Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Wednesday 15th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Andrew Jones. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] A popular man.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T2. I would like to raise an issue with the Minister that was raised with me at a recent constituency surgery. What are the Government doing to ensure that privacy and dignity for women is protected in toilet facilities?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Tuesday 5th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I remind everyone that these are topical questions. It is about the many Members I need to get in, rather than the ping-pong over the Dispatch Box. Let us move on to Andrew Jones as a good example.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T2. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am talking to my local integrated care board about establishing the first centre of dental excellence in North Yorkshire, to be located in Harrogate, to build on the dental recovery plan. Does my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State agree that boosting capacity is critical to catching up from the pandemic, and that centres of dental excellence are a very good way to achieve it?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Dame Andrea Leadsom)]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend that we need more capacity in our dental workforce, and I know he will be a big advocate for his constituency. We set out in the first ever NHS long-term workforce plan that we will increase dentistry training places by 40% by 2031-32. Our dental recovery plan sets out many different measures to improve capacity.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Tuesday 23rd January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Please can I just say that these are topicals? I have got to get through a big list, and lots of Members are standing. We need short, punchy questions, and the same with answers.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T6. I have been carrying out a health survey of thousands of residents in Harrogate and Knaresborough, to ask them for their experiences and views of the NHS. I will share the results with local healthcare professionals, to support them and their work. When the results are in, will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how they will help inform and shape our local healthcare planning ?

[Victoria Atkins]

I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss that. As always, he is an excellent advocate for his constituency, and I will enjoy listening to the results of his survey.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Monday 16th October 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I don’t think you will.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to protect green spaces.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Monday 17th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am not sure the Secretary of State is understanding me, either. When I say these are topicals, I mean that—[Interruption.] Order. No, I am sorry; if you do not want Members on your side of the House to get in, please say so, because that is what is going to happen, and it is totally unfair to the people who are waiting. Let us play by the rules—that is what we expect from all of us.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

I recently visited the impressive National STEM Learning Centre in York and was fortunate enough to be able to observe some of its work. I would be delighted if my right hon. Friend could visit, but in the interim, can she detail what professional support is available for teachers in their continuing professional development?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Thursday 9th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry but I have only 10 minutes to try to get people in. We have to think of other Members; it is not self-indulgent Front-Bench day.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T3. The Theakston crime writing festival launches its 20th anniversary programme later this month, and the festival itself will take place in July. It brings people to Harrogate from across the country and across the world. Has my right hon. and learned Friend made an assessment of the role of arts festivals in driving the visitor economy, including international visitors?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Tuesday 7th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

The work to deliver a new banking hub in Knaresborough is progressing so well that we are looking at an opening date in only a few months. Will my hon. Friend come to Knaresborough when the hub is open?

[Mr Speaker]

Yes or no.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Monday 28th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I remind Members that these are topicals and we want to get all the Back Benchers in. We do not want Front Benchers to take up all the time.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T2. The further education capital transformation fund is seeing colleges across the country replan their estates and modernise their facilities. In my constituency, Harrogate College has secured £16 million and is replanning its estate around delivering T-levels and the skills for growth sectors. Is the Minister ensuring that these FE construction projects are all focused on creating estates to deliver the skills needed in the growth sectors of the future and their local economies?

[Gillian Keegan]

Yes, and I am delighted to return to the Department as Secretary of State to find that T-levels, which I launched as a Minister, are off to a great start. They are rigorous courses for young people. It is a fantastic achievement that, for the first cohorts of students, the pass rate was 92%. I urge all Members to visit their local college or institute of technology to see what the future of technical education looks like.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Wednesday 24th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Can I just try and push us through to get through the list?

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

On 3 May, Wembley is scheduled to host the finals of the FA Vase and FA Trophy—not from this season, but delayed a year from the last one. But that date means that no fans can go, even though a trip to Wembley to follow their team is like a holy grail, especially for the smaller clubs. The MPs for the clubs involved—the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), the hon. Member for Jarrow (Kate Osborne), my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Rebecca Harris) and myself—have raised this with the Football Association. Will the Prime Minister join us in encouraging those scheduling the matches to do all they can to move the date, so that the fans can attend?

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Thursday 16th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I want to get through the list. If we speed up, we will get through it.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

Our key workers have kept the nation going throughout lockdown and I want to see local and national celebration of that. In Harrogate, a local electrical firm and a private donor have paid for a set of rainbow-coloured lights on the side of the Stray parkland to be a permanent tribute. May we have a debate on how we can celebrate key workers, both locally and nationally?

