Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jas Athwal and Heidi Alexander

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

Can I gently suggest to the right hon. Gentleman that he listens to the answers that I give? He claims that I am not across the details of the BTP numbers, but I can tell him that there has been a slight decrease from 2,910 to 2,852 full-time equivalents in the last year. I can also tell him that BTP has recently been given a 15% increase to its budget, worth £63 million over the three-year settlement. That will see over 200 more police officers recruited, including for a dedicated capability to tackle violence and intimidation against women and girls.

The right hon. Gentleman will know—or should know—that sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary in this country. It is right that the operator took legal action in the case that he mentions, as persistent and prolific fare dodging not only undermines revenues for the railway, but is unfair for other passengers.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

T7. Soaring car insurance costs are pricing young people off the roads. One constituent was recently quoted £3,000 and another £5,000. They are far from unique. What are the Government doing to bring down the cost of driving and make insurance affordable for young people again?

Road and Rail Projects

Debate between Jas Athwal and Heidi Alexander

Tuesday 8th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

I can give the right hon. Gentleman that assurance. I want to see spades in the ground as soon as possible, so that people can benefit from that vital new piece of road infrastructure.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

I thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for her pragmatic approach to government, rather than the previous “pie in the sky” approach. It would be remiss of me not to mention Broadmead Road bridge in Redbridge, which has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2023. After 14 years of austerity, Redbridge council does not have the funds to reopen it, and I am sure she knows from her previous role that the Mayor of London also does not have any money. Given that the bridge affects five constituencies, runs over the Central line and connects to the M11, the A406 and the M25, can she please include its restoration in her plans to upgrade roads and railways across the country?

[Heidi Alexander]

I had a meeting with my right hon. Friend the Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) recently, who made a similar case about Broadmead Road bridge. In the spending review, we secured funding to set up a structures fund to ensure that the Government can make money available to local authorities with failing assets where the cost of the asset is so great that it would be prohibitive for the local authority to address it on its own. We will be issuing a call for evidence to ask for feedback on how best to structure that fund, and I hope to be able to say more about its design before the end of the year.