Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Paths

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches.

[Lord Hampton (CB)]

My Lords, can the Minister update us on the review of floating bus stops, which are truly democratic in that they are lethal for everybody?

Road Injuries and Deaths

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 19th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, please.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

And me next?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Pickles (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Conservative Benches.

[Lord Pickles (Con)]

My Lords, I also express my condolences to the noble Lord.

The Minister will be aware that yesterday in Australia it was announced for the first time that the number of road deaths caused by taking drugs exceeded the number of deaths caused by drink-driving. Given that, since 2013, the number of deaths caused by taking illegal drugs has increased by 70%, it is a matter of time before we get to that position. Will the noble Lord commit to the same kind of campaign that was waged over a generation to reduce deaths by drinking, by ensuring that people who take drugs have a certainty of being caught?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will have the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, then the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords, I was not entirely comforted by the Minister’s answer on “alcolocks”. An alcolock is a breathalyser device that is linked to the ignition of a car, which means that somebody who has been drinking cannot start their car. This would massively reduce drink-drive casualties. Can he be a bit firmer on it?

Airport Expansion

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Swire (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

The Lib Dem Benches next.

[Baroness Pidgeon (LD)]

My Lords, what specific work are the Government undertaking to understand the emissions not only from aircraft but from the surface-access and freight traffic associated with airport expansion? How can the Government meet net-zero commitments while supporting airport expansion at Gatwick and Heathrow?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Spellar (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Boycott (CB)]

My Lords, can the Minister answer a question that is very puzzling to me? When we proposed airport expansion, it was about increasing business traffic into this country. Since Covid, that has simply not been the case; so much business is done online, and in fact, what we are benefiting is tourism. A recent report from the New Economics Foundation found that in 2023, we exported £41 billion abroad, and this is a deficit. What is the logic, given that we are all encouraged to do things online, of vastly expanding our airports right now?

Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 24th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gascoigne (Con)]

My Lords, I am conscious that the hour is late and already the two Chief Whips are conspiring to tell us that we need to rattle through.

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

Wind up!

[Lord Gascoigne (Con)]

Exactly—that is just what my Chief Whip says.

I am grateful to the Minister and everyone who has participated. I obviously cannot do justice to what my noble friend Lady Coffey would say on Amendment 59 in this group, but it has been a good discussion, albeit short.

I think it was my noble friend Lord Lucas who made the correct observation that this is not just about water infrastructure in itself. It is about the importance of it linking into housing and the need to build more homes. My noble friend Lord Lansley made a very good point about the Cunliffe review as a whole and the need to have a broader discussion about what was said in that review. I am sure that will happen.

I am conscious that we are heading into Recess. I am grateful for the many brainy points that my noble friend makes about the issues within the regulations and this legislation. For now, on behalf of my noble friend, I beg leave to withdraw this amendment.

Rail Freight

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 14th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Naseby (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches. Can they please make up their minds on who will ask a question?

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords, I bow to the popular will from my Benches—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

I really think we need to sort this out.

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords, I am grateful that the Minister confirmed the 75% increase in rail freight—the target that I set in December 2023. I listened carefully to his Answer, in which he talked about the Secretary of State setting a target for GBR. Can I confirm that he is intending that Great British Railways will have that 75% rail freight increase—or more—target and will not set a lower one?

E-scooters: Trials

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 1st April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leigh of Hurley (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton.

[Baroness Brinton (LD)]

My Lords, I am very glad that the Minister raised the issue of poor parking of hire e-scooters and e-bikes. At Aldwych Kingsway, it is now almost impossible to get access to the bus stop, not just if you are in a wheelchair or with a guide dog but for a passenger as well, because there are sometimes as many as 100 of those vehicles parked around them. What powers do the police have to corral—perhaps that is the wrong word—these bikes and scooters and make sure that access to buses continues?

Great British Railways: Industrial Action

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

I agree with my noble friend, but I will add one point. The Government are responsible for the cost of the railways to the taxpayer and, because of that, Governments need to make clear before the commencement of negotiations what the envelope is for the employers to negotiate. It is most unhelpful for a Government to intervene part or nearly all of the way through.

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, I remind all noble Lords that questions should consist of up to 100 words and no more than two points.

[Lord Young of Cookham (Con)]

My Lords, further to my noble friend’s Question, does the Minister recall a speech that he made on 27 April 2022, when he was chairman of Network Rail, to the Rail Industry Association? He said:

“The industry will not back away from its modernisation and cost reduction drive despite the threat of strike action”.


Does that remain his policy?

E-scooters and E-bikes

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Robathan (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, we will hear from the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, then from the Lib Dem Benches, and then the Conservative Benches.

Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 23rd October 2024 Lords Chamber

Amendments 45 and 46 not moved.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

It is now 10.18 pm. I am unable to get agreement from the usual channels to finish the last amendment, which is a bit disappointing. If I cannot get agreement then we will have to adjourn. In all my years as Opposition Chief Whip, I have never been in a situation where one amendment cannot be finished off.

[Lord Moylan (Con)]

My Lords, I understand that there has been agreement with the usual channels. I do not think that the matter is in my hands.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

In this situation, the House will resume. It is very disappointing. Never in my time as Opposition Chief Whip would I have acted like that.

House resumed.

West Coast Main Line

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 19th September 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)]

Many national rail contracts are already in place. Eventually, in due course, the Government would like to move to a different sort of passenger service contract. There is nothing out of the ordinary with this contract. It compares well to those of other train operating companies.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, in response to questions from my noble friend Lady Taylor and other noble Lords, the Minister talked about passenger satisfaction statistics. Can she say a bit more about the datasets behind these? What is the dataset? Who collected it? What was the sample size? I find these are often very small. I appreciate that the Minister may not have the information with her, but perhaps she could write to me and to other Members of the House with these details.

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)]

I will happily write to the noble Lord and to all Members of the House with an interest in this to set out how the net advocacy scores are calculated. Unfortunately, I do not have the information to hand.