Driver First Assist

Robert Flello Excerpts

Thursday 5th November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

I turn to a lighter subject than that of the previous debate—in some ways, but in some ways not. I am grateful to Mr Speaker for granting me this Adjournment debate. It is a little like waiting around for ages for a debate to come along and two come along at once. I will make the most of the half an hour and 32 seconds available to me.

No one would dispute that despite successive Governments working to improve the road network and improve its safety, it is still a dangerous place. For many people, it is also their place of work, and possibly, therefore, the most dangerous workplace in the United Kingdom. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the number of people killed while driving at work makes road traffic collisions—RTCs—the UK’s biggest occupational killer.

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Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—(George Hollingbery.)

[Robert Flello]

More lives could undoubtedly be saved—some experts think by 50%—and injuries minimised if we were able to improve the effectiveness of the response once an RTC has occurred. Statistics say that death from a blocked airway occurs in four minutes, yet the target time for an ambulance arriving is eight minutes. Just having somebody able to respond more quickly would instantly increase the number of lives that could be saved. Traffic volumes are projected to be 46% higher and average delays 54% longer in the next 20 years or so—in fact, less than that. How could we improve response times with more traffic on the roads and longer waiting times for ambulances to arrive?

If somebody falls ill or injures themselves in a traditional workplace, the situation is quite straightforward. Workplace first aid is a legal requirement, and there are clear responsibilities for its provision by first aiders, who tend to be trained by their employers. However, there is not generally such training of employees who are frequently off-site, such as truck, bus and coach drivers, salespeople and engineers—those who spend a large part of their working lives on our road network. Therefore, we inadvertently populate the road network with workers—more than 3 million—with little or nothing in the way of first aid skills. Unlike their workplace-based, non-mobile counterparts, they are almost entirely dependent on the emergency services for a medical response.

Improving the speed of response to someone in need of medical assistance in the community has already been addressed by the introduction of community first responders, who do a fantastic job, but the road network has no formal, identifiable group of trained first aiders who could provide that vital early first response to someone in need of life or death assistance—until now, that is. We now have a model that is able to address this problem. A group of very dedicated individuals came together and looked at how they might apply a community first responder model to the road network. A resource is out there—namely, a lot of professional drivers. Somebody who is a professional driver is most likely to be at the scene, or very early at the scene, of an RTC.

That gave rise to the creation of Driver First Assist. Drivers early at the scene are potentially a resource available to the emergency services in helping them to deal with incidents more effectively, providing the first vital link in the chain of survival—but, of course, only if they are appropriately trained. DFA is a not-for-profit, charitable organisation. It has been created in partnership with the emergency services. It aims to provide drivers with the skills to manage the scene at an RTC and deliver life-saving first aid skills prior to the arrival of the emergency services. For example, if there is an incident on the carriageway and a DFA-trained and qualified individual is there, able to provide perhaps the unblocking of an airway, a person who might otherwise have died now has a fighting chance. A substantial number of drivers are already volunteering to join DFA, supported by major companies. Babcock International, JCB, Tarmac, John Lewis, Norbert Dentressangle and many others have come forward.

I want to give the example of driver Nigel Abbott from Mark Thompson Transport in Warrington. He became the first DFA member to receive a commendation from the police in recognition of his assistance at the scene of a road traffic collision earlier this year. Mark was on the northbound carriageway of the M6 and found himself to be one of the first at the scene of a serious collision. A report was made by the attending traffic officer, PC Martin Smith, who is also one of a number of emergency services personnel who delivers training on behalf of DFA. He said:

“At about 22.00 I attended an injury collision on the M6 between junctions 10 and 10A just north of Walsall. This was a three vehicle collision and had affected two lanes on the carriageway. On my arrival I saw a Mark Thompson Transport Tractor unit in lane 2 which was protecting the scene. I also noticed that the driver Nigel Abbott was doing a brilliant job of managing a casualty with spinal injuries. I trained this driver at his home depot recently and have to say that his vehicle positioning and casualty management were straight out of the manual. This driver acted in the most professional manner and is a credit to DFA. It should be noted that he was very conspicuous in his DFA high vis jacket. I spoke with the West Mids Ambo area response manager who also commented that Nigel had done a great job. An incident worthy of a mention in the good news forum for a job well done.”

It is fair to say that those skills possibly saved further injury and almost certainly saved lives.

Let me turn to the views of the ambulance, fire and rescue and police services. The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives says that it is

“delighted to endorse this important programme.”

