Business of the House
Debate between Navendu Mishra and Alan Campbell(2 days, 15 hours ago)
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Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)
Following 14 years of severe austerity under the coalition Government and Conservative Governments, this Labour Government allocated a record £7.3 billion in December to English councils to fix potholes and improve roads. Sadly, Liberal Democrat-run Stockport council has a self-imposed policy of not filling potholes under 40 mm, meaning that some of the roads in my constituency are in truly shocking condition. I am running a survey on my website on this issue, and an overwhelming majority of residents have raised Edgeley as a concern. Many of my constituents feel that there is a challenging disparity between the road conditions in more affluent areas and those in my constituency. I thank Mike Naylor, the Labour candidate in Edgeley, for his work on that. May we have a debate in Government time on how councils such as Stockport can better use the increased funding?
Sir Alan Campbell
My hon. Friend is right to point to our record investment in local highways maintenance over the next four years and the £7.3 billion to tackle the scourge of potholes. I am astonished to hear that his Lib Dem council is not prepared to use that money. I encourage residents to take part in his survey to see the extent of the issue. When they get the opportunity, I am sure that his residents will make their voices heard at the ballot box.
Business of the House
Debate between Navendu Mishra and Alan Campbell(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I remember that too. I thank the right hon. Gentleman for reminding us of those devastating events and the impact that they had on lives and livelihoods at the time and for much longer afterwards. I join him in praising the resilience of the communities that were hit the hardest in those days, including his own. We are providing £1 billion for a new national biosecurity centre to protect farmers from the impact of disease, but I encourage him to apply for an Adjournment debate to remind the House and Ministers of the events, so that we can set out how we have learned and are learning those lessons.
Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)
May I also place on record my best wishes to you, Mr Speaker, and to colleagues across the House for Holi? On a personal note, if you are looking to get covered in Holi colours, I am more than happy to organise that in Lancashire or in Stockport.
On a separate note, it is concerning that many unlicensed and illegal driving instructors are operating across the UK. Some are offering lessons without proper certification, and others are exploiting learners through unofficial test bookings. Illegal instructors undermine our road safety, put learners at risk and threaten the integrity of our driving test system. I have heard from local reputable driving instructors in Stockport, including Mr Jules Musgrove from JSM Driving, about the dangers of that, and I have tabled a number of written parliamentary questions on the matter. I have been informed that the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency received 927 reports of illegal instruction and 2,133 reports of fraud concerning theory and practical tests. May I request that the Leader of the House allocate Government time for a debate on measures to strengthen enforcement against illegal driving instructors?