Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jason McCartney and Lord Jackson of Peterborough

Tuesday 11th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Jason McCartney (Colne Valley) (Con)]

2. What recent steps he has taken to support nationally important infrastructure projects.

[Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough) (Con)]

3. What assessment he has made of the effect that investment in infrastructure will have on the economy.

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr George Osborne)]

A competitive market economy such as Britain needs modern infrastructure if it is to succeed, yet in areas such as roads, energy and broadband, the last decade saw us fall behind the rest of Europe. This Government are righting those wrongs by overseeing a £250 billion investment in infrastructure—double the amount in the previous Parliament, even in these straitened times. Our new legislation will guarantee billions more in investment from the private sector. This will bring the new roads, the superfast broadband to our cities, and the new rail connections such as the northern hub. We are also cutting through the delays in Whitehall and in the planning system to make sure that we deliver faster than Labour did.