Steve Apter, a chief fire officer and the Chief Fire Officer’s Association lead on transportation for roads says that Drivers First Assist

“will allow instant help for injured drivers before the emergency services arrive”

and that he is delighted to support it. The Association of Chief Police Officers lead on road policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, says:

“Road deaths and serious injuries are devastating but preventable…The Driver First Assist scheme has been established to enable trained drivers from volunteer companies to spontaneously assist those casualties at collision scenes…I believe that such early interventions will help support emergency responders in saving life and reducing congestion.”

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

The M53 and M56 run through my constituency, and in recent times there has been a significant increase in the number of accidents. Many companies in Ellesmere Port take advantage of the transport links available to them. How can I encourage my local companies to get involved in this scheme?

[Robert Flello]

That is fantastic. It is easy to find the Driver First Assist website—driversfirstassist.org—and my hon. Friend and the companies in his area will benefit if they go on it. I will come in a moment to what I want to hear from the Minister. Drivers First Assist is a voluntary group and the more companies that get involved, the more people out on the roads will benefit.

Senior traffic commissioner Mrs Beverly Bell says:

“Traffic Commissioners have always championed the skills and professionalism of  the  road  haulage and passenger transport industries”,

and that this initiative now gives them

“the skills to save a life.”

I have quoted some of the people who support Driver First Assist. However, although some companies are getting involved, it is tragic that other companies have said that, if only they had been aware earlier of Driver First Assist, the lives of some of their employees may have been saved.

Driver First Assist is a not-for-profit organisation. It was created in partnership with the emergency services, which do the training. It has a sound strategy to ensure future sustainability without the need for Government funding, but it does need assistance. It needs help in getting the message out at the formative stage of its development. If fatalities can be reduced as a result of DFA members who are out on the roads responding at the scene and making an early intervention, the savings to the British economy—never mind the human lives saved—are measurable in the billions of pounds. That would be a huge saving for the Government and represent the potential liberation of resources in an already overstretched national health service. The DFA needs investment, however, to get the message out.

I very much seek from the Minister an agreement to meet Driver First Assist—I think discussions are going on to try to arrange a meeting, but perhaps we can finalise that—to look at how the Government can further promote it through the avenues available to Ministers. My final request is to consider how to make it part of the certificate of professional competence. When drivers go for regular training—it is quite right and proper for them to be required to do so, because drivers are professionals—is there a way of making it mandatory for the Driver First Assist approach to form a module within the CPC? The really important thing is not that everybody has to join Driver First Assist, because it is very much up to drivers to decide whether they have the skills and are able to apply them, but that they should be aware of Driver First Assist.

I look forward to the Minister’s comments. I am very grateful to Mr Speaker for granting me this second debate today. As hon. Members may be able to tell, I am really passionate about this issue, just as I am strongly passionate about our freight industry and its professional drivers. Something that might simply save even one life must be something that is worth us all getting behind and promoting in every way we possibly can.

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

I congratulate the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) on securing this debate about the work of Driver First Assist. He made some very valuable points about road safety. I know that he is a champion of the haulage sector, and I consider myself to be one, too. That really important sector in our economy can sometimes be a little overlooked.

Let me start by commenting on the hon. Gentleman’s important points about road safety. The UK remains one of the world leaders on road safety, as measured by deaths per mile travelled; overall, our road safety record is second only to Sweden’s. Second is good, but it is not good enough: I want our roads to be the safest in the world. To quantify what that means, although there were 1,775 road deaths in 2014—a rise of 4% on the previous year—that is the third lowest annual total on record after 2012 and 2013. That figure should be seen against an increase in traffic volumes of 2.4% between 2013 and 2014, which was the highest rate of growth of motor vehicle traffic since 1996.

The winter weather has also played its part, but taking into account last winter’s severe conditions by adjusting for average winter temperatures and rainfall, there were 43 fewer deaths in 2014. I am cautious about taking one data point as evidence of a trend, as there is very little merit in that. If we take a pace back and look at the record over time, however, we can see that there were 45% fewer fatalities in 2014 than a decade earlier, in 2005.

Although we have one of the best road safety records in the world, we can certainly do more to prevent deaths and serious injuries. We ought also to remember that the consequences of road collisions can be absolutely devastating. We talk about the statistics, but behind every statistic is a shattered family. This is personal: it is really serious and it matters.

I thought it would be helpful if I detailed how we are working to improve driver skills, knowledge and attitudes through campaigns, such as the THINK! campaign, which will contribute significantly. We are ensuring that drivers and vehicles are licensed and safe, and bringing in laws to make roads safer. Sadly, road traffic collisions sometimes result in people suffering life-threatening injuries, and every minute counts in terms of their chances of survival. Providing professional drivers, who are often the first to witness or come across such incidents, with some of the basic life-support training and the knowledge to know what to do will ultimately mean that patients get the care they need while the emergency services are en route. I therefore support the work of Driver First Assist very strongly. I am happy to encourage more drivers to take such training, and I will certainly ask my Department to consider all possible avenues.

