all hon. Members at this Westminster Hall debate on the impact of the timetable change on rural communities. I congratulate the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) on securing the debate, and ever…
This Government remain ambitious for our rail and have set up fantastic objectives in the Railways Bill. I am sure that the Rail Minister will have heard exactly what my hon. Friend has said about further investment in the rail system. Of course, by addressing the main barriers that people face in a…
Commons
Debate
1 December 2025
3 contributions
M6: Junction 38
I begin by congratulating the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on securing this debate on the M6 Lune gorge project and his passionate advocacy on behalf of his constituents. Our strategic road network is one of the nation’s most vital pieces of infrastructure, with our motorway…
I am quite certain that the hon. Gentleman will continue his engagement with National Highways, and I am sure that they can have that conversation together.
As I said, during the initial design stages of the project, prior to May 2024, National Highways considered and assessed the opportunity of th…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
7 contributions
Driving Test Availability: South-east
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Pinkerton) for the opportunity to respond to today’s debate on driving test availability in the south-east. I am grateful to all right hon. and hon. Members who have spoken on behalf of their …
I will make some progress first because there is a lot to cover. When access to driving tests is delayed, those opportunities are put on hold and, frankly, that is unacceptable. Across the south-east and the country, driving test waiting times remain a significant concern. Across Great Britain, the …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
5 contributions
Topical Questions
Driving test wait times remain too high, and this Government are committed to getting them down. Last week, the Secretary of State announced further actions to do so, including measures to prevent tests being booked up and resold by bots, and bringing in the Army to bolster examiner numbers. We cont…
I am enjoying the tour of village halls this morning. Level crossings can be a significant safety risk. Network Rail, the owner of that level crossing, has legal responsibility to reduce risk so that it is as low as practically possible. The Rail Minister would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to dis…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Practical Driving Tests
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency conducted a record 1.96 million tests in 2024-25, and delivered nearly 42,000 extra tests between June and September 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Waiting times remain too long, however, which is why last week the Secretary of State announced mea…
The DVSA has introduced measures to deliver 10,000 additional tests a month by recruiting 450 new driving examiners to increase capacity, introducing incentives for everyone delivering driving tests, encouraging qualified DVSA staff to return to frontline roles, doubling the number of trainers and e…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Bus Services: York Outer
We are taking ambitious steps to improve local bus services, including in York and North Yorkshire. These have included the allocation of £12.6 million of funding in 2025-26 through the local authority bus grant. I was pleased that my hon. Friend could join me, alongside the Mayor of York and North …
It is vital that local bus services work for local communities, and that is at the heart of the Government’s bus reforms. I encourage the local operators to consider the feedback that my hon. Friend has mentioned, recognising the role that bus services play in supporting people to meet their familie…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
7 contributions
Bus Services
We are taking ambitious steps to improve local buses, and our landmark Bus Services Act 2025 empowers local authorities to deliver better services. We are investing over £1 billion in 2025-26, and in the coming weeks, we will confirm multi-year allocations for local authorities, to help improve bus …
I agree with my hon. Friend. We are clear that everyone should have access to high-quality, accessible bus services. Responsibility for services in London sits with the mayor, and 96% of Londoners live within 400 metres of a bus stop. To expand the progress made under London’s Labour mayor, we will …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
2 contributions
A59 Kex Gill Bypass
The A59 Kex Gill bypass scheme has been subject to delays and increased costs because of design changes, poor ground conditions and further landslips on the A59. The scheme is overseen by the Conservative-run North Yorkshire council, which provides regular reports to the Department on its progress.
Under the major road network programme, once the Department has approved a scheme and agreed its funding contribution, covering any cost increases is entirely a matter for local authorities. The Department has provided over £56 million towards A59 Kex Gill, and no further funding is available, but o…
Commons
Debate
19 November 2025
3 contributions
Northwich Railway Station: Accessibility
It is a privilege to respond to this important debate on accessibility at Northwich station. It is an issue that clearly has a massive impact on the Northwich community and the local travelling public, regardless of their mobility, age or the fact they are travelling with heavy luggage.
Many of Bri…
I do indeed share my hon. Friend’s frustration and that of, I suspect, hundreds of his constituents, who will continue to face challenges when using the rail network. We are very much committed to delivering a more accessible rail system, and I am sure he will continue to voice the thoughts of his c…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Rural Railway Stations: Step Free Access
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Turner.
It is a privilege to respond to this important debate on rail accessibility in rural areas, which plays a vital role in opening up our railway to people who do not happen to live in towns and cities, regardless of their mobility, their age…
I am reminded that Cumberland is one of our bus franchising pilot areas. So far, from just looking at our city regions as discussed earlier, we are investing money in those franchising pilots to ensure that the major improvements promised under the Bus Services Act 2025 can also be realised in more …
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 October 2025
3 contributions
Vehicle Headlight Glare Standards
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Peter Lamb) on securing this debate about the potential merits of a new standard for headlight glare. I am sure that it will have not gone unnoticed that the UK has some of t…
We will always keep all these considerations under review, but, as with anything, we will be evidence-led on the measures that we put in place, working with our international partners.
Road users will have experienced discomfort from headlamp glare when driving. From personal experience, I know tha…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
Connected and Automated Vehicles
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich (Sarah Coombes) on raising this important issue. What a fascinating and thought-provoking debate this has been.
