Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
I am grateful to all hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon. We have demonstrated the importance of rail services to the rural communities that we collectively represent. I am grateful to the Minister for his response. I have two points of concern. We again heard from the Minister about the importance of the inter-city connection—the London to Edinburgh service. That may well...
I beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of Network Rail timetable changes on rural communities. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Stuart. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway services in our country. Railways have transformed transport and trade, connecting towns and cities and accelerating economic and social change in our...
The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. Many rural communities depend on train services, bus services and public transport links because there are no alternatives. If the timetables, trains and services do not run on time, they have an even greater impact because there is no alternative compared with what happens in larger towns and big cities where, if one service does not turn up, people...
The hon. Gentleman makes another excellent point. The argument put forward by Network Rail and LNER is that there will be alternative services, but it involves connecting to other trains. As I will go on to describe, if someone is disabled or an older person, the idea of making a connection is in itself sometimes daunting, and if they miss the connection the consequences can be far greater...
The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. She will know that I am familiar with her part of the world, having been brought up there. I know that beautiful stretch of railway particularly well, with a view of Arran and Millport, up to the west of Scotland. Her key point is the catastrophic failure the SNP is making of Scotland’s railways. ScotRail is run by the Scottish Government and is not...
The hon. Lady makes a good point. Talk of social mobility often focuses on urban and city areas, but those of us who represent rural constituencies know that social mobility is a big problem. Arguably it is even greater in our areas because, as the hon. Lady highlighted, if the bus or train does not turn up, it is not just a matter of waiting for the next one; it is a matter of not being able...
I am grateful to my neighbour for his contribution and for the cross-party, cross-border working we have secured on this issue. He is right that the consultation took place back in 2021. There was great opposition at that point and then there was a further, much smaller, consultation. I think a lot of people assumed the views they had submitted in the earlier discussion about the timetable...
The Scottish Government have announced a review of the grooming gangs evidence in Scotland, but that falls short of a full inquiry and disappoints many of the victims. I have asked for this before. Please will this UK Government extend their inquiry to the whole of the UK so that the victims of these appalling crimes get the justice they deserve? Grooming gangs operate in all parts of the UK;...
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review (a) tax and (b) energy cost burdens facing small quarrying businesses in rural constituencies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the continued availability of British natural stone for heritage restoration projects.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) international trade practices and (b) foreign subsidies on the competitiveness of UK natural stone SMEs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to ensure that local authorities recognise natural stone as a low-carbon material in planning guidance and local plan development.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC on legal fees incurred in connection with President Trump.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC on the level of legal fees that may be incurred in connection with the dispute with President Trump.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with Xi Engineering on the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Eskdalemuir Working Group will prioritise (a) the maintenance of national security and (b) international defence obligations when considering any new (i) regime and (ii) methodology for measuring seismic interference within the safety zone around the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.
