Speeches by Atkinson.

“The drop-out rate?”

“There was a specific concern raised that pressure was being brought to bear on examiners to pass learner drivers even when they didn’t think it appropriate. Could you address that concern? Is it something you would be willing to explore further considering it has been raised?”

“More than two thirds of care proceedings involving the most vulnerable children in our society cannot be completed within six months. Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is a real concern that the safeguard is not deliverable, or risks being the rubber stamp that I know my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley …”

“Derby city centre is turning the page on 14 years of Conservative decline, with a new performance venue, a new business school and a restored market hall, but across the country we see too many empty shops and quiet high streets. [Interruption.] This Budget is putting more money into the pockets of working people to sp…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for coming to Derby last year to see our flood defences and to meet firefighters who had saved lives and property when Derbyshire was hit by floods. May I echo the calls for him to explore with the Home Office the possibility of putting the water rescue that they perform on a statutory fo…”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I rise to speak in favour of Lords amendment 3 and the public sector equality duty. I welcome the Government’s plans for an accessible road map, and the fact that they will work with disabled communities to ensure that the Bill properly meets the needs of people with disabilities who tr…”

“rose—”

“I met members of an endometriosis support group that was set up recently by Derby County Community Trust. I heard from women who had not been taken seriously and who had had their pain dismissed, taken significant time out of education and work, and faced appallingly long waits for surgery. I also met some of their mum…”

“Since 2008, as you indicated, we have seen such a decline in rural buses; I think across England and Wales it is a 52% decline. In the east midlands it is 60%; in some local authorities it is over 80%. The previous Government had a national bus strategy and our predecessor Committee wrote a report that said that “despi…”

“When you became Transport Secretary, you said that transforming infrastructure, promoting social mobility and tackling regional inequality were strategic objectives. In this room you are likely to find many who agree that investment in transport infrastructure is key to the Government’s growth mission. As you just indi…”

“Yes, if I could. You mentioned that stop-start and boom and bust massively contribute to cost when you do not have a steady pipeline of work, whether it is the supply chain or other infrastructure projects. What is being done to try to ensure that we do have that steady pipeline, which is a real way of bringing down co…”

“How do we ensure that freight is not forgotten when it is not part of GBR? I spend a lot of time talking to rail companies and providers. There is real concern about skills and the workforce. How will that feature in the work of Great British Railways, and how will work be done across the Department with other Departme…”

“Building on that, what work is being done to look at the differential between on-street charging costs and motorway charging costs? It is one thing if you can always charge from home, but if you are looking at charging elsewhere there seems to be huge variability in the costs.”

“The Transport Secretary will know how much it meant to me and Baggy Shanker when the enhanced Great British Railways was confirmed, with its headquarters in Derby, particularly at a difficult time for train building in Derby, which, thankfully, is back on track; but the whole country—particularly passengers—is keen to …”

“2. What progress he has made on achieving clean energy by 2030.”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Reading Central (Matt Rodda) for securing this key debate. I come to the debate as an interloper from the east midlands, although my constituency is not quite as far away as the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) in Northern Ireland, who made some powerful points about the im…”

“Rolls-Royce in Derby is an international leader in research on and the development of small modular reactors, and it is fantastic that the Government have acknowledged the role that SMRs will play in clean power generation, energy security and green jobs. In the Budget, we heard that the final decision on Great British…”

“I welcome the Secretary of State’s success in ending national industrial disputes as a first step to delivering better services for rail passengers. Does she agree that the establishment of Great British Railways in Derby represents a further positive step in getting Britain moving again? Can she update the House on th…”

“My constituents go to work to make trains, planes and automobiles at Alstom, Rolls-Royce and Toyota, and they work in their supply chains. This Budget delivers ambitious plans for rail infrastructure, nearly £100 million in R&D funding for aerospace, and £2 billion to support the automotive sector. To get to work, …”

“There are more than 20 cases in my constituency of children with special educational needs and disabilities who are missing out on care and school placements, and I am meeting the council about them tomorrow. I thank the Minister for speaking with me this week about the concerns of families. Can we make it a priority t…”