Speeches by Shanker.

“We have touched on this, but I would like to explore it a bit more. The Rail Industry Association told us that companies typically need around three years of certainty of work in order to invest in important things like apprenticeships and graduate schemes. They tell us that they just do not have that at the moment—the…”

“Would the same principles apply to other infrastructure, such as headquarters and buildings?”

“How do you anticipate the Treasury’s proposed changes to the Green Book impacting development of the rail investment pipelines?”

“Hopefully, you have seen the written submission by Alstom UK & Ireland, now the only company in the UK where you can design, build and test trains, situated coincidentally in the brilliant place of Derby. They made several interesting points and recommendations. You spoke about consistency earlier. Whether it is interc…”

“I welcome the Government’s decision to support the lifting of the super-injunction today and bring this awful matter properly into the public domain. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is right and proper that this issue is now fully scrutinised by Parliament?”

“Anybody who runs, sponsors or manages a project knows that delays ultimately cost money. You now have a very difficult task and negotiating contracts is part of it. That, hopefully, gives you benefit on the money side, but you must be mindful that any delays will cost as well. How do you balance that and trade it off?”

“The National Audit Office 2025 report on mega-projects emphasised the importance of establishing the purpose of mega-projects across Government. With that in mind, beyond the economic case for HS2, how well do you think the strategic case was made and articulated?”

“The thing that keeps coming back is the desire for speed. Everyone talks about speed—the clue is in the name—versus the capacity constraints. With that confusion, do you think it has had an effect on the delivery of the project?”

“Absolutely, the faces of Opposition Members say it all. I will talk a little more about the content of the shadow Minister’s speech in a second. The EFL has needed this Bill, and it wants this Bill. It will establish the independent football regulator, introduce proper financial oversight and finally require clubs to e…”

“As someone born and raised in Derby, I know how deeply our football club runs through the heart of our city. Derby County is more than just a team; it represents our identity, our pride and the strength of our community. However, like so many in this House, I also know what it feels like when that identity is put at ri…”

“Dawn or Mal, do you have anything to add to that?”

“Is that a collective conversation, or are you talking to GBR individually authority by authority?”

“Several contributors to this inquiry have called for early investment pipelines to be depoliticised. We have had a bit of a chat about it already. Is this realistic, and how could it be achieved?”

“I was going to ask for specific examples and what would make things better, but I think you have covered all that.”

“From our previous sessions and written evidence from various stakeholders, there are several reasons why establishing a stable pipeline of railway investments has been really challenging. Could you give us an example of how this has had an effect on your organisation and your objectives?”

“This is a question for Liz, really. In your written evidence you mentioned the Greater Manchester transport strategy 2040 as your guiding document to future pipelines. Do you think that the Government should have a similar document and, if so, what would it look like?”

“Obviously there is a lot of talk about GBR. How are you guys feeding into the process of establishing GBR—if at all?”

“Okay, something slightly different next. There are lots of questions about how the DFT, GBR and the Government can help you guys and your businesses. I am thinking now about how you can help yourselves and the employees in the communities in which you work. To what extent are the UK arms of your business engaged in exp…”

“Recently we have seen some cliff edges narrowly avoided, no more so than in Derby in the last year or 18 months. Our involvement in that is well documented. Do you see any such cliff edges in sight in the near future?”

“Specifically on rolling stock—I refer to the Cairo monorail and metro line to Egypt—can either of you see any other future opportunities for exports?”