Topical Questions

Question

If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities regarding rail connectivity improvements and meeting concerns raised by constituents over potential noise and emissions impacts from modernised flightpaths for Edinburgh airport.

Question

Passengers want safe and reliable journeys, and those who work on our public transport system deserve to be safe at work, especially when they do the right thing in difficult circumstances. However, bus driver Mark Hehir, praised by police for stopping a thief, was sacked. Has the Secretary of State or anyone from the Department met him? What are the most recent British Transport Police figures?

Question

Nobody from the Department for Transport has reached out to a heroic bus driver, and the Secretary of State is clearly not really paying attention to officer numbers either, because they are down by 112. What are the most recent British Transport police figures?

Question

Soaring car insurance costs are pricing young people off the roads. One constituent was recently quoted £3,000 and another £5,000. What are the Government doing to bring down the cost of driving and make insurance affordable for young people again?

Question

The Government have big ambitions for active travel, but their targets in the third cycling and walking investment strategy are neither bold nor measurable. Over 40 organisations, including some Labour mayoral authorities, have called for a target of 50% of short urban journeys being walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030, as well as planning for a national active travel network. What does the Secretary of State say in response?

Question

Cumbernauld will get its first direct service to London in the spring when Lumo's new Stirling to London Euston service starts stopping at Greenfaulds station. How will the Department ensure that rail reform allows communities such as mine to continue to benefit from open access services?

Question

Over the weekend, I saw the appalling state of roads in my Chelmsford constituency, such as Oaklands Crescent and Dorset Avenue. Does the Secretary of State agree that patching potholes is a waste of public funds?

Question

Residents in my constituency have faced years of disruption from High Speed 2. Upcoming works include an 11-day closure at Swinfen interchange and a year-long closure of the northbound slip road at Streethay. Will the Secretary of State outline when these works will be completed? What assurances can be given that the disruption will be minimised?

Question

The B1050 between Earith and Willingham is one of many peat-affected roads in Cambridgeshire. These roads cost up to four times more to repair, and repairs last just a fraction of the time. The funding formula for highways maintenance does not account for geological conditions. What will the Secretary of State do about this?

Question

Network Rail has rightly apologised for its failure to deliver a functional Sunderland station following refurbishment. Will the Secretary of State join me in asking Northern Rail to get on with delivering improvements, and will she arrange a meeting with the Rail Minister to discuss that?

Question

Roadworks in my constituency are causing traffic hell. The county council is powerless to cause utilities companies to cooperate and coordinate their work. What does the Secretary of State suggest I say to my residents?

Question

My community's bus services were cut by half. This government is putting more money into local communities, but we need more bus services, particularly in rural areas. Will the Minister set out how we are going to improve local bus services with franchising?

Question

My constituents cannot use tap-in, tap-out technology to commute despite the proximity to London. Will the Transport Secretary agree to back a Liberal Democrat amendment to roll out this infrastructure across the country?

Question

I will keep it short and sweet, Mr Speaker. Weymouth train station does not have a working toilet, which means that wheelchair users, passengers with heavy luggage and parents with a pram are left having to go 20 minutes to get to the nearest toilet. Will the Secretary of State work constructively with South Western Railway to finally get a working toilet at Weymouth train station?

Question

In the past seven months, I have been contacted by 18 constituents who have faced unacceptable delays in getting responses from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about licensing issues where a review by the medical team is required. Each time I have intervened and each time the issue has been resolved, but it is not the mark of a functioning system that an MP has to intervene in every complaint to get a response. What will the Secretary of State do to ensure that constituents can get a response from the DVLA without having to mobilise their MP every time?

Question

We on the Labour Benches know that effective bus services are key to economic growth. Unfortunately, when Staffordshire county council was run by the Conservatives, it sought to cut bus services in my county by 41%. One of those was a direct service from the train station to Staffordshire technology park. Does the Minister agree that investing in our bus services is key to growing our towns economically?

Question

On a recent visit to St Richard's Catholic college in my constituency, students told me that they face paying an astonishing extra £400 a year in bus fares. How can the Minister justify to those students and others in my constituency the cutting of our bus service funding by £2.5 million?

Question

This Government have already invested millions in the future of Cornish industries but they are held back by poor transport links. Our rail link is struggling, and our airport is fragile. Will the Secretary of State confirm that she is committed to transport improvement in Cornwall through Devon?

Question

The Secretary of State mentioned the Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement and I am sure that it will not have evaded your attention, Mr Speaker, as it did not evade mine, that there was not a single penny for anywhere in the whole of Lancashire in that announcement. Can the Secretary of State update me on whether she has made any progress in identifying a funding pot or stream from which the south Fylde passing loop could be financed?

Question

The 29 bus route in Glasgow is being cut without consultation, and local people have signed my petition so that people in Mansewood and Hillpark are not left potentially cut off. Will the Minister join me in calling on the Scottish Government and Glasgow city council to do everything they can to protect that route?

Question

Hard-working men and women in the coastguard, such as Bembridge resident Martin Groom, do vital work securing our borders, including, in some cases, intercepting small boats. The coastguard treats them as volunteers, but the Court of Appeal has disagreed and said that they are workers. Will the Government do the right thing and afford them all the rights, protections and fair payment that their worker status entails? The security of our nation relies on them.

Question

Last month, my Conservative-controlled council in the London borough of Bexley issued a press release stating that DFT data showed that it has the seventh best roads in England. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the data shows that it has an amber rating and does not say that it has the seventh best roads in England?

Question

I am concerned about the transportation issues faced by my constituents on the Isles of Scilly who cannot access a local transport grant and have to pay £120 return for attending medical appointments off-islands. Will the Secretary of State ensure that her upcoming meeting in Cornwall is cross-party so I can raise these serious transport problems?