Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rob Butler and Martyn Day

Tuesday 18th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Rob Butler)]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question, to which the short answer is yes, it absolutely will. It is a priority for this Government to increase the proportion of prison leavers in sustainable employment. We work closely with DWP to do that via its network of prison work coaches. We are also committed to working with the Department to improve access to universal credit.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

T6. Before shelving the Bill of Rights, the Justice Secretary’s predecessor, the right hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Dominic Raab), attempted to exclude the Government from the protections on free speech. Does the current Justice Secretary agree that if the Bill is to return in some form at a later date, the Government should not seek to impose on others rules that they are not willing to accept on themselves?

Petitions

Debate between Rob Butler and Martyn Day

Tuesday 1st February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Rob Butler (Aylesbury) (Con)]

The petition calls for the construction of a railway link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes. The link, or spur, was part of the original plans for East West Rail and is vital to the future prosperity of our town. As Aylesbury continues to grow, we need the right infrastructure both to support new houses and to benefit existing residents. The line would cut congestion on the roads, improve journey times on the rails and reduce air pollution. More than 2,000 people locally have signed an additional petition on the subject, showing the strength of feeling in this area. The petition states:

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to consider the concerns of petitioners and commit to the completion of the proposed spur between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,

Declares that, whilst welcoming the £760M that the Government is investing in East-West Rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create, petitioners remain concerned that the funding announcement did not commit to the completion of the proposed spur between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, which was originally conceived as part of the project; further that Aylesbury rail links consist only of a slow railway line to and from London and a single-track railway to and from Princes Risborough; further that if towns like Aylesbury are to both expand and to meet the net zero target of 2050 it is vital that the Government builds sustainable transport links and improves connectivity; and further that excluding Aylesbury from the direct benefits of this project risks the town missing out on the levelling up of transport infrastructure and hampering potential economic growth.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to consider the concerns of petitioners and commit to the completion of the proposed spur between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P002708]

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

I rise to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Linlithgow and East Falkirk, which has been collected by David Balfour of Grangemouth. The petitioners express their concerns regarding the Government’s position on the Acorn project. The petition states that

this decision will damage not only the energy sector in the North East, but also…across the country, including Grangemouth…The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to acknowledge the blow this decision will have on the energy sector in the North East and beyond, including its impact on climate change, and reverse its decision to give the Acorn project reserve bidder status, and thereby honour its commitment to support a just transition to a low carbon economy in Scotland.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the constituency of Linlithgow and East Falkirk,

Declares that the UK Government’s decision not to back the Acorn project in Scotland was incredibly disappointing; further that a significant energy sector expertise exists in Scotland and that this decision will damage not only the energy sector in the North East, but also the downstream sector across the country, including Grangemouth; and further that this decision will have a serious detriment on Scotland meeting its 2045 net zero target.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to acknowledge the blow this decision will have on the energy sector in the North East and beyond, including its impact on climate change, and reverse its decision to give the Acorn project reserve bidder status, and thereby honour its commitment to support a just transition to a low carbon economy in Scotland.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P002711]