Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Heidi Alexander and Andrew Snowden(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Heidi Alexander
My hon. Friend makes a really important point. I am due to meet her and colleagues soon to discuss the resilience of the rail network, among other matters. I appreciate that a well-functioning, high-quality public transport system is absolutely essential to getting the economy firing on all cylinders.
Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
The Secretary of State mentioned the Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement and I am sure that it will not have evaded your attention, Mr Speaker, as it did not evade mine, that there was not a single penny for anywhere in the whole of Lancashire in that announcement. Can the Secretary of State update me on whether she has made any progress in identifying a funding pot or stream from which the south Fylde passing loop could be financed?
Heidi Alexander
Improving connections between the great cities of the north of England—making those connections into Liverpool and Manchester better—will have a knock-on impact on the whole region. If the hon. Gentleman wants to write to me about the south Fylde line, in particular, I will come back to him.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Heidi Alexander and Andrew Snowden(2 months, 1 week ago)
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Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)
Yesterday marked a turning point for road safety in Britain. Our new road safety strategy, the first for 10 years, will save lives and end years of complacency. Our targets are ambitious: reducing those killed or seriously injured on our roads by 65% by 2035, and by 70% for children under 16. That means stricter penalties for dangerous drivers; clamping down on illegal number plates and those driving without insurance; and new measures to support those most at risk, such as younger and older drivers. Today we are also outlining plans to restrict pavement parking, which will make our roads safer and more accessible to everyone. Every life lost on our roads is not only tragic, but preventable. I am proud that the steps we are taking will mean more people in more places can travel more safely.
Mr Snowden
Earlier, one of the Ministers dodged a very straightforward but important question, so will the Secretary of State now set the record straight? Do the Government have any plans that would change the scope, funding or timelines for Northern Powerhouse Rail—yes or no?
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Heidi Alexander and Andrew Snowden(6 months, 1 week ago)
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Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)
Can I start by welcoming my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Keir Mather) to my ministerial team? I am really pleased to have him on board, and I am sure he is equally pleased to be facing oral questions on day four. He is joining a great team that has achieved a lot over the summer as part of the Government’s plan for change.
The new electric car grant is putting money back in the pockets of drivers; 35 electric vehicle models, including from Ford, Nissan and Vauxhall, will see their prices slashed thanks to £650 million of Government investment. Since its launch, the grant has already helped over 7,000 drivers to choose an EV. We have announced a further £100 million in transport funding for local transport outside major cities in England, with uplifts for the north-west, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the midlands. Public ownership is already improving our railways, with South Western more than doubling the number of new trains in service, and there is much more to come in the next few months. We will publish the first road safety strategy in over a decade, as well as an integrated transport strategy for England, delivering better journeys that put people first, grow our economy and improve our day-to-day lives.
Mr Snowden
If my constituents pay £2 for a bus ticket one day, then £3 for a bus ticket the next, their fare has increased by 50%, not gone down, has it not?
Heidi Alexander
The hon. Gentleman seems to be suffering a case of amnesia because his party allocated absolutely zero money to fund the bus fare cap beyond December of last year. I know how important affordable bus travel is to the British people, and this Government are determined to deliver it.