Speeches by Atkinson.

“I want to ask a couple of questions about rail. The modelling that you have used does not assume that road freight shifts into rail, although you set out that it could aid decarbonisation as well as reduce congestion. Have you looked at the opportunities that we are seeing, especially in discontinuous electrification? …”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate and on his powerful comments about the potholes in Nottinghamshire, but according to the RAC, the worst area for potholes is Conservative-run Derbyshire. Does he agree that it is about time that we got councils that will work with the Government to ensure we have th…”

“Today’s news on support for our automotive industry in the move towards electric vehicles will be welcomed by my constituents, including those who work for the nearby Toyota plant at Burnaston. Will the Secretary of State continue this encouraging level of engagement and responsiveness to industry concerns? Will she co…”

“According to the RAC, Derbyshire is the area with the most potholes on record in England. The Conservative-run county of Derbyshire had a whopping 90,000 potholes last year, with the next-worst area having more than 20,000 fewer. Potholes are not just an issue for motorists, damaging their cars and racking up big repai…”

“Derby city council is working with partners and beginning to deliver transformative regeneration. Vaillant Live, a new 3,500-capacity performance venue, has just opened. A refurbished market hall is about to open, a new university business school is nearly finished, and the Government are delivering £20 million to our …”

“My hon. Friend and neighbour has spent many years fighting on behalf of residents on this issue, and I thank him for that. Does he agree that, after 16 long years and with no working incinerator, it is time to say that enough is enough and to explore cleaner, safer alternatives for waste disposal in Derby, particularly…”

“But that investment would mean that, if any of the three failed, you could just switch to another automatically.”

“You have talked about other European airports, but there was a 2023 report to the United States Congress by the Government Accountability Office that references a large hub airport there that has more than one substation. They have the ability to switch from one substation to the other if either of the substations lose…”

“Just for absolute clarity, is your view that you and the airlines were not aware that the failure of a substation would have meant the closure of Heathrow?”

“Yes, pay for the consequences of that risk.”

“Does that mean we are left in a situation where the risks that were taken and the planning that was put in place mean that passengers and the airlines are having to pay for that risk?”

“Considering the range of possibilities that could take out a substation, do you think that it is appropriate, for nationally critical infrastructure, for that risk to be deemed worth taking and to take that gamble?”

“Was it just considered that the risk is so low that it was worth taking, in that sense? Obviously this was a specific fire, but, as Mr Wicking has raised, there will be other potential threats to substations.”

“I cannot see that in front of me, but you are saying that that means a full airport closure.”

“We heard earlier that the failure of this substation, being one of three, would, in your view, always mean that there would have had to have been the full closure of Heathrow due to safety. Was that acknowledged in advance? If so, is that something that was shared with airlines in advance: that the failure of one subst…”

“I understand that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but, with the knowledge and the hindsight that you now have, are there things that you would have done differently?”

“We heard from Mr Wicking some queries around terminal 5. Do you feel that some of the terminals might have been able to be opened safely, or at least to be reopened sooner?”

“More specifically, while I know that you leapt ahead to the assessment on safety, which I understand, in circumstances where you have lost this degree of power, was it always going to be the case that you would have had to close?”

“Mr Woldbye, would closure under these circumstances always have been part of the plan?”

“The duty of service is often earned by the whole family of service personnel—parents, partners and children who make sacrifices in supporting those who serve their country, who are fearful for them, and who miss time and memories. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the work of the Royal British Legion in supporting fam…”