Speeches by Lightwood.

“We have the absolute expectation that agencies and all the other companies at the Department absolutely will be engaging as part of that.”

“Obviously, in the interim, there are things such as the bus service improvement plans and local transport plans. There is very much guidance there. You should be looking at cross-border issues and encouraging people to collaborate.”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms McVey. I congratulate the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) on securing this important debate. He has been a committed champion of bus services and transport needs in his constituency, and I thank him for the constructive tone with which he has approached t…”

“Good morning. My name is Simon Lightwood. I am the Minister for Roads and Buses.”

“Yes, I think they can, in tandem with the Law Commission work.”

“We will be directing them as part of the Government—”

“It is important to say that since publishing the strategy we have continued to engage; it was not a publish and leave. There are 40 clear, concrete deliverables in there. Then there are the local outcome frameworks, which will outline how that is being delivered in the local area.”

“That is important, obviously. We are not only backing local leaders up with that assurance of multi-year funding, but also moving away from that short-term competitive nature. Some £21 billion going in over the spending review period is nothing to be sniffed at. We have also published the local transport plan guidance …”

“Yes, I think there is, and we agreed the frameworks working with local areas. If you think there is not, I would be interested in hearing more about that.”

“I cannot talk about MHCLG planners, but I know that on buses, for instance, we made sure there was enough funding for at least one extra individual, if you like. We know it takes human resource to deliver things. On planners, I would have to pass on to MHCLG.”

“The framework brings together all the right people. We are maximising the opportunity for that to happen through bus franchising and the work on rail reform. Obviously, we have things such as the Bus Centre of Excellence, so we can learn from each other as well. We have backed that up with multi-year funding: £3 billio…”

“It would be my intention that we continue to learn. As I said, it is a voluntary charter. I would be very keen to continue that learning process and engagement with the disabled community, to make sure that if it is not working, we change the approach so that it is. I am absolutely committed. When we were talking about…”

“I cannot comment on the details, but it is important to say—the Chair touched on this earlier—that there is a real expectation that National Highways and GBR will work with local and regional authorities, and indeed—”

“Forgive me for mentioning something else on buses, but I am the Bus Minister, and I cannot help myself. The franchising pilots we are doing are specifically to support rural areas and the non-mayoral authorities to recognise the possibilities that franchising could bring.”

“Another really tangible piece of work will be our work on the transport poverty tool. We spoke to people from rural and coastal communities, young people not in education and training, low-income families and so on to really understand how we can use that tool. We will continue investing in social and behavioural resea…”

“Ultimately, it will be down to local areas. They have a democratic mandate from their local people to do that.”

“We have said that putting people first is at the heart of this strategy—understanding how people actually experience the transport system, and using that insight to shape the decisions we make. That is exactly what we tried to do with Better Connected. As we were developing it, we engaged extensively with passengers, c…”

“If they fail to do that, there is democratic accountability and they can be voted out, frankly.”

“That will be a commercial decision for First Bus about whether to invest in those services. The option remains for local leaders to consider whether they want to pursue franchising and take greater control over that issue. They could also lift the ban on establishing new municipal bus companies. There are options there…”

“Traditionally, we have planned and delivered transport in silos. That means that journeys are often a lot more complicated than they really need to be for people. Better Connected is all about bringing the system together so that it works as one, with central Government, our local authorities and transport operators al…”