Speeches by Greenwood.

“Yes—my hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are giving local authorities the powers and funding, and we expect local authorities to use them.”

“I do not know the detail of the position in the hon. Member’s constituency, but I will ensure that the Minister responsible for bus services writes to him in relation to that issue.”

“Yes, I will.”

“That is just not true. I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that the Government are determined to provide the road infrastructure that the public want. That is why we are providing public funding to start that project. We will say more in the coming weeks and months.”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) on securing a debate on this important subject. I pay tribute to her campaigning. I know that she has shown real determination in working with her constituents, education unions and others on this issue throughout her time in the House. The minibus c…”

“The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s top priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times while upholding road safety standards. In November 2025, the Government announced that we will change the booking system so that only learner drivers will be able to book and manage tests, with learner drivers l…”

“Like my hon. Friend, I understand the importance of learners being able to access driving tests, particularly when a driving licence is essential for accessing jobs and training. The upcoming booking system changes, continued recruitment and extra tests through overtime schemes will benefit learners across the whole of…”

“I am sorry to hear about that incident. I share my hon. Friend’s relief that no one was injured. As he knows, improvements to junctions across the A50 corridor in Staffordshire are being considered as part of the pipeline of potential future major enhancements to the strategic road network. He is undoubtedly the A50’s …”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for her powerful and moving speech in opening today’s debate, and thank so many Members on both sides of the House for their thoughtful and heartfelt contributions. I wish we had more time for the debate; I know I will not be able to respond to all the points r…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I congratulate the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) on securing this debate, and thank all hon. Members for giving us a tour of the south-east and of its residents’ concerns. I welcome this opportunity to highlight all the important work that th…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I will make a diversion to the south-east of England to say that the Government are committed to delivering the lower Thames crossing, which is the most significant road-building scheme in a generation. It will provide access to more than 400,000 jobs within an hour’s commut…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) on securing this debate, and on speaking so enthusiastically and eloquently about regional transport connectivity, inequality and the cost of toll journeys such as those on the Tamar bridge and the Torpoint ferry in her constituency. She is…”

“The hon. Gentleman will be delighted to hear that Cornwall will benefit from up to £221 million of that £2 billion over the next four years, alongside over £24 million of local transport grant capital for maintenance and enhancements. Of course we do not just need better roads; better links through high-quality public …”

“Clause 18(2)(a) reads: “in the manner best calculated to promote the interests of users and potential users of railway passenger services including, in particular, the needs of disabled persons”. Is that not specifically saying that it is a duty to promote the needs of passengers and potential passengers? That is about…”

“My hon. Friend makes a number of very important points. The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable, and that is why this Government are treating it as a national emergency, but the most important change is a change in the behaviour of men, frankly. The Government published our strategy …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship this afternoon, Ms Jardine. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) for raising this important issue and congratulate her on her appointment as violence against women and girls adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care. I look forward to work…”

“I thank the hon. Member for her contribution. As I said, we are working with our colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure we have a coherent approach. I welcome the support of the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for Chelmsford, for our proposals to tackle pavement…”

“Q That makes the passenger watchdog a very effective champion for passengers, whereas, as the ORR—the regulator—you have to hold everything in balance. Is that right? John Larkinson: When it comes to some decisions that are on the way, there will still have to be a balance—”

“Q Do any other members of the panel want to comment? John Larkinson: From our point of view, some of the things that we do now will transfer over to the passenger watchdog. That is a straight transfer. The Rail Ombudsman is a contract that we let. Effectively, in the future, that contract would move over to the passeng…”

“Q I am proud of the passengers and accessibility duty and pleased that it was welcomed by accessibility groups. Am I right in saying that there is no comparable statutory duty that applies to Network Rail or the TOCs—in other words, that this would be an entirely new requirement? Alex Robertson: You are right that we a…”