"I am confirming to the House that on Sunday 20 September 2026, Chiltern Railways services transferred into public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024. Operations are now run by a new public sector operator, Chiltern Rail Ltd, a subsidiary of public corporation DfT Operator Ltd, or …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"I am pleased to inform the House of the joint publication by my Department and DfT Operator Limited, the Government’s rail owning group, of Great British Railways’ rolling stock and infrastructure strategy on 28 September 2026. Since it was published during conference recess, I am notifying the House at the …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"I regularly produce a letter for the CAA setting out my priorities, and I would be happy to write to my right hon. Friend in detail about the timeline, as he requests.
The Bill is also about improving safety. The Government are determined that UK airspace should remain among the …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"The Minister with responsibility for aviation, my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Keir Mather), has kindly just said that he will be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss that in more detail, and I know it is something that my officials are looking at.
"I can guarantee my hon. Friend that there will be meaningful consultation with local communities about airspace changes—this Bill does not change the processes around that. I also appreciate the impact that noise has on local communities, and nothing in the Bill changes the process that will take place, for …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"It is not the case that noise above 5,000 feet will not be considered in airspace design changes. This is about the relative balance between noise considerations and greenhouse gas emissions. We need to find a simpler way of making these changes, because the previous mechanism was too cumbersome, and …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"We have sought to prioritise work on airspace changes in the London region, given the benefits that it could bring to London and the south-east. I am aware that there has been agreement over the summer to resume work on airspace modernisation in Scotland, which will be important to my …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"I am keen to address these significant issues today. The public would rightly expect the Transport Secretary, while standing at the Dispatch Box, to answer questions here and now, so I am happy to take any interventions.
As many colleagues will know, most civil aviation legislation is assimilated EU law, …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"My hon. Friend is right to raise the impact on people who were caught up in this disruption. I have read reports of people having to sleep overnight in airports and people who have potentially missed weddings, so we cannot say enough about how important it is that we address …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech
"We want to move swiftly on these issues, and the provisions in the Bill are designed to do just that. I recognise that Glasgow airport is an important economic hub for my hon. Friend’s constituency, and I look forward to discussing with her what more we can do to support …..." Heidi Alexander - View Speech