Thursday Volume 627 13 July 2017 No. 17 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 13 July 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 405 13 JULY 2017 406 at either end, but I commend him for his work on the House of Commons issue. I rather agree that it would be better if the road were open for motorists. Thursday 13 July 2017 Michael Tomlinson: As you know, Mr Speaker, Dorset is a wonderful place to live, work and visit, but Dorset’s The House met at half-past Nine o’clock roads, including the A350, north-south, and the A31, east-west, do become congested, especially in the summer months. What assurances can the Secretary of State PRAYERS give me and my constituents that major infrastructure projects in Dorset are a priority for the Government? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Chris Grayling: There are two ways in which I hope we can deliver support for my hon. Friend and his constituents. For those parts of the strategic road network Oral Answers to Questions that run through Dorset, Highways England is currently reviewing needs and looking at what the next generation of projects should be. There is also the creation of the major road network and the opportunity to develop far TRANSPORT more bypasses. I think that will play an important role in places such as Dorset, where many towns suffer intensive through traffic and are not suited to such The Secretary of State was asked— traffic. Local Transport Projects: Funding Ian Mearns (Gateshead) (Lab): Tyne and Wear Metro customers are affected daily by failing trains; it has the 1. Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con): What lowest performance level of any equivalent system in steps he is taking to provide funding for large local the UK; that includes the oldest rolling stock on the major transport projects. [900451] London underground. That is largely due to the fact that the metro is well past the 35 years for which it was 11. Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole) designed. Is the Secretary of State aware of the situation? (Con): What steps he is taking to provide funding for When will he provide the funds to replace the fleet? large local major transport projects. [900461] Chris Grayling: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman The Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Grayling): on his re-election as Chair of the Backbench Business Before I start, may I welcome the new members of the Committee. I am well aware of the issue that he has Labour Front-Bench team to their positions? I also raised. I recognise the importance of the metro to congratulate the new Chair of the Select Committee on Newcastle and the Newcastle area. I am pleased that, in Transport, the hon. Member for Nottingham South the last few years, we have put several hundred million (Lilian Greenwood), on her success in the election pounds of investment into the network. My Department yesterday. is looking very carefully at what the best options are. I Under the large local majors programme,the Department understand the need to make changes, so that the metro has already given two schemes the go-ahead. We are can carry on serving people in the way it has in the past. currently looking at the case to approve up to four more and are funding development of a further 13 schemes Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab): Will the Secretary that will be considered in the near future. Last week, we of State commit to supporting the Welsh Government’s announced the creation of a major road network that plans by providing a comprehensive funding package will enable an even greater number of local road for the South Wales Metro? improvement projects to come forward. The details of that scheme will be consulted on later this year. Chris Grayling: Of course, central Government are providing a substantial contribution to the South Wales Luke Hall: The road to nowhere in Yate was built in Metro. I have also extended an offer to the Welsh the 1970s and was abandoned. It is now used as a film Government to enable them to take over that infrastructure, set. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the road so that they can run a truly integrated service on that should be reopened? What financial assistance is his route. I am waiting with interest to see what plans they Department making available for projects such as that, bring forward to make that vision a reality. which would dramatically reduce congestion in Yate? Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con): It is 30 years Chris Grayling: Having walked the road to nowhere since Crossrail and the Thameslink upgrade project with my hon. Friend, I rather agree that it would be were first proposed. Does my right hon. Friend welcome better if it had genuine motorists on it, rather than ones the fact that it is a Conservative Government who have in soap operas. I hope that he will continue to encourage seen those projects make such progress towards completion his local enterprise partnership and others to bring in a few months? forward proposals for that road. Through the growth fund, we provide support for schemes such as that. The Chris Grayling: My right hon. Friend is absolutely scheme may also be eligible for consideration as part of right. I am very excited by Crossrail, not only because the major road network, depending on the connectivity of what it will deliver for London but because it is the 407 Oral Answers 13 JULY 2017 Oral Answers 408 biggest engineering project of its kind in Europe. I hope Airports/Ports: Effect of Leaving EU that we will be able to build on that expertise, and that UK plc will take advantage of what has been done by 2. David Linden (Glasgow East) (SNP): What recent winning contracts internationally. When it opens next discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the year, Thameslink will make a real difference to passengers potential effect on passenger capacity at airports and to the north and south. I am proud of what we are ports of the UK leaving the EU. [900452] achieving. The Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Grayling): Laura Pidcock (North West Durham) (Lab): I thank My Department is working closely with a number of the Secretary of State for coming to my constituency other Departments, including the Home Office, to ensure during the general election campaign. What does he that ports, airports and other transport operators are intend to do about the terrible transport infrastructure fully prepared for when we leave the EU. I am committed investment and the inequality that exists between London to putting passengers at the heart of our transport and the north-east, resulting in £1,943 per person being policy, and that will certainly apply to the arrangements spent in London and just £220 per person being spent in that exist when we leave the EU. the north-east? I do not begrudge London that investment, but people in North West Durham are as important. David Linden: Brexit will present profound challenges Chris Grayling: I have never doubted that. Of course, for immigration at our ports and airports, but the the balance between regions will depend on what projects Tourism Industry Council forecasts that there should are happening at the time. The hon. lady will have seen be a 200% increase in resources for the UK Border in our manifesto the commitment to the northern Force while in effect there has been a 15% cut, despite powerhouse rail programme, which will mean a significant an 11% increase in passenger numbers. How does the change in the balance. I am waiting for Transport for Secretary of State square that circle, and how can we the North to come forward with its recommendations ensure that we will have passenger safety after Brexit? on the form that should take. There are other benefits Chris Grayling: Our ambition after Brexit is to have for her constituency. It will see the arrival in the very borders that function as closely as possible to the way near future of a new generation of express trains on the they currently do. We do not want to deter tourists or east coast main line, which will be vastly better than her businesspeople from coming to the country. Having a constituents have at the moment. managed migration system does not mean that we Ms Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) (Con): The Gibb report suddenly have to create barriers to tourists, and that is put forward a solid business case for the electrification not our intention. of the Uckfield line, which runs through my constituency Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): The of Wealden. Will the Secretary of State meet me and Secretary of State did not provide any substance in that local campaigners to get this project on track? answer on the discussions he is having. Some 23 million Chris Grayling: I am very happy to meet my hon. inbound passengers from the EU pass through UK Friend, and I absolutely recognise the issue. The other airports each year, and they are processed quickly using part of deliberations around the Uckfield line is the special lanes and scanning. What funding has the Secretary private-sector proposal, which I have said we will happily of State identified is required for infrastructure and look at, to create BML2—the Brighton main line 2.