Topical Questions 2026-07-16

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I am concerned about improving everyday journeys across the country through better railways, buses, cycling, and walking infrastructure. Can you make a statement on how your department is fulfilling its responsibilities?

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Given the creation of “No. 10 North”, I expect further public scrutiny of its service levels, especially for passengers travelling between Euston and the north-west of England who are experiencing delays and uncertainty. Can you provide assurances on future service improvements?

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In many places, councils are trying to unpick the last Welsh Labour Government's blanket 20 mph speed limits. Why is the Secretary of State trying to repeat that policy which is causing chaos for motorists in rural communities?

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Can you explain when the A120 to Harwich will be upgraded? The existing road is long past its renewal date and causes significant issues in winter. It's vital for growth in the east of England as it serves Harwich port, the freeport, and a deprived community of 20,000 people.

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Right now, one in seven students pay for their pilot training through remortgaging property. How is the Secretary of State working with the aviation sector to reduce these financial barriers?

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Can you confirm that detrunking this section of the A69 would not be a major change to the strategic road network, given recent safety incidents on the A69 at Warwick Bridge?

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I do not want the grievance; I want the solution. Can you confirm what proactive action the Secretary of State will take to achieve an agreement with the European Commission and French authorities to suspend this system until it works properly?

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This Government have promised to deliver new homes, but our road network is overloaded. My constituents are concerned about growing strain on junction 25 of the M1 as National Highways also acknowledges. Can the Minister explain how National Highways and local authorities can work better together to listen to and respond to concerns, and ensure that new homes come alongside proper upgrades to infrastructure?

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At a recent packed talk with my Highfields residents, they told me the same thing that all my residents tell me about: the scourge of potholes. We know that councils are facing a backlog of £17 billion in road repairs, but new technology exists that can detect early cracks and seal them before they become potholes. Will the Secretary of State commit to funding the roll-out of that preventive AI-based road technology, instead of constantly chasing the problem?

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Does the Secretary of State agree that we need a full multi-agency approach to ensure better road safety? Does she also agree that Suffolk county council and Suffolk Highways should convene a meeting with me to discuss how we can deliver better, safer roads?

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I am grateful to the Government for considering improvements to the A605 and Tinwell junctions on the A1, but the current plan is to put traffic lights in place and National Highways agrees that that is not the right approach. Will the Government put the funding, which is welcome, into widening the slip roads, which are far substandard and below the national requirements?

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On buses, on transport and train connectivity, and on our roads, Newcastle-under-Lyme was let down and left behind by the previous Government. Will the Minister set out what we are doing to get a grip, and can we meet to discuss the transport priorities of my constituents?

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Seventeen-year-old Oakley Meer lost his life in a collision on Beachy Head Road in Eastbourne. Will the Minister meet me and Oakley's family to discuss how we can improve road safety on that treacherous road?

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Heugh Street bridge has been closed since November. The council only applied to the structures fund after I raised the matter here, and despite pleas, it has still not implemented proper diversions. The bridge is absolutely vital on Great North Run day in September. Can the Minister suggest what else we can do next?

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The Under-Secretary of State for Transport will be visiting Immingham this afternoon. Does he agree that his journey would be much more convenient if there were a direct train service from King's Cross to my constituency, and will he join my campaign to ensure that happens?

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Would the Minister encourage the Government's traffic commissioner for Scotland to build on the remarkable success of bus franchising in Manchester, and work with the Scottish Government to emulate the success of Manchester's Bee Network in my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North?

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The Government have cancelled the two main road projects in the east midlands—the A38 in Derby and the A46 in Newark. The Government did not inform anyone. What does the Secretary of State have against the east midlands? Will the incoming Prime Minister do something to fix this mess?

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Reform-led Kent county council wrote to Transport for London asking it to consider a number of options for bus route 96, including terminating the route in Dartford town centre from now on. Does my right hon. Friend agree that section 173(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 allows cross-boundary routes to operate in that way?

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As this could be the right hon. Lady's last appearance at the Dispatch Box as Transport Secretary, will she leave a note for her successor asking them to look again at Aldridge railway station? Will she remind Mayor Parker to put back the funding that he took away?

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What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the potential impact of HS2 on west coast main line services between Glasgow and London?

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In Manchester, London and now Wales, side road zebra crossings without Belisha beacons are allowed. Dunyeats Road suffers from multiple issues causing collisions. Will she consider allowing councils to bring forward these crossings?

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How will stations such as Northwich railway station be able to access accessibility improvement funding to deliver an accessible station for my constituents?

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The Secretary of State will know that e-bikes do not require insurance, but we are seeing some pedestrians suffer catastrophic injuries. Is she giving any consideration to reviewing the rules on this issue?

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Fuel is being transported hundreds of miles from Stanlow in Cheshire to Scottish airports. What will the Department do to protect fuel security and Scottish jobs?

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If a person has a pram, heavy luggage or a bike, or is disabled, it is difficult to use the railway if there is no step-free access. Further to the Secretary of State's answer to the hon. Member for Mid Cheshire (Andrew Cooper), can she outline whether rural areas will be prioritised for step-free access in the future? For many of those people, there are no alternative forms of transport.

