Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Aaron Bell Excerpts
Thursday 30th June 2022

(2 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Grant Shapps Portrait Grant Shapps
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The one thing I would say is that ScotRail has been run latterly by the Scottish Government. The amount of delays even before that was extremely high. The disputes that have taken place, despite ScotRail being taken into public hands by the SNP, have been particularly pronounced. On his detailed questions, I will leave it to my hon. Friend the Minister of State to write back to him.

Aaron Bell Portrait Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Con)
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2. What steps he is taking to improve electric vehicle infrastructure.

Grant Shapps Portrait The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps)
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Since 2020, the Government have committed £2.5 billion to supporting the transition to electric vehicles.

Aaron Bell Portrait Aaron Bell
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Today, Newcastle-under-Lyme submits its business case for our £23.6 million town deal, which will be granted through the towns fund. Given his answer, I know that the Secretary of State will welcome the transport projects that we have in place, including the new circular bus route and most importantly, in light of what he has just said, the 40 electric vehicle charging points in the town centre, which will support 375 journeys to work each day by electric vehicles. Will the Secretary of State welcome those measures in our town deal, and will he come up to Newcastle to see the projects for himself?

Grant Shapps Portrait Grant Shapps
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I congratulate my hon. Friend on the work that he has done in winning that funding. He mentions the important work that will happen with 40 new electric chargers in his patch. It is worth pointing out that this country now has more rapid chargers per mile of road than any other European country.