Speeches by Atkinson.

“My husband served in Afghanistan and has always felt keenly the debt that our country owes to those who worked alongside and supported our forces, and I know that many of my constituents who served there feel the same. If we fail to honour our debts, why should people in future conflicts trust us and support our troops…”

“We are seeing massive investment in the regeneration of Derby city centre, including the opening of a new entertainment venue and the reopening of our market hall, which is bursting with small and independent businesses. Regeneration also means ensuring that our city feels safe, welcoming and inclusive. Will the Minist…”

“Absolutely. I understand the need to make sure that we get the pipeline in place, but it is about how much of the supply chain will still be there if there is much more delay in getting it in place.”

“When do you think the supply chain is going to be put in a place where they have that confidence? I know that there is a lot of work being done in relation to the infrastructure plan, but aren’t we still in a place where there isn’t sufficient certainty that would enable consistency so that we can make sure that that i…”

“The Office for Value for Money’s report on mega-projects showed that all but one had been late and over budget. Why are we so poor at learning from past failures with such projects? When are we going to get to the point that we start getting it right?”

“I had understood that the benefits of the Elizabeth line were wildly underestimated. If you are still saying that we are taking that learning and considering that learning, can we be confident in the way that we assess projects at the moment?”

“Isn’t it a concern, if transport projects are hugely underestimated in terms of their benefit, when they are competing with the Treasury against other projects across the country?”

“There has been criticism of the benefit-cost ratios in assessing projects. We have spent a lot of time talking about optimism and about costs and how we can get that right, but the Stewart review also considered that the benefits of HS2 were being underestimated. How do you think we need to reform how we do benefits an…”

“Thank you. Lord Hendy, what lessons are you taking on board for the organisation of future projects? I am conscious that Mark Wild said he would not go as far as saying that a blank cheque had been written, but when you don’t have the pressures of trying to ensure that there are cost efficiencies that sounds a bit like…”

“I know, Mark Wild, that you are doing your own assessment for the reset, but when it comes to governance the Stewart review went into great detail about the failure of governance at HS2. How are you taking on board the recommendations and the concerns set out in the Stewart review?”

“I was going to ask if you think there is enough accountability, in terms of having the consequences and the associated costs clearly set out against the decision makers. When you have these long projects there is a series of different decision makers, and we get into situations like the one we appear to be in, through …”

“You have talked about that kind of optimism and too much specification in the early stages, but Sir John Armitt, the former chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, said that every time a new Secretary of State came in the scope of HS2 changed. Does it also need the same level of challenge and transparency each…”

“Alan Over, I think you said that people may have been of the view that we want to join the high-speed revolution. Why is it so hard to identify the “we”? I do not really understand—we seem to have heard about it again and again—who was determining the options and taking the decisions. I am astonished that the answer se…”

“After 14 years of Conservative government, victims of rape and serious sexual crimes are waiting years to see justice. It appears that the shadow Justice Secretary has recently discovered that our criminal justice system is broken. When does the Minister think he will discover who broke it?”

“Derbyshire Victim Services does really important work supporting victims, including those who have experienced sexual assault and domestic violence, but given the court backlog inherited from the Conservative Government, the service has told me that many of the victims are in need of support for longer, with many havin…”

“Backing Rolls-Royce, a brilliant Derby business, to deliver small modular reactors with £2.5 billion of investment shows what Labour’s new industrial strategy is about—backing British business, creating more skilled jobs and delivering clean, secure energy. Does the Chancellor agree that, after years of chaos under the…”

“I met taxi drivers in Derby, at a meeting organised by the GMB, who are proud of the work they do. They want high standards across the board; what actions is the Minister taking to review taxi licensing, so that everyone can have confidence that the taxi and private hire industry is reliable, sustainable, and safe for …”

“In the east midlands, we saw our bus routes cut by 60% under successive Conservative Governments. Does my hon. Friend agree that buses have a huge impact upon people’s lives and their ability to access opportunities in training and work, to get to health appointments and to connect with family and friends? Does my hon.…”

“Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, has secured £2 billion for transport to and between Derby and Nottingham. Considering that the east midlands has languished at the bottom of the list for transport spend per person, does my hon. Friend agree that this Government are taking strides to ensure that the growth that …”

“My husband was an Army reservist who served in Afghanistan. He has not told me a great deal about what his job entailed, but he has told me about taking flights in helicopters that hugged mountains on which the burned-out remnants of Soviet tanks stood ghostly guard; about his interactions with the people in the Afghan…”