Delay Repay: Great Eastern Main Line

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Wednesday 30th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones]

I do not know the commercial terms of that particular arrangement. These are private matters. The particular school to which my hon. Friend refers is, I think, mercifully not that full of students.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. I think we are being good natured and ought not to be tempted to start scoring political points on what is an important matter to Members’ constituents. I am sure the Minister got the point but did not want to answer it.

--- Later in debate ---

[Andrew Jones]

I had just one word left to go.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. I can help the Minister. He did not have to give way. Come on, Will Quince.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

One word.

[Andrew Jones]

I want to make absolutely sure that I answer colleagues’ concerns wherever I can and keep colleagues posted. Do you want to hear a bit more about rail investment in East Anglia, Mr Deputy Speaker? [Interruption.] Well, that may have to wait for another time.

We have had a very good debate on the issues today. I just want to make sure that colleagues do not leave the House feeling that we are not bold in our ambitions. We have a plan to deliver the services that they want and expect for the constituents that they serve.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I have just one quick question for the Minister. Did you get an apology from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon)? We have missed him tonight.

Question put and agreed to.

High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Andrew Jones

Monday 20th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Andrew Jones)]

I beg to move, That this House agrees with Lords amendment 1.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

With this it will be convenient to take Lords amendments 2 to 54.

[Andrew Jones]

Let me say right away that the majority of the amendments are technical clarifications, corrections and updated references. The Government accept all the amendments to the Bill made by the Lords. I will provide some comment on the amendments of substance. Before I do so, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Lords for its scrutiny of the Bill. I pay particular gratitude to Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon for having very skilfully steered the passage of the Bill through the other place, and to my noble Friends Lord Viscount Younger and Baroness Buscombe for their diligent work in assisting Lord Ahmad during the Lords stages of the Bill. It would be most remiss of me not also to thank Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe for his distinguished chairmanship of the Select Committee that considered the petitions against the Bill in the Lords, and to thank the other members of the Committee.

Lords amendments 1 and 2 were introduced by the Lords Select Committee and concern the removal of a strip of land in the Chelmsley Wood area of Solihull from the Bill. The Government were proposing to acquire the land to re-provide public open space for local residents. However, the Lords Select Committee concluded that this was not necessary. As we set out in the Government’s response to the Lords Select Committee report, the Government regret that that means that the residents of Chelmsley Wood are to lose permanently a portion of public open space, but we will be working with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to consider, within the limits and the powers of the Bill, reasonable ways in which to reduce the temporary impact of construction and the permanent impacts of the operation of the railway. Clearly, any solutions agreed that fall outside the limits and powers of the Bill will be for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to deliver in its role as the local planning authority.

Lords amendment 4 was also introduced by the Lords Select Committee. It removes the power in clause 48 that made provisions for the Secretary of State to promote a compulsory purchase order to acquire land for regeneration purposes related to High Speed 2. It was always intended that the power would be used only as a backstop if commercial negotiations failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion and if a significant regeneration opportunity would otherwise be lost. However, the Lords felt that given the broad nature of the powers and the fact that local authorities already had similar powers, it was unnecessary for the Government to take the powers. The Government accept that ruling and will continue to work with local authorities to ensure that opportunities for regeneration arising from phase 1 of HS2 are not missed.

Amendments 3, 51 and 52 introduce a new clause and schedule in relation to traffic regulation orders. TROs are a mechanism for local highways authorities to impose temporary or permanent restrictions on the use of highways in their areas in order to control traffic. Local highways authorities will need to make a range of TROs in relation to the construction of HS2. They will also need to ensure that they do not make TROs that conflict with the construction of HS2. The amendments ensure that local highways authorities will be required to consult with the Secretary of State for Transport before making any orders that affect either a specific road identified for use by HS2 or other roads related to HS2 construction works. This will avoid TROs being made that might otherwise inadvertently cause problems for the construction of phase 1 of HS2.

The amendments also allow the Secretary of State, if required, to make TROs himself and prohibit or revoke TROs that unnecessarily hinder the delivery of the railway. These powers are similar to those that the Secretary of State already has under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and will ensure that TROs necessary to deliver phase 1 of HS2 in a timely and economic manner can be made.