Oral Answers to Questions — Transport – in the House of Commons at 9:30 am on 27 June 2013.
Seema Malhotra
Labour, Feltham and Heston
9:30,
27 June 2013
What his plans are for future investment in London’s transport network.
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In his spending round statement yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced that the Government will give the Mayor almost £9 billion of capital spending and additional financing power to the end of this decade. We will also consider the case for Crossrail 2. In return, we expect the Mayor to bear down on the running costs of Transport for London. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will make a statement in a moment about investment in infrastructure, including investment in transport for London.
Seema Malhotra
Labour, Feltham and Heston
The Piccadilly line is vital for thousands of my constituents travelling to work at the airport or to London and is a key route for Heathrow’s passengers. It is increasingly overcrowded and in need of upgrading. Will the Minister reassure me that where cuts are being made to Transport for London’s budget, made necessary by the Government’s failure to deliver growth, that will not put at risk this vital investment?
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The hon. Lady seems to have missed my response to her question, in which I said that we announced yesterday that we were giving the Mayor almost an extra £9 billion of capital. It is for the Mayor to make decisions about how he deploys that capital.
Lyn Brown
Opposition Whip (Commons)
Yesterday, when summing up the debate on HS2, the Minister of State, Department for Transport, failed to give comfort or even mention the Stratford solution to the congestion at Euston. Will the Government give a commitment to take seriously the cost-effective proposals for HS2 at Stratford to help the east of London, the City, Essex and Kent?
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My right hon. Friend obviously did not have quite enough time to mention Stratford in his closing remarks, but I assure the hon. Lady that the Government look at all these things seriously and will continue to do so.
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