– in the House of Commons at 6:59 pm on 13 November 2012.
Sharon Hodgson
Shadow Minister (Education)
6:59,
13 November 2012
I am pleased to be able to table this petition on behalf of my constituents, asking the House of Commons to urge the Government to examine seriously the feasibility of bringing the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington. The petitioners and I believe that would help attract businesses to the area and help my constituents to travel to work in other parts of the region. They pay for the Metro through their council tax but they do not get the full benefit of it. This petition is accompanied by the names of 417 people who have signed a petition along the same lines as that collected by Sun FM.
The petition states:
The Petition of residents of Washington and Sunderland West Constituency and the surrounding areas,
Declares that there are inadequate public transport links for residents in Washington to access the rest of the Tyne and Wear area, increasing reliance on personal transport and reducing employment and economic opportunities for the town and its residents.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Transport to seriously explore the feasibility of extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to the town of Washington utilising the old Leamside railway line.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P001131]
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
