Welsh Affairs: Wales and Borders Rail Franchise.
Witnesses: Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Welsh Government (via videolink) Simon Jones, Director of Transport and ICT infrastructure, Welsh Government Councillor Samantha Dixon, Chair, North Wales and Mersey Dee Cross-Border Rail Task Force Ashley Rogers, Chair, North Wales Business Council Iwan Prys-Jones, Programme Manager, North Wales Economic Ambition Board
The following Member made and subscribed the Affirmation required by law: Samantha Dixon, for City of Chester.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish his full response to Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date he expects to announce the outcome of bids to the second round of the UK Levelling Up Fund for transport-related investments.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contractual requirements he has placed on the Avanti West Coast train company on the restoration of the frequency of direct train services linking North Wales, Chester and London Euston; and what penalties will be imposed in the event of that operator failing to meet those standards.
Samantha Dixon: What assessment he has made of trends in the level of bus services in England since 2019.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing for armed forces personnel.
Lindsay Hoyle: We now come to a maiden speech. I call Samantha Dixon.
Samantha Dixon: What recent steps he has taken to provide humanitarian support for Ukraine.
Samantha Dixon: I agree with the hon. Member for Upper Bann (Carla Lockhart). At the current rate of recruitment, it is highly questionable whether the Government will achieve their target of replacing the 20,000 police officers by the end of March.
Samantha Dixon: On 1 March, will the decision be the Minister’s or will it rest with others, and if so, who?
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities fund the management and upkeep of historic scheduled monuments as part of their highways budget.
Samantha Dixon: York and Chester have many similarities, and it would appear that a complete absence of any access to dental services is another one. Can I impress on the Minister the urgency of improving access to NHS dentistry, because it is essential that my constituents do not have to travel for miles and worry for months?
Yvonne Fovargue: I remind hon. Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. I call Samantha Dixon.
Samantha Dixon: What steps he is taking to ensure that the UK meets its obligations to NATO.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent discarding of fishing nets in the sea by vessels landing at ports.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure Avanti West Coast allocate an adequate provision of advance tickets on its Chester-London services.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the number of young people recreationally using e-cigarettes and (b) prevent young people moving from using e-cigarettes to tobacco cigarettes or other tobacco products.
Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure tenants in housing association properties are aware of what actions to take to reduce moisture and damp in their property.
Samantha Dixon: What recent estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in poverty.
