Road Investment Strategy

Debate between Guy Opperman and Lord McLoughlin

Monday 1st December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

On the A453 I congratulate Councillor Kay Cutts, who was leader of Nottinghamshire county council and did a fantastic job in making the case for that road. The improvements that will be made to junction 24 on the M1 will be important, and that will serve my hon. Friend’s constituency directly. He is right to say that the Government are putting the motorist centre stage. These road improvements are necessary, and I hope that they receive cross-party consensus. This plan will be delivered under a Conservative Government; I do not think the same can be said for a Labour Government.

[Guy Opperman]

I may be at the end of the road when being called at questions, but the triumphant campaign to dual the A69, led by my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (John Stevenson), and the feasibility study announced by the Secretary of State, are most welcome. Is the Secretary of State interested to note that although Conservative Members welcome the announcement about dualling the A1, the Leader of the Opposition was in Newcastle on Friday and made it clear that Labour does not intend to do that?

[Mr McLoughlin]

I was not aware of what the Leader of the Opposition has said, but if my hon. Friend continues to make his case, more people will get to know about it. I think the road investment programme is essential. It is a balanced programme between road, rail, and the importance of public transport, as well as ensuring that motorists get their opportunity. That is right and I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s comments.

High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill

Debate between Guy Opperman and Lord McLoughlin

Monday 28th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

I was happy to give way to my hon. Friend, but I am mindful of what he said about me yesterday on Radio 4, bits of which I agree with and bits of which I am slightly worried about. He said:

“Patrick McLoughlin is an excellent Cabinet Minister”—

I agree with him on that—

“and a former Chief Whip of the Conservative party. Indeed, if you had a difficult policy you wanted to push through Parliament, Patrick is your man. I would maintain that if the PM wanted the Herod Bill, Patrick would be the man to see that through Parliament.”

I am not quite sure whether to take that last bit as a compliment. When I talk about the need for capacity, I am talking about the need to free up capacity on other lines as well.

One of the great successes in the rail industry in this country is the massive growth in the railways, and I shall say more about that later. If we look at the tables, we see that 20 years ago, rail passenger numbers in this country were constant. Over the past 20 years, however, the numbers have risen from 750 million to 1.5 billion passenger journeys a year. The numbers continue to grow, and we need to address that fact. That is why we are right to do what we are doing with HS2.

[Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)]

All the northern councils and chambers of commerce back HS2 unequivocally as a source of growth and extra capacity. Is it not the case that all major infrastructure projects are objected to at the time of their creation, and that 50 years on, the objectors fully support what took place?

[Mr McLoughlin]

I understand and respect those people who object. If some new piece of infrastructure is going to have an impact on their lives, there will be a fear of what might come. As we saw with HS1, there was a fear of what might come, but once it had been built, people said that it represented a vast overall improvement to this country’s rail network.

High-speed Rail

Debate between Guy Opperman and Lord McLoughlin

Monday 24th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Too many people talk about high-speed trains as though they are just about speed. They are not just about speed. When Lord Adonis launched the initial plans he talked a lot, as I have done since I have been Secretary of State for Transport, about the need for additional capacity. One of the biggest reasons for the new railway line is capacity on links between north and south, and the extra capacity we need at Euston. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: we need to ensure that that capacity serves north Wales well.

[Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)]

The success and efficacy of HS2 in the north-east would be greatly improved if we reopened the Leamside line in future control periods. Will the Transport team look at this crucial improvement, and consider creating the HS2 skills academy in the north-east?

[Mr McLoughlin]

Surprisingly, my hon. Friend is the first Member today to mention locating the skills academy in his region. That is probably because other Members have been asking questions on the details and might have felt that they would be testing your patience, Mr Speaker, if they also made a bid for the academy. The skills academy is essential to getting the message across to young people that engineering and the railways offer good opportunities for them in the long term.

West Coast Main Line

Debate between Guy Opperman and Lord McLoughlin

Monday 29th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

I am afraid that I cannot give those details at the moment, because we are in negotiations. I know that my hon. Friend wants a better service for Milton Keynes, because every time he talks to me he talks about exactly that. As a member of the Transport Committee, he is one of those people who keep an incredibly close eye on this issue and he will no doubt pursue me at every opportunity.

[Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)]

I welcome the speed and transparency of the interim Laidlaw report and endorse the calls of other hon. Members for lengthier franchises. Today the all-party group on rail in the north looks forward to meeting the Minister of State.

[Guy Opperman]

Yes, and I am sure that my right hon. Friend will be coming back.

Will the Secretary of State confirm that this Government’s increased investment in things such as the northern hub and the expanded service for the north will continue in the long term?

[Mr McLoughlin]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. My right hon. Friend the Minister has just told me that he looks forward to going back to the all-party group. My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Just before the summer recess we announced our plans for the railways from 2014 to 2019, which ought to have some very beneficial effects for all constituents. They include the largest electrification ever seen in this country—we are planning to electrify some 850 miles, which is a lot more than the previous Government achieved in 13 years.