Speeches by Lightwood.

“You had me at “finally”.”

“It goes back to the review of enhanced partnerships. We can look at the memberships and what that contributes and, if there are good examples where there is trade union involvement, at setting out the benefits of that.”

“What is the actual guidance, Stephen? Is it quite flexible in terms of the membership?”

“Yes, sure.”

“I understand what you are saying. Our vision is clear. We clearly articulate it in the Bill and other things, in terms of achieving affordable, reliable bus services connecting people, passengers feeling safe, and information empowering them. It can be either Westminster and Whitehall making those decisions or, in my v…”

“I hear what you are saying, but I think it is in the interest of local transport authorities and local authorities generally. They want successful bus services. That equals social connectivity. That equals economic growth in their area. That equals young people being able to get to education, and people being able to a…”

“As I said, we are having discussions, and we will be engaging with the sector when we come to a decision on that.”

“Not before 2030.”

“Exactly. We will be looking at that, obviously. I visited Wrightbus not so long ago. They do some great work. They do great work in the re-powering market as well, which is a really exciting innovation where they transform old diesel buses and give them another decade of life by converting them into electric buses. We …”

“We have been really clear that that will be not before 2030. We have big ambitions when it comes to decarbonising our public transport. We want to do that with the industry. I do not want to put undue pressure on them. There are a lot of diesel buses out there at the moment. Q296       Dr …”

“It goes back to that evidence base. At the moment, if one in five are failing the test, that risk is something we could not tolerate.”

“—on driving licensing, including D1. The feedback then was that, while there was support for looking at D1, there was not sufficient evidence to suggest it would improve driver recruitment, and not enough evidence to suggest that it would not introduce extra risk when it comes to safety. We absolutely do not want road …”

“There was, under the previous Government, a call for evidence in 2022 or 2023—”

“With any change, you want to ensure that safety is of paramount importance and you understand any unintended consequences. I am not saying this would happen, but if there was a reduction in the number of people capable of driving these buses, what are the consequences for schools’ ability to get their children to enjoy…”

“I am afraid my colleague is going to be disappointed in my answer. This is really a matter for the Treasury. We have passed on the concerns of the sector to the Treasury to make sure they take that under advisement. VAT policy is a matter for my colleagues in the Treasury.”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Butler. First, I reassure the hon. Member for Honiton and Sidmouth (Richard Foord) that the potential merits of the Cullompton and Wellington rail stations are still firmly under consideration. The Chancellor announced the closure of the restoring your railway programme in h…”

“I agree, which is why the Government are placing passengers at the heart of our plan for Great British Railways. I hear what my hon. Friend is saying very clearly. The improvement plan aims to tackle the resilience issue by ensuring that the operator develops a structure, from governance to process, that enables the bu…”

“I am going to make progress. My hon. Friend will forgive me. I also note my hon. Friend’s support for new proposed services from Grand Central, and I recognise the important role that Grand Central has played in improving connectivity and choice for passengers in the north-east. That is why the Department has provided …”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Sir Jeremy, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Easington (Grahame Morris) on raising the important subject of rail services along the east Durham coastline. I also thank other Members for their contributions today. The Government’s mission for growth is our No. 1 …”

“Indeed, via the major hub of East Croydon station in my hon. Friend’s constituency, the Thameslink programme also established new direct connections to Peterborough and Cambridge. More than £250 million was recently invested in upgrading Gatwick airport station, delivering a new, more accessible station concourse and d…”