Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Raynsford Excerpts
Thursday 19th December 2013

(10 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes a very important point. The truth is that, while we have seen a huge amount of growth in the railways, more people are using buses every single day, particularly in rural areas and rural communities, which rely on bus services. My hon. Friend raises important issues and his ideas certainly merit further consideration.

Nick Raynsford Portrait Mr Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
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T2. As we are on the subject of Christmas largesse, could the Secretary of State explain why the Airports Commission, as part of its costing for extra capacity at Heathrow, gave the airport an extraordinary present by excluding the cost both of the rail link to HS2 and of motorway enhancement around Heathrow but included such surface access costs in its assessment of the alternative in the Thames Gateway?

Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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I am not responsible for the Airports Commission report—it is an independent report—but I will certainly draw the right hon. Gentleman’s comments to the attention of Sir Howard Davies so that he can consider whether his report properly reflects all the arguments.