Oral Answers to Questions — Transport – in the House of Commons at 9:30 am on 12 September 2013.
George Freeman
Conservative, Mid Norfolk
9:30,
12 September 2013
What plans he has to ensure that the roads spending programme supports a) the A47 and b) other routes of strategic regional and national economic importance.
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The development of route-based strategies by the Highways Agency will provide much smarter investment planning for the strategic road network. On
George Freeman
Conservative, Mid Norfolk
I thank the Minister for his commitment to the roads budget and for his agreement to visit Norfolk next week; his visit is widely anticipated and welcomed. As he knows from the Adjournment Debate that we have had, the dossier that he has seen and the business plan prepared by the A47 Alliance, the A47 is a key economic artery linking our offshore energy cluster, the research park and the midlands. Assuming we have a successful visit next week, what opportunity might there be to access some funding to begin the process in the next few years?
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The announced study will focus on the route-based solutions that will unlock the potential for local transport innovation and for economic and housing improvements. I thank my hon. Friend for his support for the Government’s investment, and I am sure that the visit next week will be successful.
Peter Bone
Conservative, Wellingborough
Does the Minister agree that improvements to A roads that are minor in cost terms can have considerable benefit strategically? In my Constituency, the A509 bypass and the A45 dualling would help us enormously. Will he look at those projects?
Stephen Hammond
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is why the Government have had two tranches of pinch-point improvements for the national strategic road network, and have provided £170 million for local pinch-points as well. I would be delighted to meet him at some stage in the near future to discuss his schemes.
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
An adjournment debate is a short half hour debate that is introduced by a backbencher at the end of each day's business in the House of Commons.
Adjournment debates are also held in the side chamber of Westminster Hall.
This technical procedure of debating a motion that the House should adjourn gives backbench members the opportunity to discuss issues of concern to them, and to have a minister respond to the points they raise.
The speaker holds a weekly ballot in order to decide which backbench members will get to choose the subject for each daily debate.
Backbenchers normally use this as an opportunity to debate issues related to their constituency.
An all-day adjournment debate is normally held on the final day before each parliamentary recess begins. On these occasions MPs do not have to give advance notice of the subjects which they intend to raise.
The leader of the House replies at the end of the debate to all of the issues raised.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
