argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Funding for Purbeck Schools — House of Commons, 2020-10-06
Topic: Education
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a great pleasure to present this petition to the House. It is signed by more than 3,000 residents of Dorset and it calls for Purbeck schools to be funded properly and for the funding cuts to be reversed. I am delighted to say that, as we know, the Government have given more money to schools, but it is my personal view, too, that with all the additional moneys on salaries, inflation, the cost of paper and the rest of it, that levelling up, which we welcome, has not quite helped schools in Dorset. I therefore present this petition with the sense, and in the hope, that the Government will look at this again and ensure that all our children, and particularly those in Dorset schools, are funded equally and fairly Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that schools in Purbeck are currently facing significant funding cuts leaving numerous schools underfunded; notes that over three thousand residents of Dorset signed a petition to save Purbeck schools from funding cuts; and further that every child in Dorset has the right to a good, well-funded education. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reverse all funding cuts to Dorset Schools, and support the reallocation of funding to ensure schools in Dorset are well-funded and able to perform effectively. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002605]
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government continue to provide the support that is necessary to maintain public transport throughout this pandemic. It may be helpful to the House if I let Members know that the Department is expecting to spend between £10.6 billion and £12.6 billion on supporting the transport sector in response to this pandemic.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I have just described the between £10 billion and £12.5 billion of support this Government have provided to the transport sector through covid. The hon. Gentleman talks about what will happen at the end of the transition period. I hope he is reassured to know that I am leaving from this House to go straight to Kent to review the many plans that are very advanced and in place to ensure that the transition is smooth.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope the hon. Lady will accept that an enormous amount of money, as revealed today—between £10.5 billion and £12.5 billion—has been put into the transport sector throughout this crisis, and it has taken many different forms. I will say a bit more about, for example, light rail, which I know will be of interest in parts of the north-east, later. But, yes, we will commit to ensure that our transport sector continues to function, and in particular to ensure that key workers through this difficult period are able to continue to travel and able to serve people in this country, particularly NHS and care workers.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I know this is a subject that the whole House has been concerned about. The Select Committee on Transport has spent some time looking into this and has made a number of different comments on the matter. It is the case, of course, that these are extraordinarily difficult times for many businesses in this country, but I do not think that any are more impacted than the aviation sector. The most important thing we can do to help the hon. Member and her constituents is to make sure that the sector gets going again, which is why things such as test and release are very important. But I will certainly ensure that a meeting can take place between the aviation Minister—the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Robert Courts)—and her constituent.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): About 3,000 coach operators in the country employ 40,000 people in businesses worth about £4.5 billion, and it is true that they have been at the forefront of this crisis. They make a lot of their money from tourism, with the remainder coming from things like school runs. I am pleased that through the return to school, the Department for Education made available £70 million, which has assisted in getting some of those often family-run businesses up and running again Until we recover from covid, coach operators will not be able to run at full pelt. They have been able to access some of the ground-breaking additional assistance that the Chancellor has made available, but we will continue to work with the Confederation of Passenger Transport, and other Government Departments, to ensure that coach operators are able to continue as best as possible through these difficult times.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): When it comes to financial support, the railways have had billions, and I am grateful that they continue to run. The Williams review to reform the railways envisaged a "guiding mind" body that would be at arm’s length to the Department for Transport, the train operators and Network Rail, in order to properly oversee and run the railway. There is some concern that that arm’s length body may end up as Network Rail, which sounds a little like the days of the old British Rail. Can the Secretary of State assure me that there will be that independent "guiding mind" body to run and oversee both train and track?
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his work on the Transport Committee, and the close attention that the Committee pays to these subjects. Clearly, the rail network has been going through extraordinary times, with much of the support that I described earlier going to rail. As we move forward, it is important that we do not end up back with the old British Rail, with bad sandwiches and the rest of it, but at the same time we bring a fragmented system back together. That is what the Williams review aims to do, and in some ways covid has enabled us to accelerate that process. I assure my hon. Friend that the outcome will not be some conglomerate with no real "guiding mind" and all the worst from the past, and we will move forward with the Williams reforms.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): The aviation sector has enjoyed a significant amount of support from the public purse. I do not think I have previously drawn this figure to the attention of the House, but the covid corporate financing facility scheme, which is run by the Bank of England, has lent 11% of the money that it has lent to aviation, so there has been a huge amount of money. I am aware of the changes in airport shops to which the hon. Gentleman refers. The Treasury has been consulting on that issue for some time and I will ensure that his comments are reflected back to it.
Transport Sector: Support and Covid-19 Emergency Funding — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): The Barnett formula is a matter for the Treasury, but at the moment the £800 million is entirely within the budgets. One thing we have done—the Minister of State, Department for Transport ensured that this happened—is to come to the House with six-monthly updates, so that no big surprises suddenly appear in the HS2 budget. I would say in general though that the benefits of HS2 will be felt by the whole United Kingdom. That means, potentially, ultimately, a journey from London to Edinburgh in three hours or so. I would have thought that the hon. Gentleman would welcome that levelling up and connectivity throughout the Union.
