Speeches by Francis.

“I thank the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) for securing the debate. I have supported my constituent Emma Hunwick and her campaigning on this issue. It is the third time I have attended a debate on this subject in the two years I have been an MP. I hear what the Minister says about research, but I think what suppo…”

“rose—”

“I declare that one of my children is in receipt of the disability living allowance. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement and the interim report. Earlier, we heard—without irony—a list of criticisms from the Opposition about the personal independence payment that they handed over to this Government. Clearly, part …”

“I travel on the channel tunnel twice a year, and the carrier knows that, in case of evacuation, one passenger in my vehicle is a wheelchair user. The information that comes from the carrier is poor, and my concern over the summer months ahead is about how that continues. People will have to get out of their vehicle for…”

“Does the Department have a hierarchy within the modes that it would encourage people to use?”

“The ticket office is in my borough, but the platform is in the neighbouring borough.”

“It is also that cross-interface, is it not? I will not go too much into it, but you have two planning authorities; one consented and one did not, but it got approval in the end. The houses are built, people have moved in, and then the train operating company says, “No, we’re not actually going to stop here.” You have 3…”

“Should there be guidance, therefore, on a hierarchy in areas that have a higher level of public transport accessibility? I am a London MP, so there is clearly going to be a much higher level of public transport accessibility in my constituency than in those of other colleagues. Should we be laying out a hierarchy for t…”

“Can I just quickly talk about cross-borough issues? In my neighbouring constituency, there is a train station, and the borough boundary goes through the middle of it. I also currently have an issue where TfL buses are going into Kent county council, and there is an argument going on between the two. Where in the guidan…”

“Can I just pick up a couple? Sorry, but these will be London examples. I just need to say that I was a consultant on this scheme, and I accept it was a previous Government, but the new station at Beam Park was across two London boroughs, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham, so it needed the integration of TfL and both t…”

“Minister, I hear you say it is a voluntary charter, but the remit for some issues will lie with the Government or Government organisations such as Great British Railways. How do you envisage that joined-up accessible approach at railway stations? It may be between GBR and other partners. Equally, what about the joined-…”

“The Secretary of State told us recently that the Department does not intend to measure modal shift as part of tracking the progress of the Better Connected strategy’s implementation. Do you agree that if you do not fully understand levels of modal shift, you risk not being able to understand the effectiveness of integr…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate. We have an article 4 direction in the London borough of Bexley—I am one of the borough’s MPs. However, under the Charities Act 2011, charities running temporary accommodation for people suffering from drug or alcohol abuse, or a mental disorder, and registered providers d…”

“I am the parent of a wheelchair user with a severe sight impairment so I live and breathe these issues. I heard what you said about neurological conditions but do you think there is still a need for that stronger guidance? We will see more guidance on mobility hopefully coming forward for the blind, visually impaired a…”

“Given the evidence about the disproportionate risks cyclists face on the roads, do you think the strategy does enough to turn that evidence into practical measures to improve road safety?”

“I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh) for all her work. My heart goes out to those families in Nottinghamshire, and I pay tribute to their work as well. I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a child in those circumstances, but I do know what it is like to see your own child …”

“Does the strategy do enough to recognise the link between accessibility and road safety, particularly in terms of how disabled people experience and navigate the road?”

“I think the difference between a 30-minute debate and a 60-minute debate is probably that only two other Back Benchers would get in.”

“A 30-minute debate is like an Adjournment debate in which only the Minister can respond, not the Opposition. What is your view on the rationale between that and a 60-minute debate? In a 60-minute debate, Back Benchers do not get to partake very much because the time is taken by the Opposition spokespersons.”

“I heard what was said earlier about trying to avert the perception that some petition debates might be more prestigious than others. If the Petitions Committee was given time in the Chamber, what do you think the criteria and the threshold for that might be?”