Speeches by Turner.

“I have two final topics to ask about, and both of these are directed at least initially to Malcolm. The first is about the ORR and the review of the 2009 transparency order, which I think you have a particular standing in as one of the parties that has been approached.”

“I was delighted to hear the official commitment today to backing the midlands rail hub. I thank the Chancellor and the Transport Secretary for listening to the, at times, persistent representations in support of this essential project. We inherited a set of engineering plans with no money behind them. Now there is a ch…”

“We have heard arguments today, as we did in Committee, that this measured Bill is some mysterious route back into the EU. Does the Minister agree that, far from discovering a Trojan horse, the Opposition are trying to flog a dead one and that their arguments have been made up on the hoof?”

“Transport in the midlands has been historically underfunded, and today’s announcement is a welcome turn of the tide. Many Birmingham City fans in my constituency will also strongly welcome the metro extension, and this feels like a good opportunity to congratulate the Blues on their record-setting, promotion-winning se…”

“I will not; I am sorry. I do not wish to deny another Member time to speak. A few days ago, under the version of the nBus scheme agreed by the previous Conservative mayor, Andy Street, operators exercised their legal right to hike seasonal fares, which they did by 8.6%. Low-paid bus commuters deserve better, and that i…”

“It is highly unusual for major legislation on buses to be introduced so early in the life of a Government; in fact, I think it may be unprecedented. Buses are by far the most used means of public transport, but they have traditionally received less political attention than other modes, and Ministers deserve great credi…”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker. There has clearly been some learning loss among the Conservatives, because they were late in submitting evidence for seven years in a row, causing chaos in schools’ budgets; they announced the outcome of the School Teachers Review Body process through written statements to this House; and, shamef…”

“Does my hon. Friend accept that there may be a weakness in new schedule 1, in as far as it protects a person from actions taken by their employer? For example, it would not necessarily protect an agency worker who is contracted to perform a service, but the original medical body decides not to re-engage that person’s s…”

“In Birmingham, people are fed up, as they are in other parts of the country, of potholes and drains that go uncleared, after years of underfunding and short-term budgets, but unlike in other parts of the country, those services are provided under a historical private finance initiative contract. Will the Minister updat…”

“In separate cases, two families in my constituency lost loved ones when they were murdered by offenders who were out on remand but should never have been. Will the Minister meet me and, if they wish, both families, so that they can have some assurance that lessons have been learned from these cases, and so that other f…”

“11. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of local roads.”

“I have another question, on licences, and I draw attention here to donations that my constituency party has had from the GMB trade union, because in some areas it represents bus drivers. We have been told in evidence that there are significant issues with driver recruitment across the community transport sector. What s…”

“I want to press a little further on the review of enhanced partnerships, which I think we are expecting in the summer. Allowing for the fact that we will learn what is in the review when it is published, what, at this stage, would you say the main areas of findings are likely to be about how EPs can be improved? What d…”

“Specifically, are you considering, or have you considered, granting D1 entitlement to new category B licence holders to help increase that pool of drivers?”

“I have a related question about capacity in the context of the lifting of the ban on the creation of new municipal bus companies. We have already heard from other witnesses that internal capacity in local authorities is one of the barriers they face in creating municipals. As you know, although existing municipals are …”

“In that kind of scenario, the current law potentially can be worked around. An authority can acquire, say, a failed private operator for a nominal price, and that would not be barred by the existing legislation. There is obviously a symbolic change with the new legislation, but it sounds like the main benefit of the le…”

“It is just a very quick follow-up on something you said, Stephen, in respect of demand-responsive transport, particularly in the context of school minibuses. The NASUWT teachers’ union and some of the support staff unions currently advise their members not to drive school minibuses, because of some of the ambiguities t…”

“You referenced a city authority, but are there specific lessons that you are learning about enhanced partnerships in less densely populated areas?”

“I preface my question by saying that no Member of this House should doubt the dedication and compassion with which the Minister fulfils his duties. Over the past few days, the World Health Organisation has warned that Gazans face intergenerational scarring as a result of hunger in the territory. The WHO quoted figures …”

“rose—”