I thank the hon. Gentleman for his points. It has been frustrating that assurances given in 2016 regarding the implementation of technologies like stopped vehicle detection did not materialise, pointing to a culture of building first and implementing safety second.

I thank my right hon. Friend for his words. He is correct that the Government deserve a huge amount of credit for accepting all the recommendations. The data from 2015 to 2019 shows a better fatality rate on smart motorways, but by 2019, the reverse was true. We called for a pause until we can get to the bottom of this issue. The statistical measure he asked about is per 100 million vehicle miles and does not compare small amounts of network with larger ones in terms of fatalities. I do not have specific day and night data but will write to him.

The hon. Gentleman rightly praises the Committee and points out that the target delivery date was frustratingly late. The Government committed to rolling out this technology from 2016 onwards but missed this deadline. We will investigate whether there is enough supply of technology in place for timely installation.

I thank my hon. Friend and agree with his concern. We will ensure uniform spacing of emergency refuge areas across all stretches, even if it means more funding is needed beyond £390 million by 2025. The Government must not try to evade retrofitting the remainder after this period.

I thank the hon. Member for his question about the evidence we received regarding optimal spacing. The Government have committed to introducing three-quarter-mile spacing where possible but will generally use one mile as standard. We will look into the cost implications of adopting 500-metre spacing and write back.

My heart goes out to the affected families. No technology for automatic detection is currently available, but it must be delivered by the end of this year. CCTV operation and staffing also need improvement. Emergency refuge areas are crucial; stopped-vehicle detection ensures lanes close within a minute.

Emergency refuge areas are crucial for reducing response times from 75 seconds to around 30 seconds, which could save lives. During the five-year pause, efforts should focus on retrofitting safety measures rather than just collecting data. We will continue monitoring this.

I thank the Father of the House. He is right to focus on that. It is sometimes a very difficult discussion to have because we are talking about the economic case, but as he rightly says, motorways are the safest part of our road network, and getting more traffic on to the motorways saves lives. There is an economic case. It has been estimated that for every pound spent, £3 is delivered by having additional space on motorways. It is also true to say that might be just for the first year, as when people know there is a better route to travel, more people travel on it, but my hon. Friend is right that the more people who can get on to motorways, the better. That, ultimately and fundamentally, is why the Government’s response is spot on. They recognise that there are concerns with smart motorways and that people may not use them and go on to more dangerous roads. We need to send the message out that smart motorways are safe. They can be safer, but people should continue to use our motorway network, because it is the safest network of all of our roads system.