Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Grant Shapps

Tuesday 23rd May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

As a former Transport Secretary, I can inform the hon. Gentleman that the UK has more fast charging per mile of road than any other major European economy, but we are always pushing to go further. In particular, we have a very large programme working with local authorities to install more capacity, particularly for the harder-to-reach roads.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

At the moment, many people receive their domestic energy on a commercial contract, either via a landlord or because they live above a shop. This Government put in protections to support them, but they have now been lifted, and those people are of course ineligible for the Ofgem energy price cap. Will the Government review this situation to ensure those residential customers are treated with the residential protections they deserve?

National Bus Strategy: England

Debate between Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Grant Shapps

Monday 15th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about that. He will be interested to hear that part of this strategy is £20 million for rural bus services to try out different approaches. I am pleased to say that of the 17 local authorities that are being provided with some of that money, Cumbria County Council is due to get £1.5 million. I hope that he will work with it to deliver better services for all his constituents.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

I welcome any strategy that will continue to support buses. I also welcome the Secretary of State’s mentioning Brighton several times. Brighton & Hove Buses might be in private hands but it is still run with the ethos of a municipal bus service. We would love to have a hydrogen hub in our area, in either the port of Newhaven or Shoreham. Can he reassure me about cross-border services and ensure that there is a duty for local authorities to co-operate so that pricing does not jump about and we can have through pricing between authorities?

[Grant Shapps]

The hon. Gentleman makes good points. I am very keen that crossing over some usually totally invisible line between one local authority and the other does not mean that the service stops and tickets run out. He is absolutely right. I will be paying special attention to that issue in various different local authorities’ plans in October.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Grant Shapps

Thursday 2nd July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

What support the Government are providing to local authorities to promote active travel.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps)]

The Government have provided £250 million of funding to local authorities this financial year to increase levels of active transport.

--- Later in debate ---

[Grant Shapps]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Manchester Bee Network is extremely important. I can inform him that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has already had £3.174 million to assist in projects such as this and, of course, either myself or the Minister with responsibility for cycling will be absolutely delighted to meet him.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle]

I thank the Department for the support it has given Brighton and Hove Council to move forward on some of its street schemes, but the developing lungs of children are the most vulnerable, so air quality around schools is important as is, of course, the fitness that we want to encourage in children. As we have heard, London has already started taking action on school street schemes, so will the Secretary of State bring into effect part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to enable local authorities outside London to start to enable school street schemes to keep our children safe and reduce the 40,000 deaths because of poor air quality every year?

[Grant Shapps]

I will.