Tilting Train Services: West Coast Main Line — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that answer, which was very different from what HS2 told me in a meeting recently. Lichfield is one of over 20 stations along the west coast main line that will not be served by HS2; the nearest station will be half an hour or more away. At the moment, we have the tilting Pendolinos, which are very fast, but HS2 told me that when they are phased out, they will not be replaced by any fast train, and the west coast main line will be used only for slow commuting trains. Can the Minister assure me that HS2 got it wrong at that meeting, and that stations such as Lichfield Trent Valley will still have a fast service down to London once HS2 is completed?
Tilting Train Services: West Coast Main Line — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am always happy to provide reassurance to my hon. Friend. Fast inter-city trains will continue to run on the west coast main line once HS2 opens. One of the key aims for future service patterns is that all towns or cities that currently have a direct service to London will retain broadly comparable or better services once HS2 is completed.
Tilting Train Services: West Coast Main Line — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): As the shadow Minister is well aware, when the Prime Minister gave the go-ahead to HS2 in February this year, he said that we were committed to delivering phase 2b but how phase 2b was delivered would be subject to the integrated rail plan. We have been making significant progress with the integrated rail plan. Sir John Armitt and the National Infrastructure Commission have already published their interim report. We look forward to their further recommendations and to responding to them before Christmas.
Rail Network: Accessibility for Disabled People — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, because, as he knows, much of our station infrastructure is Victorian and therefore not accessible to many disabled passengers, and it is a huge shame that it is taking a long time to rectify that. Only around a fifth of stations have step-free access to and between all platforms, although 75% of journeys are through step-free stations, compared with 50% in 2005. However, there is a lot more to do, and we have an ambitious target to get this all sorted as quickly as possible.
Walking and Cycling Rates — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): It is for local authorities to determine prioritising investment in local transport. The Government are taking steps which were outlined in the Prime Minister’s cycling and walking plan, published in July, with a £2 billion budget.
Walking and Cycling Rates — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Richard Quentin Fuller (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister will be aware that areas experiencing the largest growth in new housing are some of those most interested in investment in cycling and walkways. With Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council experiencing some of the highest growth in the country, will the Minister give special consideration to their active travel network plans?
Walking and Cycling Rates — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend’s county borders mine and I know it has very ambitious plans, with Bedford Borough Council, to enable it to develop a local cycling and walking infrastructure plan that is positive and engages lots of people. Where possible, we are working with local authorities, but it is for local authorities within Bedfordshire to work in tandem and consider what sort of approach is appropriate for the locality. Should they wish my Department to offer any extra advice, we will, of course, be happy to do so.
Rail Bridge Upgrades — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): Local authorities in England have benefited from this year’s £1.7 billion transport infrastructure investment fund to repair and improve bridges, as well as the £12 billion local growth fund. Future funding will be subject to the current spending review.
Rail Bridge Upgrades — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): Crewe is proud of its heritage as a historic railway town, but it does create challenges. It is criss-crossed by railway lines, with some very old and narrow bridges that create quite enormous congestion. The cost of replacing them sits outside the ordinary maintenance and repair budget. Will the Minister explain what the process might be to get support for such big capital expenditure and agree to meet me to discuss, for example, replacing Earle Street bridge.
Rail Bridge Upgrades — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I remember the layout of Crewe very well from walking around it in a by-election a few years ago. As my hon. Friend knows, the future arrival of HS2 in the town provides a unique opportunity for Crewe to undertake a comprehensive review of its transport infrastructure requirements. I encourage my hon. Friend to continue to engage with local partners, agreeing priority projects that will facilitate growth and address the traffic constraints he outlined. They can form part of the discussions he would like to have with us. I would be delighted to meet him, as would the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson), who has responsibility for HS2.
Maritime Workers’ Pay Protection — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Environment
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for her passionate advocacy on behalf of the coastal communities of Ynys Môn. I cannot go into the detail of draft proposals, but I can reassure her that across Government the issue of decarbonisation and the need to achieve net zero is central. Decarbonising shipping is essential to achieve the target of net zero emissions across the economy by 2050. I would be delighted to meet her and other parliamentary colleagues to discuss that further.
A303 Dualling — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Gary Nicholas Streeter (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for her reply. She will know how important the A303 is to us here in the far south-west—it is one of just two arterial roads into this region. Can she confirm that work on delivering the dualling of the A303 from Stonehenge to Taunton will begin on the ground shortly? We have had many promises over the years from various Governments. The people of the far south-west would like to see some action. Can she please confirm that work on dualling this important road will begin in the very near future?
A303 Dualling — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): Let me assure my hon. Friend that the Government absolutely recognise the critical importance of the A303 for journeys across his part of the south of England for the people who live there and for the economy of the region. Our second road investment strategy provides the funding for removing the bottleneck at Stonehenge and underlines our commitment to find solutions to the remaining issues along the A303, with the next phases of construction likely to take place after the Stonehenge tunnel is completed.