[Robert Flello]

The Department is regularly in touch with haulage firms to ensure that they comply with the various requirements. That always strikes me as a fantastic opportunity to send out the occasional reminder, whether it is on the bottom of an email or printed on a document.

[Andrew Jones]

The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point. I will come on to some practical suggestions later, in which I will broadly agree with what he has said.

I will ensure that we take every opportunity to promote the work of Driver First Assist. As the hon. Gentleman says, members of Driver First Assist are drawn from the ranks of professional drivers and those who drive regularly as part of their profession. It has established an excellent working relationship with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and has the endorsement of the fire and rescue service, the police service and the traffic commissioners.

Driver First Assist equips drivers with skills and resources to manage the scene at a road traffic accident and deliver life-saving first aid in advance of the arrival of the emergency services. It estimates that 46% of road traffic accident fatalities could be avoided if first aid was available early at the scene. That is a powerful statistic. The scheme gives us the opportunity radically to reduce human misery through the application of simple first aid training and the good will of professional drivers.

Many deaths occur from little more than a blocked airway—a condition that, with the right training, is relatively easy to treat. Death from a blocked airway occurs in about four minutes. As the hon. Gentleman said, the target time for an ambulance is eight minutes. Some 50% of road traffic accident deaths occur before the emergency services arrive, which means that Driver First Assist trained drivers can make a vital difference in the first crucial moments.

Drivers are required, as part of their certificate of professional competence, to undertake 35 hours of periodic training every five years. That training can and often does include first aid training. Anecdotal evidence suggests that first aid training is a popular choice for drivers undertaking their periodic CPC training. Of the 3,370 CPC periodic training courses approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, 738 are specifically named as a first aid course or a variation on one. That is 21% of all courses and the percentage could be much higher because some other courses feature an element of first aid. In 2014-15 almost 8.5 million hours of periodic training were recorded by the DVSA. It estimates that that equates to about 1.8 million hours of first aid training across the country.

[Robert Flello]

The Minister is being very generous with his time. As vital as the first aid element is, there are many other elements of Driver First Assist, such as knowing how to position one’s vehicle to protect the lane and the incident in a way that avoids causing another accident and knowing how to hand over to the emergency services in a professional way.

[Andrew Jones]

Again, I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman. The training in the DFA course is very helpful and broad.

All established professional HGV drivers have to top up with five days of training every five years. We would be happy to link up with Driver First Assist to make sure that training providers know that it is an option they can provide. We would also be happy to publicise it with trade associations and trade unions to operators and drivers.

I am aware that there have been concerns regarding the drivers’ hours regulations. It is right that we have a system to ensure that professional drivers do not exceed their legally controlled hours, but there is a concession for drivers who undertake this selfless public service in article 12 of the drivers’ hours regulations. A driver may depart from the drivers’ hours rules to enable their vehicle to reach a suitable stopping place. That is available when they have interrupted their journey to administer assistance at the scene of an accident as part of the DFA initiative.

I am aware of concerns that, by administering first aid, drivers could open themselves up to potential legal action, but I assure the House that it is very unlikely that action would be taken against a first-aider who was using the first-aid training they have received. Legal advice would suggest that there is little chance of any such claim succeeding, and in the unlikely event of a claim against a DFA member, that member would be provided with the appropriate legal resources to defend themselves.

Some drivers are concerned that stopping to administer first aid may make them miss deadlines set by their employer. I expect that most employers in the haulage industry would applaud the actions of drivers who stop to save lives—I would certainly applaud that, and I am sure that will be the message from the House. Overall, such actions are likely to save time and money by reducing the delays caused by accidents and allowing emergency services to reopen roads more quickly. I therefore think that criticism is false, and I hope my explanation has helped to put such concerns to bed.

Driver First Assist believes that rapid provision of first aid at the scene of an accident could benefit the UK economy by approximately £1.5 billion per year, and we estimate that congestion on the strategic road network costs the UK an estimated £1.6 billion per year. The ability to reopen roads quickly following a road traffic accident can contribute to a significant reduction in that cost burden, and that is of course on top of the human costs of injuries and deaths.

What, if anything, can we do to increase the number of drivers that provide this vital service? I will ask the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to ensure that drivers are made aware that first aid training can form part of the periodic certificate of professional competence training that is offered. My Department will encourage haulage industry trade associations and the trade unions—I have met both—to highlight Driver First Assist to their members. In the next couple of weeks I will meet representatives from the haulage industry, and I will emphasise the value of the scheme at that meeting. I will ensure that my officials contact Driver First Assist to ensure that the Government are providing all the support necessary—including moral support—to support its work in practice.

