Oral Answers to Questions

Alicia Kearns Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to allocate funding for improved transport infrastructure throughout the UK.

[Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Melton) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to allocate funding for improved transport infrastructure throughout the UK.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

19. What steps he is taking to allocate funding for improved transport infrastructure throughout the UK.

--- Later in debate ---

[Rishi Sunak]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the importance of relieving congestion for improving day-to-day quality of life and driving economic growth. I am pleased that last year her constituency benefited from a £30 million investment to do just that. But there is always more we can do, and I would urge her to consider the Department for Transport’s pinch points fund.

[Alicia Kearns]

Places such as Melton Mowbray in my constituency have very low unemployment thanks to a thriving food manufacturing sector and the business-friendly policies of this Government, but we need to see wages rise locally. What investment has my right hon. Friend’s Department made to make sure that local councils can provide the transport needed, particularly buses, so that people can get to work and revitalise our high streets?

[Rishi Sunak]

I am delighted to hear about the economic growth that is happening in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I know that her local councils are a key part of driving that. I am pleased to say that the Government announced today a £5 billion package to support local transport infrastructure such as buses and cycleways, alongside our existing £3.6 billion towns fund, which 16 different places across the east midlands have benefited from.