Speeches by Atkinson.

“T5. The defence sector is a vital part of our local economy in Derby, particularly with the landmark £9 billion deal struck with Rolls-Royce, which is supporting the Royal Navy’s submarines and providing a major jobs boost. Does the Chancellor agree that national security goes hand in hand with economic security and, i…”

“When you say that there is more that the Government can do, in your view, are some of the announcements creating examples of what they can and should be doing to go further and faster?”

“I want to ask about surface transport. The Climate Change Committee’s pathway on electric vehicles outpaces the zero emission vehicle mandate. How realistic is that? How do you think it will be impacted by the announcements that we think the Government will make, having engaged with industry, to ease the transition and…”

“You mentioned parity on cheaper to run. Do the higher cost of public EV charging points compared with at-home charging, and the uneven distribution of charging infrastructure across the UK, threaten the pace of transition?”

“I think it is two different things. Certainly, Great British Railways has a duty to expand rail freight, so more should be done on that in any event, but where you have these bi-mode trains, the more you electrify, the less you are having to use diesel. Has that opportunity been explored sufficiently, especially when y…”

“I want to ask a couple of questions about rail. The modelling that you have used does not assume that road freight shifts into rail, although you set out that it could aid decarbonisation as well as reduce congestion. Have you looked at the opportunities that we are seeing, especially in discontinuous electrification? …”

“The take-up of electric vans lags that of cars. Why do you think that is, and what needs to be done about it?”

“Derby city council is working with partners and beginning to deliver transformative regeneration. Vaillant Live, a new 3,500-capacity performance venue, has just opened. A refurbished market hall is about to open, a new university business school is nearly finished, and the Government are delivering £20 million to our …”

“According to the RAC, Derbyshire is the area with the most potholes on record in England. The Conservative-run county of Derbyshire had a whopping 90,000 potholes last year, with the next-worst area having more than 20,000 fewer. Potholes are not just an issue for motorists, damaging their cars and racking up big repai…”

“Today’s news on support for our automotive industry in the move towards electric vehicles will be welcomed by my constituents, including those who work for the nearby Toyota plant at Burnaston. Will the Secretary of State continue this encouraging level of engagement and responsiveness to industry concerns? Will she co…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate and on his powerful comments about the potholes in Nottinghamshire, but according to the RAC, the worst area for potholes is Conservative-run Derbyshire. Does he agree that it is about time that we got councils that will work with the Government to ensure we have th…”

“My hon. Friend and neighbour has spent many years fighting on behalf of residents on this issue, and I thank him for that. Does he agree that, after 16 long years and with no working incinerator, it is time to say that enough is enough and to explore cleaner, safer alternatives for waste disposal in Derby, particularly…”

“You have talked about other European airports, but there was a 2023 report to the United States Congress by the Government Accountability Office that references a large hub airport there that has more than one substation. They have the ability to switch from one substation to the other if either of the substations lose…”

“Yes, pay for the consequences of that risk.”

“Just for absolute clarity, is your view that you and the airlines were not aware that the failure of a substation would have meant the closure of Heathrow?”

“But that investment would mean that, if any of the three failed, you could just switch to another automatically.”

“Mr Woldbye, would closure under these circumstances always have been part of the plan?”

“More specifically, while I know that you leapt ahead to the assessment on safety, which I understand, in circumstances where you have lost this degree of power, was it always going to be the case that you would have had to close?”

“We heard from Mr Wicking some queries around terminal 5. Do you feel that some of the terminals might have been able to be opened safely, or at least to be reopened sooner?”

“I understand that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but, with the knowledge and the hindsight that you now have, are there things that you would have done differently?”