The hon. Gentleman asked whether I would be happy to meet DFA: I would be pleased to. I have a very open-door policy and I want to make significant progress in road safety. I am acutely aware that not all ideas will come from the Department for Transport, and I am happy to take ideas from anywhere if we can make a difference. If Driver First Assist wishes, I would be happy to highlight the scheme in Government publicity including, for example, the gov.uk website. In conclusion, Driver First Assist has, and will continue to have, my personal support and thanks. The hon. Gentleman highlighted eloquently the difference made by DFA, and our nation is stronger for its work.

Question put and agreed to.

draft Merchant Shipping (Alcohol) (prescribed limits amendment) Regulations 2015

Robert Flello Excerpts

Tuesday 15th September 2015 General Committees

[Mr Goodwill]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. The legislation will apply to professional mariners. If one were to charter a vessel with a crew so that one could enjoy a party on board, the crew would be expected to maintain their sobriety under the terms of the legislation. However, the regulations would not apply to recreational seafarers. Of course, we have laws in this country for people behaving irresponsibly. If I were up a ladder painting my house and I was drunk and dropped something on someone’s head and killed them, I would be held responsible. Previous Governments have looked at how the regulations may apply to recreational mariners, and this measure does not apply to them.

I mentioned one example of how alcohol consumption can severely impair a seafarer’s ability to safely navigate a ship.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

Given that the regulations deal with lowering the limit—the example that the Minister has just cited was of somebody three and a half times over the existing limit—how does he see the lowering of the limit affecting such cases where the seafarer clearly did not have any regard at all for the existing limits?

[Mr Goodwill]

Obviously, as all Members will know, when one sets a limit for alcohol in this country, whether it is for an airline pilot, a mariner or the driver of a car, truck or bus, there are those who will disregard the law and break the limits. Indeed, one of the worst cases of drink-driving that we have seen, as in the port of Belfast, was the master of a vessel who was three and a half times over the existing limit, which would probably be five times over the new limit. Of course, such irresponsible behaviour cannot be tolerated. In the case that I mentioned, the man, who was not a UK national—and neither was the ship on the UK shipping register—was imprisoned and felt the full force of the law. Indeed, it was very fortunate that people were not killed and that a major pollution incident did not ensue from that particular incident.

[Robert Flello]

I am grateful to the Minister for being generous with his time. Are there facts, figures, data on mariners who have been over the new limit but below the existing limit having accidents or causing problems? Is that the reason behind the introduction of a lower limit?

[Mr Goodwill]

As I will explain, we have a new international agreement over global limits; as I develop my points, that will become apparent. This is about having the same limit all over the world so that mariners can be in no doubt about what the limit is. Indeed, I will not go too much into drink-driving, but there were a lot of arguments about driving between Scotland and England when the Scots changed their regulations. Therefore, no one can be in any doubt if they are on board a vessel about what the limit is. Many shipping companies will go over and above this and impose zero tolerance on their crew members, particularly on short sea crossings, where people can have a normal social life on land and engage in their work on the vessel.

In the example that I gave, that captain endangered not only himself and his own vessel but other ships in the vicinity and the people on board them, not to mention the local marine environment. That is why we take the matter of breaches of our alcohol limits so seriously. While there is much that we can do as a nation to ensure the safety of shipping, there is no doubt that even more can be achieved by agreeing improved standards to be applied globally—going on to the point that I was making—through the International Maritime Organisation. Particularly important is the IMO’s convention on standards of training, certification and watchkeeping. The purpose of this convention is to establish internationally the basic standards of competence and behaviour to which seafarers must adhere. At the Manila conference in 2010, a number of changes to the convention were agreed to address risks to safety that had been identified. This included, for the first time, an internationally agreed alcohol limit for professional mariners. In the case of breath, 25 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres and, in the case of blood, 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres. I cast my mind back to the existing regulation, which was 35 and 80; that reduces to 25 and 50.

These tough new limits on alcohol consumption reflect a global commitment to tackling the problem of seafarers who cannot fulfil their duties through drink and the threat that that poses to safe navigation. It is envisaged that they will send a strong message to ship operators and seafarers worldwide that excessive consumption of alcohol at sea will not be tolerated. It is right that, as a leading maritime nation, we put our weight behind that effort. The regulations that we are considering today would bring existing UK legislation into line with the limits agreed at the IMO, with the addition of a limit in the case of urine of 67 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres, which is the comparable level.

In addition, having international common alcohol limits helps mariners to understand the standard of behaviour expected of them no matter where they are in the world. Given that national borders are not visible at sea, enforcement of those limits is simplified when seafarers are found to have exceeded them. The effectiveness of these regulations will be kept under review. The Secretary of State will be required to report on the findings of periodic reviews of the effect of the new alcohol limits. This will ensure that we continue to focus on the overriding objective of maintaining safe navigation.