Establishing our new regulatory framework for automated vehicles provid…
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
3 contributions
A50/A500 Corridor
I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier) on securing this debate and for speaking so passionately about transport in his constituency and the implications for the wider region. I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss transport in the region to…
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. The area is also home to exciting innovation, new technologies and advanced manufacturing. This Government absolutely understand the importance of such routes to our daily lives, and they are core to key Government priorities such as kick-starting the eco…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
11 September 2025
5 contributions
Regional Transport Inequality
I welcome today’s debate on regional transport inequality, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) for securing this time. I have 10 minutes to address the many excellent contributions made this afternoon, so Members must forgive my reluctance to entertain many int…
As I just mentioned, we have committed £2 billion to helping those outside city areas and last week committed £104 million for resource funding across the country outside city areas.
Although we are eager for local leaders to take the reins, there is still an important part for central Government t…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
11 contributions
Topical Questions
I know that my hon. Friend has raised this issue time and again with East Sussex county council. The delay to the Queensway Gateway project has wreaked havoc for her constituents. Given that the project was funded with Government money, serious questions must now be asked of East Sussex county counc…
This Government committed in our manifesto to tackle the high cost of motor insurance, and I am pleased to see recent data suggesting that average premiums are falling. The Government’s taskforce, chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, continues to work to identify short…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
2 contributions
Micromobility Vehicles
Shared e-scooter schemes can provide a great way to get around, but the scooters can pose a nuisance for other people, so we need to ensure that their roll-out is both safe and properly regulated. We have extended e-scooter trials until May 2028 to allow local authorities to test how the technology …
I share my hon. Friend’s view that the term “invalid carriages” in the existing legislation is outdated and no longer reflects modern attitudes or needs. This Government are committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same freedom to travel as everyone else and we recognise that mobility dev…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
3 contributions
Pavement Parking
The previous Government consulted on pavement parking rules back in 2020 but failed to take any action. We have had to pick up the issue from scratch since we came into office last year. A lot has changed in the UK political landscape in the past five years, and this Government’s genuine commitment …
We of course continue to engage actively with local authorities in the development of this policy. Local authorities already have the power to restrict pavement parking wherever there is a need by introducing traffic regulation orders, and we are exploring additional measures to help them to tackle …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
5 contributions
Driving Test Availability
We are working hard to ensure that young people can book driving tests so that they can access opportunity in their local areas. We are recruiting and training more driving examiners, doubling examiner training capacity and offering overtime payment incentives. This is producing good results, with o…
Obviously, there were some issues with the close of the South Shields driving test centre, but no capacity was lost as a result of that. We recognise the impact that high waiting times are having on learner drivers across the country, including in the constituency of Sunderland Central, and the impo…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
3 contributions
Bus Sector Support
This Government recognise the vital role the bus sector plays in keeping communities connected and able to access key services. That is why we are providing significant multiyear funding to local authorities, including more than £1 billion this financial year to support and improve local bus service…
I convened an extraordinary meeting of the UK bus manufacturing expert panel on 28 July, attended by the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, metro mayors and mayoral combined authorities, to accelerate the panel’s key priorities of establishing a bus order pipeline and strengthening local valu…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
6 contributions
Bus Services
This Government’s landmark Bus Services (No. 2) Bill will deliver a step change in local bus services around the country, putting power over buses back in the hands of local leaders and enabling the delivery of more reliable, safe and inclusive routes. We are also investing £1 billion to support and…
I commend my hon. Friend for his commitment to improving local bus services in Worcester. We want better buses throughout the country, and I can assure him that the Government will continue to work with local leaders to give them the powers needed to deliver bus services that meet the needs of local…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
8 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I have the pleasure of opening today’s debate on Report. I look forward to a lively discussion on the Bill and thank Members of the House who are here to offer their views and speak to amendments that have been tabled. Before I move to the Government’s amendments, I will briefly recap why the Bill i…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
9 September 2025
3 contributions
Accessibility of Railway Stations: Dulwich and West Norwood
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—I have made a note of that particular station and will be speaking to the Rail Minister about it as a priority, as I am sure Members will understand.
I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes) on securing the debate…
I particularly enjoy offering meetings to my colleagues, and I am sure that the Rail Minister will have heard that request. We will soon be announcing which of those 50 stations will move into the next design phase. That is a sign of our ongoing commitment to make the railway more accessible, more i…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
14 July 2025
Condition of Roads: Cheshire
I congratulate the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) on securing this debate on the condition of roads in Cheshire, and on her admirable efforts to highlight her constituents’ concerns. I also thank all hon. Members who have contributed to this debate.
Like everyone else…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
8 contributions
Disabled Bus Passes
I congratulate the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) on securing the debate and providing the opportunity to discuss disabled bus passes, and I thank other Members for their contributions.
I appreciate the concerns that the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough has rais…
I thank the right hon. Member for his extensive intervention. Every single local transport authority in the country has the ability to go above and beyond the ENCTS. In fact, every single local transport authority under this Government has received funding to support buses. Unlike the previous Gover…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2025
2 contributions
Waterloo-Reading Line: Class 701 Trains
It is of course a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Butler. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) on raising this issue.
The Department is keen to provide the significant improvements to the passenger experience and capacity that travellers on the South Western Railway netwo…
I am sure that the Rail Minister will have heard that comment.
The new managing director of the publicly owned SWR has been tasked with producing a plan to introduce the 701 fleet as quickly as possible. The delays to its introduction have happened under what I would say is a flawed franchising sys…