Question

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am sure that you and all Members of this House are hoping to get a holiday in at some point during this recess, so I wish you a hassle-free journey out and back home.<br/>My Committee is today launching an inquiry on safer journeys for women and girls. The Minister for local transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood), has set out the Department's actions contributing to the Government's goal of halving violence against women and girls within 10 years. What will the Transport Secretary be doing to monitor and measure the effectiveness of those actions?

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Baddington bridge has been under a 7.5 tonne weight restriction since September 2025, with an hour-long diversion, leading to significant additional costs for local businesses and farms. Without a workable alternative, some drivers are ignoring the restriction, causing damage and disruption to country roads and nearby bridges. Will the Minister work with me and urgently review Cheshire East council's application to the structures fund, so that we can reopen the bridge as soon as possible?

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In February this year, the Albert bridge in my constituency was closed. This, coupled with changes to Battersea Bridge Road and the surrounding roads implemented by Transport for London, is causing significant delays, disruption and congestion. Despite my painstaking attempts to engage with TfL over the past five months, it is proving quite difficult. TfL is not engaging with the lived experience of my constituents and myself, so will the Secretary of State engage with TfL on my behalf, to ensure that it engages and works with the constituency MP?

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Earlier this year the Minister for roads, the hon. Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), wrote to me to say that Hammersmith bridge in my constituency would be a suitable candidate for the structures fund, but Hammersmith and Fulham council has just decided not to make an application on the basis that the structures fund is not suitable for repairs. Will the Minister please meet me as a matter of urgency to determine whether the structures fund remains a suitable way of funding repairs to Hammersmith bridge?

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Longton station in my constituency was allocated money from the transforming cities fund to have a lift installed. Unfortunately, that money was reallocated by the city council towards some paving slabs. Can I have a meeting with the Department to look at how we can get funding back for lifts at Longton station and then protect that money so that it cannot be reallocated to other projects?

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Haslingden Old Road in my constituency has been shut for two years due to a landslip. Will the Minister support me in urging Reform-led Lancashire county council to get this road reopened, as it is such a vital backbone going through my constituency?

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Passengers on the Fen line from King's Lynn are suffering repeated cancellations and an unacceptably poor level of service. Now that the Government control both the track and the trains, will the Transport Secretary intervene and demand a robust action plan to sort out this poor performance?

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Businesses and individuals are increasingly discovering the advantages of living and working in the north-east—and no doubt the north-west, too—but unreliable train wi-fi means that journeys to the regions are too often dead time. I know that the Government are investing in technology to improve wi-fi services, but can the Minister tell me when we will see reliable wi-fi on LNER services, so that the whole nation's productivity can be improved?

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For many, rural bus services are the only way to buy food, to get to work, school or medical appointments, or to access services. A shuttle bus is meant to replace the 173 First Bus service during six months of roadworks on rural roads, but would-be passengers could not find any details or get through to the operator, and they were left standing in extreme heat at the roadside. Will the Minister ensure that when routes are disrupted, operators and local transport authorities provide clear, accessible and timely information so that passengers are not left stranded?

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I am delighted that the midlands metro tram line will connect Dudley with the rest of the west midlands. However, the construction has caused disruption to local businesses such as the Dubliner's, and repeated delays have exacerbated that. What support can the Minister provide to businesses that are being impacted by the repeated delays to the tram?

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All my residents in Spelthorne and I are desperate to get Spelthorne's five stations into the travelcard zone. The Secretary of State has looked at this in the past, but will she look again, with South Western Railway, at the financial modelling being used to say that it is not possible? I think a load more people would use that trainline if it were in the travelcard zone.

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Whenever the Secretary of State reviews the ZEV mandate, will she confirm that she will consider the entire electric vehicle supply chain, including the billions invested in domestic lithium mining, battery production and charge point operators, and not just the views of ICE-based legacy car manufacturers?

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We very much welcome the Government's initiative to give children free bus travel throughout the summer—it is a great idea. The only problem is that in Winchester and its surrounding area, Hampshire county council keeps cutting funding for bus services. Will the Minister explain what the Department is doing to encourage councils and operators to increase rather than decrease bus services?

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Some 40% of roads in Cambridgeshire take up roughly 80% of the highways budget. With the forthcoming announcement about local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire, what assessment has the Department made of the feasibility of that being deliverable given that most of those roads will end up in the same, much smaller unitary authority?

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Cheltenham train passengers have a continual frustration with the turnaround time at Gloucester. There is also a new frustration: I wonder whether the Secretary of State or a Minister can tell me why so many trains due to terminate at Cheltenham unexpectedly terminate at Gloucester?

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One of my constituents was nearly knocked over on a dedicated cycle path by an illegal e-bike. Riders in the gig economy in particular ride fast and dangerously. What steps are being taken to tackle the demands of illegal bikes in the gig economy?

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In my capacity as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on cabin air quality, I recently met pilots and cabin crew about the impact of fume events and the lifelong consequences they can have for them. What steps are the Government taking to investigate, research, regulate and mitigate those issues?