The maritime industry is vital to the UK’s prosperity and many human lives depend on its safe and efficient operation. By tightening the alcohol limits that we apply to our professional mariners, we both reduce the risk of accidents in our waters and stand shoulder to shoulder with other maritime nations seeking to do the same. I commend the order to the Committee.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Flello Excerpts

Thursday 16th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Goodwill]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The road situation in Kent has been intolerable for many local people, although it has to be said that because of Operation Stack we have managed to keep the coaches and tourist traffic flowing. A working group led by Kent County Council is looking at all these issues, considering short and long-term mitigation of the problem.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

I am pleased to hear that the Minister is in regular dialogue with his French counterparts, but given that the gangs of people traffickers particularly change their tactics constantly, what measures are being discussed to resolve the problem of traffickers simply moving further away from Calais to attack lorry drivers and get into their vehicles, in order to circumvent the steps that have been taken at Calais?

[Mr Goodwill]

The Home Secretary made a statement on this problem on 14 July, and I know that measures are being put in place, including fencing, at Coquelles to try to improve the situation. I spoke yesterday to my opposite number in the Republic of Ireland, who expressed the very same fears about lorry drivers being put at risk by migrants, who may engage in aggressive tactics.

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[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

When the Secretary of State or his Ministers are next having conversations with their Treasury colleagues, will they urge them to look at the shameful disparity between wholesale and retail prices for petrol and diesel? A review is needed to look into why motorists are being ripped off.

[Mr McLoughlin]

I am always keen to have discussions with Treasury colleagues, and that might be one of the issues we discuss next time.

High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill: Instruction (No. 3)

Robert Flello Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Goodwill]

Those are precisely the sort of issues that petitioners can come forward with as part of the hybrid Bill process that this additional provision triggers. May I make it clear that we are not, at this point, considering agreement on these changes? This is about setting the process in train so that these points can be made and the Committee can look at them.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

Will the Minister clarify that last point? Will an environmental impact study be carried out on the difference between the two possible depot sites? Has that been considered or is it something that will come further down the line, if he will pardon the pun?

[Mr Goodwill]

There will indeed be an environmental statement to address the impact that will arise from the 18 changes that require additional powers in the Bill—for example, a new location for the replacement village hall for Burton Green. An environmental statement will accompany those additional provisions, and some changes that do not require additional provisions will also have their own environmental statement, which will allow those particularly important environmental considerations to be discussed.

The additional provision includes powers to build sidings for Crossrail at Old Oak Common which may in future enable a link to be built between Crossrail and the west coast main line. That is not in itself part of HS2, but doing the work after HS2 is built would incur significant expense and disruption.

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[Mr Goodwill]

The hon. Lady makes precisely the point that has already been raised by many residents about the existing provision before the hybrid Bill Committee. The additional provisions in AP2 will also allow them to have that say, so that, if necessary, mitigation can be put in place to lessen the impact of construction traffic and to look at alternative routes for traffic and other such things. I have been down the line of route, and I do understand many of the problems. Indeed, I was in Slough on Sunday, and saw the site from the train. I know exactly where it is located.

[Robert Flello]

On the future-proofing issue, the Minister may possibly be aware that I have a certain interest in Stoke-on-Trent being serviced ideally by HS2 directly. However, is the Handsacre junction also being future proofed to protect areas such as Stoke-on-Trent? Do these provisions address that?

[Mr Goodwill]

That matter does not specifically relate to measures in AP2. Where possible, we will ensure that, as we construct the railway line, we do not rule out other connections, which is precisely the point that I made about the west coast main line.

The changes in total will not increase the overall project budget or target price for phase 1. They result in modest additional costs, but they will be accommodated within the contingency, which is provided for that very purpose.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Flello Excerpts

Thursday 11th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones]

The A15 is a local road and this will be a local decision. I know that a business case is being developed. I will be happy to meet my hon. Friend and local organisations such as the council or the local enterprise partnership. The key thing is to make the business case as robust as possible, and I will certainly help him to deliver that.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

The Secretary of State will be very familiar with the A50. May I draw the Minister’s attention specifically to the A50 where it runs through my constituency, where the slip roads are frankly dangerous? The weekly number of blue light incidents is alarming, and the number of near misses is deeply troubling. The Secretary of State will also be aware of the situation just down the road at the Blythe Bridge roundabout. Will the Minister look urgently at what is going on with that section of road?

[Andrew Jones]

I am not personally familiar with the slip roads as the hon. Gentleman describes them, but I will be happy to take this issue forward. If he would like to contact me with any of his concerns, I will happily take them up with Highways England and then get back to him with an answer.

