South-west England (Long-term Economic Plan)

Kevin Foster Excerpts

Wednesday 8th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend is right to outline our issues with infrastructure. One of the most visible problems with our infrastructure was identified last year in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Newton Abbot (Anne Marie Morris) when we literally had the hanging rails at Dawlish. Does my right hon. Friend agree that a key part of the investment plan is securing a more resilient and modern railway for those communities such as Torbay, which are west of Exeter St David’s?

[Dr Fox]

It is understanding distance and the need to be able to connect the most far flung parts of the region. It is also understanding that people who live in rural areas require a different type of transport infrastructure to that which occurs in the cities. In funding decisions, we must take account of issues of rurality. Not everyone in Britain lives in Islington. We have to understand that there are different needs, and to meet them different solutions will have to be applied by central Government in conjunction with local government.