Covid-19 Quarantine: International Travel — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Paul Howell (Conservative, Centre-right): The restrictions on air travel have had many further consequences, not least for coach operators. When the pandemic first struck, the Government introduced a very generous package for coach operators that saved many businesses and jobs. Now that coach operators such as J&C Coaches in my Sedgefield constituency are back up and running again, the Government’s package has stopped. However, fleet insurance is back to normal, the vehicles all have to be taxed and the drivers are back to work. All the coach operators have to fund these expenses on very basic school contracts. There are no swimming baths, no Beamish, no Hadrian’s wall, no excursions, no football and no nights out in Darlington, Durham or Newcastle. Will the Secretary of State please encourage his right hon. Friend the Chancellor to find something from somewhere to support this industry that is part of the glue that connects our citizens?
Covid-19 Quarantine: International Travel — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Macroeconomics
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much understand the pressures that the coach industry in particular is under, as I mentioned in a previous response. It is a fact that those parts of the economy, many of which my hon. Friend described, are not up and functioning right now, so the Government need to do things to provide support to the sector, which we have been doing across all UK businesses—in particular, through the 24 September winter economy plan from the Chancellor—to try to assist, while also recognising, as I know right hon. and hon. Members do across the House, that the Government do not have a magic-wand solution to ensure that business is running at its usual capacity while we are tackling covid. I referred earlier to the 3,000 coach operators. I understand the pressure they are under, and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor and I are very much focused on other ways that we can find to assist the sector.
Sixth Carbon Budget — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Environment
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. Emissions are a global problem and they require a global solution. The UK is working with international partners, and leading with international partners, through organisations such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation, and I think that that is the approach we should take.
Sixth Carbon Budget — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Environment
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): It is important to realise that the Government are not stalling. When we look at the leading role that the Government have in both of those organisations and the progress on programmes such as the carbon offsetting scheme for international aviation, we can see that the Government are driving ahead and taking their international partners with them.
International Roll-on Roll-off Ferry Services — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for our recent meeting. He is a powerful advocate for his area, its identity and its economic vitality. Although these are commercial decisions, I want to see a commitment from all operators to the UK workforce and the coastal communities for whom these routes are so important.
International Roll-on Roll-off Ferry Services — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for mentioning the Pride of Hull. I was concerned to hear about the incident, but I am glad to confirm that the ship is safely back at berth. I commend all those who were responsible for responding to the incident. I am relieved that nobody was seriously injured, and I thank the crew for ensuring that everyone on board was safe There are, of course, ongoing conversations among all parts of Government to ensure that we have an appropriate response to the end of the EU transition period whatever the result of negotiations.
Covid-19: Transport in Newcastle — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady will be aware, we are putting huge resources into supporting the bus sector at this time. On 8 August, we announced additional funding of £27.3 million per week to support the bus sector. We are developing a bus strategy and I am sure that fares and the fairness of fares across the country will be part of that strategy.
A27: Worthing to Shoreham — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Timothy Paul Loughton (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week, we had the welcome news about the preferred route for the Arundel bypass on the A27 at a likely cost of more than £250 million. Yet just down the road on the A27 in my constituency of Worthing—a town 10 times the size of Arundel—we were allocated just £70 million on the road investment strategy, RIS 1 scheme, back in 2014. All we have seen so far are inadequate plans for tinkering with junctions and improving cycle routes. Will the Minister step in to help progress a proper scheme to deal with the much worse and worsening congestion on the Worthing-Shoreham stretch of the A27 and perhaps come down to visit and sit in a traffic jam with me and see the problem at first hand?
A27: Worthing to Shoreham — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be delighted to accept the invitation. However, this would be a matter for my hon. Friend in the other place, Baroness Vere, as this is her portfolio, but I am sure she would also be delighted if her diary allows. To answer my hon. Friend’s question, he is absolutely right to be committed to alleviating congestion. Highways England is making progress on developing options for improvements on that important stretch of road, and it is keen to work with local stakeholders to scope the best options for local communities, at which point it will be ready to look at delivering for the local communities.
Regional and National Transport Links — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Dehenna Sheridan Fareham (Conservative, Centre-right): The A66 is a vital route for residents of Barnard Castle and right across the north-east—[Laughter.] This happens every time I say that. Can my right hon. Friend please give me an update on the dualling of the A66, and will he meet me to discuss the issue of the Rokeby junction?
Regional and National Transport Links — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): A popular question, Mr Speaker. I thought my hon. Friend was going to rise to discuss the A68 and the Toft Hill bypass, on which I know she has campaigned a lot, but the A66 is in the second road investment strategy—the RIS 2—for the period 2020 to 2025. Earlier this year, I launched the preferred route for the A66. That is completing its analysis, and it will then go for a statutory consultation, so it is moving at pace. I can confirm that someone has even set up a Twitter account about the A66, which she might like to follow.
Regional and National Transport Links — House of Commons, 2020-10-22
Topic: Transportation
Darren George Henry (Conservative, Centre-right): The HS2 East Midlands hub will be located in Toton in the heart of my constituency. Can my right hon. Friend reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the construction of the eastern leg of HS2 to deliver vital jobs and investment into Broxtowe and the wider region?