Road Investment Strategy

Robert Flello Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for his welcome. In the east of England we are talking about 17 schemes worth £3 billion, of which 15 are brand new schemes worth £1.5 billion. He has been a strong advocate for the improvements of the roads to Chelmsford.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

One of my colleagues should have mentioned our also having to suffer the Deputy Prime Minister on Radio 4 this morning. Today’s statement talks about roads and previous statements have dealt with rail, but what we need for the first time—probably since the Romans—is a proper integrated transport statement. When are we going to have that?

[Mr McLoughlin]

An integrated transport system would address the different components of the transport world, and we have done exactly that by having a rail investment programme and a roads investment strategy. The hon. Gentleman did not point out the number of schemes in the midlands, so it is perhaps worth my pointing that there are 31 schemes in the midlands worth £2.9 billion, with 17 new schemes worth £1.4 billion. This is good news not only for the midlands, but for the construction industry, as it can plan properly to get the right skills and the right people in place.

Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Flello Excerpts

Thursday 8th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

Does the Secretary of State share my profound concern that roadside recovery operators working on our motorways have been instructed that they must continue to work when they have asked for a lane closure, even for safety reasons, but the Highways Agency has refused that closure? This is putting people’s lives at risk. Will he order an urgent inquiry and put an immediate stop to this dangerous practice?

[Mr Goodwill]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that matter. It is the first time it has been brought to my attention, and I will certainly have a conversation with the Highways Agency. Our smart motorways schemes make it much easier to close lanes and move traffic, so it should not be a problem on those sections of road. I will get back to the hon. Gentleman with the reply I receive.

High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill

Robert Flello Excerpts

Monday 28th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

It is important to note that the Bill before us deals with the route from London to the west midlands, which does not go as far north as the hon. Gentleman describes. That route—basically, from the end of the line we are discussing today to Manchester and Leeds—is still out to consultation. Sir David Higgins did a report, “HS2 Plus”, which I very much welcomed. I accepted part of it—removing the HS1-HS2 link—but there are other parts, on which I am asking for urgent work to be done, that are not contained in the Bill before the House today.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I just inform the House that Stoke-on-Trent is in the west midlands?

[Mr Speaker]

That is not a matter for the Chair, but a matter of intense interest, not least to the hon. Gentleman.

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[Graham Stringer (Blackley and Broughton) (Lab)]

I have three points to make on this important Bill: one about the economic analysis, one about the capacity, and one about the speed of delivery of the project.

We have heard a lot about the benefits, or lack of benefits, from the project. All sorts of different studies have been done, but the one thing we can almost guarantee is that when the project is brought to completion it will be found that none of those studies is accurate. They are studies that the Treasury demands before it agrees to expenditure. So what we need to do is look at the real world scenario and see what people who are running cities and people who have experience of projects like this one are saying.

Those people who do not think HS2 is worth doing and that it will not benefit cities in the north should produce evidence that there is a single leader or mayor of a major city in this country who wants slower connections to anywhere else in the country. The case being made by my hon. Friends the Members for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) and for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) is not that the project is bad and will not bring economic benefits; it is that they would like their areas to have the economic benefits from the project—and there will be economic benefits in many areas.

[Robert Flello]

My hon. Friend is probably aware that there is a KPMG report that says Stoke-on-Trent will lose to the value of £78 million a year. That is a finger in the wind, but it is a very damning figure.

[Graham Stringer]

It is a relative figure from a general uplift.

We should look at the experience of countries that have high-speed lines, such as France, Spain and Germany. The most direct comparator is the line between Lyon and Paris. When the Transport Committee went there in 2011, it found, and was told by the director-general of SNCF, that both cities had benefited from it. All the economic benefit had not been sucked out of Lyon and into Paris; both ends had benefited. The same is true of the lines between Frankfurt and Cologne and between Lille and other parts of France. That does not just happen because the line is built, however; it happens if there is a strategy of the Government and the city governments to make sure there is benefit from that high-speed route. It relies on active involvement from local and city government to make sure all the benefit of that investment is captured.

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[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

I draw the House’s attention to my interests in freight transport issues.

A number of questions remain unanswered by these proposals, and it is pitiful that we have only five minutes to elaborate on them. Constituents and others have asked me whether there is a better way to spend £50 billion to £100 billion to ease capacity, which is a problem that is recognised across the House—by those in favour of HS2 as well as by those against it. Better connectivity between existing airports has been suggested as a better way to address the matter. Constituents have talked about improving signalling so that we can increase capacity on the west coast main line. Interestingly, someone mentioned the idea of reducing the number of first class coaches on some of the west coast main line trains. Indeed, we have also heard about the double-decking of trains, which is used extensively on the continent and would certainly boost capacity.

