Business of the House

Vikki Slade Excerpts
Thursday 15th October 2026

(1 week, 3 days ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alan Campbell Portrait Sir Alan Campbell
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My hon. Friend is a great advocate for her constituents and I join her in paying tribute to Hayley Archer. She is absolutely right that her constituents have a right to see improvements in this vital area, yet too often in business questions we hear about Reform-led councils who are simply letting down the people they are supposed to be representing. I hope Derbyshire county council has heard what my hon. Friend has said and takes action urgently to deliver for SEND families.

Vikki Slade Portrait Vikki Slade (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (LD)
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This week another young life was lost on Dorset’s rural roads, as the second Wimborne man died this year after the roads around this small town saw the deaths of four people last December. Another family narrowly avoided tragedy after a vehicle ploughed into the front of their house on the Cranborne road. While the incidents are subject to investigation, the 60 mph default speed limit on country lanes means that road safety requests have to go through long and costly processes for each and every one, making it a matrix of delay, whereas a rural speed limit of 40 mph would better suit the countryside where the roads simply were not built for the level of traffic. In advance of legislation linked to the road safety strategy, will the Leader of the House make time for a debate in Government time on reducing road deaths?

Alan Campbell Portrait Sir Alan Campbell
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The hon. Lady raises very important matters for her constituency that echo what is happening across the country. We have announced the first road safety strategy in over a decade. It will saves thousands of lives over the next decade as we implement a plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries by around two thirds by 2035, but that is cold comfort to people who are caught up in these tragedies. The Government are also keen to reduce the red tape to ensure decisions can be made locally and quickly. I will raise the matter with the relevant Minister and get a response for her.