Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I agree with all those comments. The Government should do all they can to support this sector. I say again that coastal communities face some of the biggest structural challenges, in terms of both demographics and geography, of any of our communities. That is why the Government should have a …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman, who is ahead of me: I will address the issue of business rates and VAT presently.
There are plenty of green shoots, however, in many of the communities, and brilliant local leaders trying to drive change, such as Lawrence Bates at the Wildheart …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I agree with the hon. Gentleman, who is also ahead of me: I will address the tourism tax in my speech.
As I say, the Government have a role in creating an environment for seasonal hospitality to thrive, but in my view this Government have done the opposite. I do …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I agree with the hon. Member that there needs to be long-term support, but also immediate relief. Again, he pre-empts some of the points I am going to make—I realise that my introduction was perhaps a bit longer than it should have been, considering that other Members are making all …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I would urge the hon. Member to do all that she can to encourage her ministerial colleagues to improve the lot for young people. The fact remains that youth unemployment is going up and coastal communities are suffering. I would welcome any intervention that the hon. Member can bring about …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"The hon. Gentleman is right, we need both. Our tourism and hospitality sector is one of the most highly taxed tourism and hospitality sectors, compared with our European neighbours, who already have a cost-competitive advantage...."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 03 Jun 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
"I agree with my hon. Friend; I will join him in that call. Indeed, he has dealt with an element of my speech nice and early, so I thank him for doing so.
According to UKHospitality, the sector accounts for around 10% of all UK jobs nationally. In tourism-led coastal …..."Joe Robertson - View Speech
View all Joe Robertson (Con - Isle of Wight East) contributions to the debate on: Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
Written Question
Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Asked by:
Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2026 to Question 3126 on Shipping: UK Emissions Trading Scheme, what criteria her Department uses to define the unique challenges faced by Scottish island communities in accessing essential goods and services; and whether she has made an assessment of the applicability of those criteria to the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Keir Mather
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are over 90 inhabited island and peninsula communities in Scotland that rely on ferry services, each with distinct geographic contexts and with populations ranging from fewer than 10 to just over 21,000 inhabitants. These communities are reliant on ferries for access to essential goods, healthcare, education, and employment. Any disruption or additional burden placed upon these ferry services risks undermining the social and economic viability of island and peninsula communities. Such impacts can contribute to further population decline and reduced resilience in areas already facing demographic and geographic challenges. This is in addition to the legal duties to consider island populations under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.
The decision to not extend this exemption to the Isle of Wight reflects the Government’s assessment that the Isle of Wight has a larger population and greater access to essential services, as well as three ferry operators providing a variety of routes and services for passengers.
Written Question
Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Asked by:
Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026, to Question 115060, on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, what assessment has been made of setting highways maintenance targets based on the decarbonisation of maintenance vehicles, and the potential effect on the resilience of the municipal road fleet in snowy and very cold weather.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As set out in my answer of 2 March, metric 9 considers whether a local highway authority has plans to decarbonise its maintenance operations and whether it has plans to increase climate resilience. It does not set a specific target for decarbonising maintenance vehicles.
It is for each local highway authority to determine which vehicles to use as part of its maintenance operation, while fulfilling its statutory duties under the Highways Act 1980.
Written Question
Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Asked by:
Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 9 March 2026, to Question 116997, on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, whether advice given by special advisers included analysis on the political composition of councils.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I refer the Hon Member to the previous answer of 9 March 2026, UIN 116997.