Dr Beeching’s name has not been heard in this Chamber today. Constituents have talked about rolling back some of the Beeching cuts and opening up some of the lines to increase connectivity. There has also been talk of having dedicated freight lines, and improving HS1, and removing this nonsense of having to travel all the way around London to get through the tunnel and into mainland Europe rather than the better idea of having a freight terminal north of London.

There is also this matter of a slight identity crisis. This proposal was always about developing a high-speed line—or, more accurately, a very high-speed line—but now it has morphed itself into a capacity issue, or possibly both. What has been missed time and again is that if we are to have a new high-speed line and are to free up capacity, we will have to cut services on the existing west coast main line. That brings me to the issue that has been raised by my hon. Friends. At the moment, a passenger can get on the train at Stoke-on-Trent and in one hour and 23 minutes, they can be in Euston. If we move to HS2, a passenger will have to travel for an hour to Birmingham and then get on a 40 or 50 minute train to Euston. How can one hour 50 minutes be better than one hour and 23 minutes? That will be the case. It is not an issue of timetabling. As the Government have said time and again, this is all about freeing up capacity on the west coast main line, and that means cutting existing services on that line.

In the moments I have left, I want to go back to this issue of the very high-speed line. The line we are talking about has gentler curves and lower gradients because it is being built to a much higher specification than the trains that will run on it, so that is an area in which savings can be found.

To jump ahead now, there are also issues relating to east-west connectivity and the KPMG report, which I raised in an intervention. The report said that the only city actively to lose out on these proposals would be Stoke-on-Trent. That brings me to the Stoke-on-Trent proposals, which are a very good response by the city council to the HS2 phase 2 consultation. I hope that Ministers have read them, because they were making lots of uncosted announcements about Crewe while the consultation was still going on. I am delighted to see that the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson) is sitting so close to his Front-Bench colleagues from the Transport Department.

Understandably, colleagues in Manchester want faster journey times, but the Stoke-on-Trent proposal would allow a faster service seven years earlier than the consultation proposals by using a combination of high-speed lines, as far as Stoke-on-Trent, and then classic compatibility on the existing lines into Manchester. Manchester would benefit seven years earlier than it would with the consultation proposals. Again, the proposals from Stoke-on-Trent would not require the expensive remodelling of the west coast main line junction point, which would be the case with the Crewe proposals. Indeed the Stoke-on-Trent proposals are costed, whereas the Crewe ones, which would require a new station two miles or so further south than Crewe, are not costed at all.

With just seconds left, let me say that there is great detail here about why the Stoke-on-Trent proposals would make so much more sense. We are talking about connecting in millions more people than the Crewe proposals. I am not convinced that they are the best way to spend the money—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order.

Roads: Accidents

Robert Flello Excerpts

Tuesday 7th January 2014 Ministerial Corrections

[Robert Flello]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured whilst working on the hard shoulder in each of the last three years.

[Official Report, 10 December 2013, Vol. 572, c. 185-86W.]

Letter of correction from Robert Goodwill:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) on 10 December 2013:

The full answer given was as follows:

[Mr Goodwill]

The following data has been provided by the Highways Agency who manage and operate the Strategic Road Network in England:

High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

Robert Flello Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Burns]

My hon. Friend makes an extremely valid point. I was particularly interested to hear his views in the debate because he is a Kent MP. When I first came into the House 26 and a half years ago, in one of the first Adjournment debates I ever sat in and listened to—I confess that I have not listened to many since, except those that I have taken part in—two of my hon. Friends made a vigorous case that, if High Speed 1 went ahead, it would turn the garden of England into the garbage can of England, destroy house prices, ruin the economy of Kent and end the world as we knew it. High Speed 1 went ahead and Kent’s economy has been regenerated and improved. House prices have not gone through the floor; in fact, house prices along the line of route have kept pace with those in other areas. In some cases, they have increased beyond them because of the houses’ proximity to good commuter links. Capacity has increased, particularly for those commuters who are prepared to use High Speed 1 from Canterbury, for example, to London.

The supreme irony is that one town in Kent, Maidstone, successfully lobbied not to have a station—it was put at Ebbsfleet instead—and people are now begging for a station at Maidstone because they are missing out on the regeneration and improvements to the economy that are taking place in Ashford and Ebbsfleet. The other irony—my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) should listen carefully to this, because I know she is a lady with an open mind and strong views—is that Kent county council, along with hon. Members of this House, led the opposition to High Speed 1 in the late ’80s but is now a strong supporter of the high-speed railway because of the benefits it has brought to the community and the county. The leaders and officials of Kent county council have offered to go and talk to the leaders of Buckinghamshire county council, Warwickshire county council and Staffordshire county council to explain that in their experience the railway did not destroy their communities or environment but actually greatly enhanced them. Unfortunately, there is certainly one county council that does not seem to have the wish or the will to hear the facts or the benefits that high-speed rail could bring.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Sheerman]

rose—

--- Later in debate ---

[John McDonnell]

I understand that, which is why I said that Members south of Birmingham know roughly what the route will be.

