Speeches by Mayer.

“I am delighted to be called to give my maiden speech, and I do so with a sense of trepidation and excitement, which I imagine that many a new MP feels. It has struck me that maiden speeches are a little like buses: you wait ages, and then 335 of them turn up at once. I beg your indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker, and ask…”

“We heard earlier that the Department for Transport either suggested or instructed you to prioritise HGV driving tests at the time when there was the big shortage of lorry drivers. Is that still the case?”

“If the HGV test waiting times were to increase again, what effect do you think that would have on the logistics industry and the wider economy?”

“Some learner drivers may be watching this today. Do you have any message for them? What would you like them to be doing? Should they be trying at 6 am every Monday morning to get a test? Should they be using the third-party sellers? Should they give up? What would you suggest a learner driver does today? Is the DVSA so…”

“This is probably specifically aimed at Sally. You just said that the backlog had been successfully cleared. What effect do you think the introduction of the customer account manager scheme had on waiting times for hauliers in obtaining HGV tests? Are there any lessons that could be learned from the way that that backlo…”

“At the same time as the HGV lorry driver crisis, it made the bus driver crisis worse in the sense that some of the people who were bus drivers moved to be HGV lorry drivers because of better pay. The reason this has not come up as much is that most bus drivers are tested by delegated driving examiners. How much trainin…”

“On learner driver behaviour, I am sure all MPs have cases in their postbag like the one I have of a girl called Abigail. She is from Dunstable, and she has decided to do her test up in Cumbria. Another constituent of mine, Kai, was told that the next available test he could get was in December 2025. He has basically gi…”

“In recent years, fish and chip shops have—excuse the pun—taken rather a battering. Will the Minister comment on what he is doing to ensure that my constituents, and indeed those of all Members, will be able to continue tucking into that tasty British staple?”

“About two dozen places across the country currently have e-scooter trials. They have now been running for about four years, so presumably you have quite a lot of data from those trials. Given that, how do you think they are going? Do you plan to introduce legislation regulating the use of e-scooters?”

“Thank you, Secretary of State, for your opening remarks. I was pleased to hear that the first form of transport you mentioned was buses. They are, obviously, the most popular form of transport across the country. With that in mind, as we await the better buses Bill, what are the long-term goals of the reforms in the Bi…”

“As you have just mentioned, the Chancellor recently announced that public money would ensure the construction of the tunnels bringing HS2 to Euston, and that is welcome. Passengers who currently use Euston station know that, quite frankly, it is rather grotty. I am sure that they and indeed new passengers will be keen …”