Speeches by Francis.

“Minister, I hear you say it is a voluntary charter, but the remit for some issues will lie with the Government or Government organisations such as Great British Railways. How do you envisage that joined-up accessible approach at railway stations? It may be between GBR and other partners. Equally, what about the joined-…”

“It is also that cross-interface, is it not? I will not go too much into it, but you have two planning authorities; one consented and one did not, but it got approval in the end. The houses are built, people have moved in, and then the train operating company says, “No, we’re not actually going to stop here.” You have 3…”

“The Secretary of State told us recently that the Department does not intend to measure modal shift as part of tracking the progress of the Better Connected strategy’s implementation. Do you agree that if you do not fully understand levels of modal shift, you risk not being able to understand the effectiveness of integr…”

“Can I just pick up a couple? Sorry, but these will be London examples. I just need to say that I was a consultant on this scheme, and I accept it was a previous Government, but the new station at Beam Park was across two London boroughs, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham, so it needed the integration of TfL and both t…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate. We have an article 4 direction in the London borough of Bexley—I am one of the borough’s MPs. However, under the Charities Act 2011, charities running temporary accommodation for people suffering from drug or alcohol abuse, or a mental disorder, and registered providers d…”

“Does the strategy do enough to recognise the link between accessibility and road safety, particularly in terms of how disabled people experience and navigate the road?”

“Given the evidence about the disproportionate risks cyclists face on the roads, do you think the strategy does enough to turn that evidence into practical measures to improve road safety?”

“I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh) for all her work. My heart goes out to those families in Nottinghamshire, and I pay tribute to their work as well. I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a child in those circumstances, but I do know what it is like to see your own child …”

“I am the parent of a wheelchair user with a severe sight impairment so I live and breathe these issues. I heard what you said about neurological conditions but do you think there is still a need for that stronger guidance? We will see more guidance on mobility hopefully coming forward for the blind, visually impaired a…”

“I think the difference between a 30-minute debate and a 60-minute debate is probably that only two other Back Benchers would get in.”

“A 30-minute debate is like an Adjournment debate in which only the Minister can respond, not the Opposition. What is your view on the rationale between that and a 60-minute debate? In a 60-minute debate, Back Benchers do not get to partake very much because the time is taken by the Opposition spokespersons.”

“Do you have a view on oversubscribed debates? We have had a couple. I am not quite clear how we got there, though. There was the famous SEND debate when there were no seats in the room and people were trying to stand up. I do not know whether it was because people had not advised that they wished to speak. There are tw…”

“I heard what was said earlier about trying to avert the perception that some petition debates might be more prestigious than others. If the Petitions Committee was given time in the Chamber, what do you think the criteria and the threshold for that might be?”

“Can the Minister provide an update on the Experts at Hand offer, and in particular how the £2.1 million that will be given to my local authority, the London borough of Bexley, can be used to support disabled children across Bexleyheath and Crayford?”

“In April, St Paul’s cathedral opened a Changing Places toilet, providing disabled people with an accessible, dignified and safe toilet. That new facility gives visitors who require specialist toilets the ability to access the cathedral, as well as contributing to the local economy. Can my hon. Friend outline how other …”

“Many of my constituents rely on the 96, the 428 and the 492 bus routes, which serve Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater shopping centre. Reform-led Kent county council proposed a substantial increase to its bus tax, which Transport for London bus services pay to use the fast-track bus way at Bluewater. That is putting…”

“3. What steps the Church of England is taking to ensure that churches are accessible for disabled people.”

“T2. I have been contacted by members of the Tamil community across Bexleyheath and Crayford, who continue to press for accountability and justice in relation to atrocities committed during the civil war in Sri Lanka. They are very concerned about how the country’s Prevention of Terrorism Act is currently being used to …”

“I think some Opposition Members are suffering from amnesia and have forgotten the asset stripping that happened, which has led to infrastructure failing across Bexleyheath and Crayford, and to the 30% increase in bills last year. We have tried every option to keep Thames Water organisationally solvent, but my patience,…”

“My constituents are concerned about the reduction in Thameslink services serving Slade Green and Abbey Wood during the six weeks of the school summer holidays. Is it possible to review the decision? Given that both Southeastern and Thameslink are in public ownership, will the Minister outline how their timetables and s…”