Speeches by Atkinson.

“Derby is seeing a fresh boost to its city centre with a new performance venue, a restored marketplace and the Friar Gate goods yard, which had stood derelict for 50 years, but is now being transformed into 276 new homes. What we do not want is for our ambition for our city to be held back by skills shortages. Does my h…”

“T6. East Midlands Railway has a new fleet of trains that will be on the tracks this year—a £400 million investment. These trains can be powered by electrified tracks, but can revert to diesel when travelling on the parts of the midland main line that are not yet electrified. As electrification means cleaner air, less d…”

“That will have to be collected in a treated way so we are measuring the same things.”

“Stephen, you briefly talked about cross-boundary measures. What are the risks to neighbouring authorities if one area franchises but the others do not?”

“How much does data get shared? In coming to some of the strategic decisions, when you share data you can see where the gaps are. In enhanced partnerships, is there a mechanism to be able to have that shared data and then to look at it across different providers?”

“There is growing concern about the use of vapes as a tool to entice children into sexual exploitation. My probing amendment, new clause 5, was prompted by a police officer in Derby concerned about this national issue. I am grateful to the Minister for meeting me to discuss it. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must ack…”

“Is that not that part of the benefit? In circumstances such as in the east midlands, we have seen such a huge reduction, more than anywhere else, in the number of bus routes. If the point is to stop so many people being cut off from ability to access the services that they really need, is that not partly the point?”

“You would like to see a stronger definition of “socially necessary”.”

“We have talked a little bit already about the difficulties around cross-subsidisation. The Government’s Buses Bill proposes to widen the definition of “socially necessary services” within enhanced partnerships. What are the implications of a service being designated as socially necessary? What would that look like?”

“I visited Richard, a veteran, in his home, provided by the Derventio Housing Trust. The trust, based in Derby, offers homes for people without them, including those who have served in our armed forces. Volunteers from Derventio recently renovated a house in the city specifically for veterans. Does the Minister agree th…”

“Being deaf should not be a barrier to sport. I am so pleased that Macie White, a Derby North constituent, has been selected to be part of GB’s deaf women’s football team competing in the Deaflympics in Tokyo later this year. Macie has to fundraise to cover the costs of her expenses. Will the Leader of the House join me…”

“Is there any penalty if they do not turn up to the quarterly meetings? What is the requirement on them to attend and participate?”

“Not for anyone to turn up.”

“Obviously the sooner you know about things, the sooner you can push things out. You were talking before about the fact that, with immediate works, it can take two hours before they need to tell you. What does that look like? Do they usually wait for the end of the two hours or generally are you told sooner? Is two hour…”

“Do you think the two-hour period is fair in some circumstances or is that something that should be squeezed?”

“Or even the minor and standard, if they are finding ways of avoiding declaring a major.”

“If you went in and fixed what they had done and were able to charge them, would that be about the same as the fines? How much does it cost to put things right?”

“You have already talked about some potential solutions. What do you feel prevents authorities from managing and co-ordinating street works effectively?”

“Can you talk a little bit more about individual powers that you think would make a real difference—there have been a couple of examples mentioned already—and would help with co-ordination?”

“Thank you.”