I was given promises and undertakings in this House about the process that would be followed to determine the route of the link to Heathrow. At least we thought we had some certainty on the time scale for the consultations. In fact, I was holding public meetings to go into some detail about the compensation arrangements for whatever option was to be proceeded with. Now it is all up in the air again and the route that the link will take is uncertain. The Government have opened discussions about a potential third runway at Heathrow. Sometimes Members can become paranoid in this House and think that they are coming for them.

[Robert Flello]

That is nature’s way of saying they are.

[John McDonnell]

I will not take it too personally.

Frankly, my constituents have had enough of political fudge after political fudge. What they want to know, and they want to know it soon, is where the line will go, how they will be affected, how we can cope with the social, environmental and economic consequences, and how they will be fully compensated.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr MacNeil]

I wish to speak to amendment 28 tabled in my name on behalf of my party.

The Scottish National party and the Scottish Government have been supportive of HS2 in principle. Of course, that is conditional on it being properly managed and, most importantly, it coming to Scotland, so that Scotland, which pays more tax per capita than the UK average, can benefit from it. We also look to help the rest of the UK. As I mentioned earlier, the line that links Seville to Madrid, which it was envisaged would help Seville alone, benefited both ends, as, on reflection, it should have done. We want this link because it would link us into the wider European high-speed rail project that will be found in many places in Europe. Scotland, as an economic powerhouse, deserves to be part of that, not just for Scotland but for the rest of Europe, which deserves to have Scotland linked with it. This will be happening in 25 or 30 years, by which time quite a few of us will not be in this Chamber, if on this earth; we are leaving a legacy for the future.

I am glad to hear that Baroness Kramer will be coming to Scotland tomorrow as part of seeing what benefits can be brought not just to Scotland but to the wider UK and wider Europe through increased links to the central belt of Scotland, which is an important market.

[Robert Flello]

The hon. Gentleman talks about the wider benefits to the UK. At the moment, my constituents have a service that gets them into Euston in one hour and 23 minutes. If HS2 goes ahead, the 30 trains a day we have now will be reduced to three and there will be an extra hour’s journey time to pick up the HS2 link, so my constituents will go from taking one hour and 23 minutes to get to London to taking two and a half hours. How is that an improvement for the rest of the country?

[Mr MacNeil]

The hon. Gentleman represents his constituents very well. He will of course forgive me if I am not au fait with the train timetable to Stoke-on-Trent. It has sadly been an oversight on my part not to visit Stoke-on-Trent.

[Robert Flello]

You would be very welcome.

[Mr MacNeil]

I am glad to hear from a Labour MP that I will be welcome. I will happily make a speech on the benefits of Scottish independence not just to Scotland but to other European countries and to the denizens of Stoke-on-Trent.

[Robert Flello]

You are more than welcome.

[Mr MacNeil]

It is great to hear that. The point for Stoke-on-Trent is probably to liaise better with the rail authorities and the authorities here to make sure that it is represented and gets a better deal. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman, as an assiduous MP—probably the finest Stoke-on-Trent has had—will indeed be doing that. I am sure that will now be very welcome in Stoke-on-Trent.

It is in Scotland’s interests to have the high-speed rail link. It is also in Scotland’s interests to make sure that the north of England is well connected, because we want to make sure that when we are independent we have on our borders a prosperous region of Europe. The north of England becoming a prosperous region of Europe is therefore exactly what Scotland wants. When Scotland is independent it will do everything it can to facilitate and help that.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mike Thornton]

Perhaps I should limit the number of interventions I take.

[Robert Flello]

You could at least take one from this side!

[Mike Thornton]

I will take one more brief intervention.

[Robert Flello]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his generosity. Is he able to answer the question I asked the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil) from the SNP? How will the people of Stoke-on-Trent benefit from a worsened service? They will have to spend an hour travelling to hook up to a line that will only be as good as the current one, and they will have to go from using 30 trains to three. How is that an improvement?

[Mike Thornton]

I am afraid it is beyond my capacity to decide what trains the relevant train company will run, but I doubt we can predict exactly what the train times will be in 10, 15, 20 or 30 years’ time.

Members will be glad to hear that I have nearly finished. The Liberal Democrats know that a modern, high-speed, national rail network is vital to the future of this country. Consequently, I fully support the Bill and amendment 17.