Speeches by Atkinson.

“I did—I often do. In our report there was a powerful quote from Baroness Grey-Thompson, who said that if we do not see change, “In my lifetime, I will not be able to get on a train without the permission or support of a non-disabled person.” We still have so many physical barriers on our train network from the lack of …”

“Do you plan to set out an integrated strategy for other elements of the transport system, whether it is freight like we were talking about or looking at overall strategic objectives, modal shift and how transport and planning should interact?”

“When do you expect the strategy to be published?”

“Do you think it is missing an opportunity, though, particularly along that route, to move it on to rail there rather than just facilitating more HGVs?”

“We understand that integrated transport is a priority. There was a call for evidence at the end of last year around an integrated national transport strategy, framed from the point of view of the individual passenger. What do you want that to achieve?”

“Transport creates and underpins so much economic growth, but there is significant inequality between the regions in transport spend. The east midlands and the south-west get little more than half the United Kingdom average spend. Will addressing that regional inequality be a priority for you in the spending review?”

“I have a follow-up on that before the next question. With the significant expenditure on alleviating the vehicle congestion on the lower Thames crossing and the freight on vehicles, what, if anything, is being looked at to enable moving some of that freight on to rail rather than it just being on our roads?”

“We have the stunning River Derwent running through Derby, but it was polluted by sewage 2,675 times in 2024, lasting over 15,000 hours. I invite the right hon. Member to take responsibility for cutting the Environment Agency budget by half, leaving it without the powers and resources to combat this kind of sewage.”

“Q5. This time last year, train manufacturing at Alstom in Derby was grinding to a halt. On a single day, workers with a combined welding experience of nearly 1,000 years walked out of its doors, but the whole city came together with crucial backing from this Prime Minister. What a difference a year makes, with Alstom s…”

“rose—”

“I did play with a selection of graphs; I could have done it taking out HS2 spend as well, but we limited it to one.”

“Thank you. Access to opportunities, whether to get jobs or training or to access culture or healthcare, is so frequently dependent upon transport—upon whether you can actually get there. When you look at the evidence setting out the spend per person by region, the significant inequality between regions and countries is…”

“Engineered Learning in Derby teaches welding skills to young people at risk of offending and reoffending. A qualified, experienced welder can earn more than £50,000, yet we have a national shortage of welders. Does the Minister agree that preventing reoffending and securing the skills our country needs is a win-win, an…”

“11. What steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending among young people.”

“T5. The defence sector is a vital part of our local economy in Derby, particularly with the landmark £9 billion deal struck with Rolls-Royce, which is supporting the Royal Navy’s submarines and providing a major jobs boost. Does the Chancellor agree that national security goes hand in hand with economic security and, i…”

“The take-up of electric vans lags that of cars. Why do you think that is, and what needs to be done about it?”

“I think it is two different things. Certainly, Great British Railways has a duty to expand rail freight, so more should be done on that in any event, but where you have these bi-mode trains, the more you electrify, the less you are having to use diesel. Has that opportunity been explored sufficiently, especially when y…”

“I want to ask about surface transport. The Climate Change Committee’s pathway on electric vehicles outpaces the zero emission vehicle mandate. How realistic is that? How do you think it will be impacted by the announcements that we think the Government will make, having engaged with industry, to ease the transition and…”

“You mentioned parity on cheaper to run. Do the higher cost of public EV charging points compared with at-home charging, and the uneven distribution of charging infrastructure across the UK, threaten the pace of transition?”

“When you say that there is more that the Government can do, in your view, are some of the announcements creating examples of what they can and should be doing to go further and faster?”