Speeches by Lightwood.

“The ability to be more integrated is important, and using things such as AI is also important. You are looking at a big national network and then local bus services. It is really complex to try and—”

“Well, I hope so. As I said, we have continued to engage with organisations since its publication. What we do not want to do is to constantly republish a long-term strategy. Having some stability is really important, as is having those measurables in there to demonstrate we are making progress. The response across the t…”

“I would agree in terms of the parallel. Most people would admit that having one train operating company rather than 17, and having the ability for more areas to franchise, makes integration a much easier prospect.”

“There had been an awful lot of engagement, though, throughout mayoral authorities. As I said, there were 6,000 pieces of input from the public, extensive levels of roadshows and so on. It was really important that we got in front of people to understand the real-life challenges that they face across the transport syste…”

“I accept what they are saying there, but every single area comes with different challenges—different social, economic and geographical challenges and different services that they have inherited. Therefore, they come at this in a slightly different way, at different speeds. That is why we try to measure that success thr…”

“Well, every area is different—”

“Sitting suspended.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Steve Yemm) for securing this important debate. He spoke with real passion about the state of roads in Nottinghamshire, and rightly so, because this is not an abstract issue. It is about the roads th…”

“Following the UK bus manufacturing expert panel meeting in March, my officials and I continue to engage with our counterparts across Government—including my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and his team, who are responsible for UK Government tariff policy—on support for UK bus manufacturi…”

“I regularly raise issues affecting the bus sector with the Department for Business and Trade and will continue to do so. I will raise the specific point my hon. Friend makes with the relevant Minister and write to him following that conversation.”

“On the UK bus manufacturing expert panel, we have managed to strike an agreement with all mayoral combined authorities to insist on at least 10% social value in their contracts, which I think is a really important step forward. We will continue to work with operators and combined authorities to do our best to ensure th…”

“Safety is at the heart of the third road investment strategy, which includes a new national programme to deliver targeted safety improvements on higher-risk roads. It also sets National Highways a challenging target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our motorways and major A roads, aligning …”

“Motorways are already among the safest roads in the country. The number of KSIs on motorways in 2024 represented 3% of the total for England, despite motorways carrying over a fifth of all road traffic. The target reflects that. The approach is challenging but realistic, focused on what National Highways can directly d…”

“This Government passed the Bus Services Act 2025 to give local leaders greater control over their bus services, and we are supporting local transport authorities with over £3 billion of funding over the next three years to make the improvements a reality. We are also providing support and guidance on enhanced partnersh…”

“We recognise how important affordable bus fares are, which is why we have extended the £3 bus fare cap in England until March 2027. We are evaluating the impact of the scheme, including on passengers and value for money, to inform decisions on the future bus fare policy. Alongside the cap, this August we are giving eve…”

“London’s Labour mayor is using part of the £2.2 billion settlement provided by the Government in the spending review to make Central line upgrades and refurbishments that will benefit the hon. Member’s constituents. Essex county council and London boroughs will also receive over £500 million to maintain and improve loc…”

“The Government are investing over £2 billion in London’s transport network, which is the largest Government investment in London’s existing transport network for over a decade. That means that London can invest £500 million in the Central line improvement programme to upgrade signalling and refurbish those 30-year-old …”

“The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is continuing driving examiner recruitment, with 1,577 full-time driving examiners in May 2026—an increase of 147 compared with May 2025, when there were 1,430 full-time equivalents.”

“I, too, want to see more cycling in London, and in towns and cities across the UK. Dockless cycles are one way to support that aim. We want to empower local leaders to shape shared cycle schemes so that they can deliver the greatest possible benefits and mitigate any possible issues. We will introduce local licensing r…”

“As my right hon. Friend mentioned, I have seen at first hand the impact that the bridge’s closure is having on the local community. We announced a structures fund to support rundown bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels. Local authorities have until early August to apply for this investment, and the Departmen…”