Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jonathan Brash and Heidi Alexander

Thursday 15th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

A review is being conducted by the National Energy System Operator on the Heathrow substation fire. The interim report has been published, and we expect the full report in June. The Heathrow report is expected to go to its board in May. My Department and I work very closely with all transport operators to ensure that they have robust resilience plans in place. The Government are conducting a review of critical national infrastructure to address the broader question.

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

T5. In Hartlepool, to make a journey of just 2.8 miles from St Hild’s school to the Headland requires two buses and takes approximately 40 minutes. The Hartlepool transport users forum and residents across the town have had enough. Other parts of the country are putting buses back into public hands. Will the Minister mandate Tees Valley combined authority to do the same for Hartlepool?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jonathan Brash and Heidi Alexander

Tuesday 10th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

25. What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the backlog of cases in courts.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Heidi Alexander)]

It is good to be back. Mr Speaker.

The Government are committed to reducing caseloads and bringing waiting times down for court users across all jurisdictions. We continue to keep 18 Nightingale courtrooms open across eight venues, so that we have more physical capacity to hear cases in all jurisdictions. We plan to sit more than 105,000 days in the Crown court and more than 102,000 days in the family court this financial year, enabling us to work through as many cases as possible.

[Mr Brash]

Hartlepool’s court building has stood empty since 2017, after it was mothballed by the then Conservative Government. Will my hon. Friend investigate the potential for reopening Hartlepool’s court as part of our efforts to expand capacity and clear the backlog, and will she meet me to discuss the issue further?