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Vol. 783 Thursday No. 20 20 July 2017 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Introduction: Lord Duncan of Springbank .....................................................................1729 Questions Transport: North East of England...............................................................................1729 Security: ID Cards........................................................................................................1732 Prisoners: Imprisonment for Public Protection Sentences ............................................1734 Health: Obesity.............................................................................................................1736 BBC: Equal Pay Private Notice Question ................................................................................................1739 Fox-Sky Merger Statement......................................................................................................................1742 Transport: Remote Island Communities in England Motion to Take Note.....................................................................................................1749 Grenfell Tower and Fire Safety: Update Statement......................................................................................................................1773 Euratom Question for Short Debate.............................................................................................1784 NHS: Contaminated Blood Statement......................................................................................................................1797 Health: Congenital Heart Disease Question for Short Debate ............................................................................................1801 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. Corrections for the bound volume which Lords wish to suggest to the report of their speeches should be clearly indicated in a copy of the Daily Report, which, with the column numbers concerned shown on the front cover, should be sent to the Editor of Debates, House of Lords, within 14 days of the date of the Daily Report. This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2017-07-20 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2017, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1729 Introduction:LordDuncanof Springbank[20 JULY 2017] Transport: North East of England 1730 House of Lords Lord Callanan: I thank the noble Baroness for her question. We both use all of these transport routes Thursday 20 July 2017 ourselves. In the election in 1992 she did considerably better than I did in votes cast. The day that Gateshead 11 am becomes a Conservative seat I suspect is still, sadly, a long time away. She makes some important points. She Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Newcastle. asked, first, about the A1. As she is aware, work on the A1 north of Ellingham schemes are due to start in 2018. Construction of the scheme to dual the A1 Introduction:LordDuncanof Springbank between Morpeth and Ellingham is due to start in 2019-20. Phase 2 of the Tyne and Wear Metro 11.07 am reinvigoration programme is currently being supported with a capital grant of £317 million. We are currently Ian James Duncan, Esquire, having been created Baron in discussions with Nexus regarding its proposals for Duncan of Springbank, of Springbank in the County of new rolling stock for the Metro on the Ashington to Perth, was introduced and took the oath, supported by Newcastle line. I am aware that this is a priority of Baroness Goldie and Lord McInnes of Kilwinning, and Northumberland County Council and we are signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct. currently in discussions with it about the best method of achieving it. Oaths and Affirmations Lord Palmer (CB): I welcome very much the mention 11.12 am of the A1, but for the past 40 years successive Governments have agreed that the remaining 61% of Lord Carrington took the oath, and signed an undertaking the undualled A1 ought to dualled. Why has that not to abide by the Code of Conduct. happened? Transport: North East of England Lord Callanan: As someone who travels on it regularly, Question I can assure the noble Lord that I share his frustration. This Government have the largest programme of transport 11.13 am investment since Victorian times. Clearly, money is always difficult, but as I said, we are starting on the Asked by Baroness Quin programme. I know that the Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed is definitely on the case— To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their particularly on my case—and is making this point priorities for transport investment in the North with great vigour. We will get on with it as quickly as East of England over the next two years. possible. TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof State,Department for Transport (Lord Callanan) (Con): My Lords, the Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Con): My Lords, Government’s priority is to create a more reliable and can my noble friend tell the House what is being done less congested transport network that works for users, to encourage more women to become train drivers and builds a stronger, more balanced economy, enhances whether there is a gender pay gap between men and competitiveness and supports housing growth. These women train drivers? priorities, along with advice from Transport for the North, will inform the Government’s decisions on investment in the national networks. At a local level, Lord Callanan: I do not think there is a gender pay weexpectlocalauthoritiesandlocalenterprisepartnerships gap, particularly on the railways, between men and to use devolved funds to deliver local plans that help women—the problem is just quantity. Currently 95% their communities to prosper. of train drivers are men. Women can do the job perfectly well and, given the state of industrial relations and the problems on the railways, I hope that we get Baroness Quin (Lab): My Lords, I congratulate the many more sensible, pragmatic women train drivers. Minister on his appointment. When we were candidates They might see the benefits of the current 24% pay rise on opposing sides in Gateshead in 1992, I do not that is being offered and want to get on with doing the imagine that we thought we would be facing each job that men, in some cases, sadly, do not. other across the red Benches of this House. Given the additional infrastructure investment in Northern Ireland, and given that it will be years, if ever, before HS2 Lord Beith (LD): My Lords, the coalition Government benefits Tyneside and the north-east, I urge the Minister committed substantial funds to the Highways Agency to bring forward, not delay, badly needed transport for schemes, including dualling a considerable part of schemes in our region. In particular, I urge him to the A1 north of Morpeth. Can the Minister give me a bring forward A1 dualling before 2020 and to bring in specific assurance that that is not one of the nine vital rail improvements, such as the Ashington to schemes that the Highways Agency is now reviewing Newcastle rail line, to help travel-to-work areas in and may not go ahead? Otherwise, can he be quite the region. firm in the promise that the work will begin in 2018? 1731 Transport: North East of England [LORDS] Security: ID Cards 1732 Lord Callanan: I know that the noble Lord takes a Security: ID Cards close interest in this matter as a former Member of Question Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed. I can give an assurance that the work that I outlined will start in 11.21 am 2018-19. Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, the proposed To ask Her Majesty’s Government what expansion of the Tyne and Wear Metro by the North consideration has been given to the introduction of East Combined Authority will provide very important ID cards as a contribution to the maintenance of greater access for rural towns and villages and security in the United Kingdom. opportunities for local rail integration. How will the Government support the North East Combined Authority The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams to make this planned extension a reality? I will be of Trafford) (Con): My Lords, Her Majesty’sGovernment grateful to hear from the Minister. have considered the introduction of ID cards and have concluded that they would not contribute significantly Lord Callanan: As I mentioned in my earlier answer to the maintenance of security in the United Kingdom. to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, we are currently in discussions with Nexus regarding