Thursday Volume 663 18 July 2019 No. 333 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 18 July 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 933 18 JULY 2019 934 House of Commons Mr Speaker: I call Mr Barry Sheerman. Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Sorry, Thursday 18 July 2019 Mr Speaker, I was eager to speak to Question 2. The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Mr Speaker: The hon. Gentleman was ahead of himself, not for the first time and probably not for the last. PRAYERS Electric Vehicles: Infrastructure [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] 2. Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): What steps he is taking to improve charging infrastructure for electric Oral Answers to Questions vehicles. [912025] 18. Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con): What TRANSPORT steps he is taking to improve charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. [912042] The Secretary of State was asked— The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Michael Ellis): We are consulting on all new build homes in A417 Brockworth to Cowley England being fitted with charge points, and we want all new public rapid charge points also to offer pay-as- 1. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con): you-go card payments from the spring of 2020. Our What recent assessment he has made of progress on grant schemes and the £400 million charging infrastructure improving the A417 missing link between Brockworth investment fund will see the installation of thousands and Cowley; and if he will make a statement. [912024] more public charge points, adding to the 20,000 already installed. The Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Grayling): I have taken a personal interest in this project, which I Peter Aldous: I am grateful to the Minister of State regard as an important part of our infrastructure that for that reply. At sea, Lowestoft is at the forefront of the needs to be addressed, and my hon. Friend will be transition to a low-carbon economy—the world’s largest pleased to know that it is moving forward. Highways offshore wind farm is being built just off our coast—but England announced its preferred route for the scheme the town also wants to be in the driving seat on land. in March, and it is now preparing for the next stage of Will the Minister outline the initiatives that have been the planning process, statutory consultation, followed put in place to ensure that electric vehicle charging by a development consent order process. infrastructure can be rolled out quickly and early in Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: Sadly, there have been Lowestoft, and that the work will not just be focused in 10 fatalities and 123 casualties on that road in the last large cities? four years for which figures are available,so the improvement is desperately needed. Has my right hon. Friend had the Michael Ellis: With my hon. Friend as the Member chance to evaluate the Labour party’s proposals to for Lowestoft, I believe that it is doing very well indeed scrap the roads programme, which would mean hundreds on land, at sea and in the air. We have to remember that of road schemes such as this never being built and the majority of electric vehicle drivers charge their cars motorists being hugely inconvenienced? at home overnight or at the workplace. We want people across the country, and especially in Lowestoft, to switch Mr Speaker: But that is not a matter for the Secretary to electric vehicles, and we want to leverage private of State— sector investment to provide a self-sustaining public network that is affordable, reliable and accessible. As Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown rose— my hon. Friend knows, the market is best placed to identify the right locations. Mr Speaker: No, no—[Interruption.] Order. Resume your seat. We are talking about Government policy. If Andrew Lewer: That was slightly more pointed than I the Secretary of State wants to say something about expected. At the moment, there is very little provision Government policy, he can, but he cannot ruminate or of electric car charging points in my constituency of pontificate on Opposition policy. That is not a matter Northampton South; I have only been able to find one for the Secretary of State. in the whole constituency.What schemes does the Minister Hon. Members: Hear, hear! have planned for urban constituencies such as mine, and his? Chris Grayling: Labour Members say “Hear, hear!” because they do not want to hear the truth, which is Michael Ellis: I am very familiar with my hon. Friend’s that we are putting in place schemes that will benefit constituency, which neighbours my own. I am pleased road safety, that will improve journey times and that to say that in February this year Northampton Borough will be good for our economy. The A417 improvement Council was awarded £45,000 under the Government’s is a much needed scheme that does all those things, and ultra low emission taxi infrastructure competition to it will be an essential part of this Government’s future deliver two rapid charge points dedicated to electric planning. It is simply a tragedy that Labour wants to taxis and private hire vehicles. He is right to focus on scrap it. this issue, but we have a number of schemes that can be 935 Oral Answers 18 JULY 2019 Oral Answers 936 accessed by electric vehicle drivers across the country, Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab): It is a including in Northampton South and Northampton sad day, because rumour has it that this is the Secretary North. The electric vehicles home charge scheme is just of State’s last outing at the Dispatch Box. He is the gift one of them; the on-street residential scheme is another. that keeps on giving, but that is not funny because he Local authorities are receiving significant funding to has cost the country billions. Earlier this month, the install recharging points, including with these new Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders announced technologies. that sales of low-emission cars in the UK have fallen for the first time in two years. The SMMT’s chief executive, 23. [912047] Faisal Rashid (Warrington South) (Lab): Mike Hawes, described the decline as a “grave concern” E-bikes will offer enormous benefits for transport, and blamed the Secretary of State’s confusing policies health, wellbeing, the environment and green business and premature removal of purchase incentives. Will the growth, especially if Government funding is made right hon. Gentleman finally apologise for his political available to support them. What steps is the Minister blunders that have cost the taxpayer £2.7 billion? taking to incentivise the use of e-bikes? Michael Ellis: As usual, I am afraid that the hon. Michael Ellis: I have recently been on an e-bike, and it Gentleman is quite wrong. The fact is that the Secretary was very good on hills. E-bikes are of great assistance to of State has been leading the way in this area, and the people with health and mobility issues. We want to Department for Transport is also a world leader. Some encourage their use, and we are doing just that. We are 200,000 ultra low-emission battery, electric, and plug-in also investing vast sums in cycle lanes and road hybrid vehicles are registered in the UK, and we are the infrastructure improvements, and we are focusing on second-largest market for ultra low emission vehicles in safety. There is more to be done, as always, but we have the European Union, so the hon. Gentleman is quite done an awful lot more than Labour did in this area. wrong. Mr Speaker: It is very interesting to learn of the Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con): How personal experience of the Minister, but all that I can will it work for houses that do not have a driveway or say at this stage is that he is challenging our vivid reserved on-street parking, and what does the Minister imaginations. I was going to call Mr Stringer. Are you mean by the term “en suite”? still interested, sir? Get in there. Michael Ellis: Did I say “en suite”? We are investing Graham Stringer (Blackley and Broughton) (Lab): in technologies and supporting innovations in on-street Thank you, Mr Speaker. I was surprised to find that the architecture—[Laughter.] We might invest in “en suite” charging sockets are not standardised, either on cars or architecture as well, but that would not be for my on charging points. Would it not make sense to regulate Department. Fixtures have been fitted to streetlamps, to standardise them? for example, and there have been innovations in contactless charging. Businesses around the country are working Michael Ellis: Of course, the market has been leading on various mechanisms, and this Department is supporting in this area, and we now have 20,000 publicly accessible many of them with funding to help them to invent new charging points, but I take the hon. Gentleman’s point. technologies. We know from the charging of other devices that we use every day that they do not all share the same fixtures, London Low Emission Zone: HGVs but the fact of the matter is that we have an advanced system in this country. We are growing it, and we will be providing more funding in this area and looking to do 3. David Linden (Glasgow East) (SNP): What recent more.