Speeches by Aquarone.

“David, what is the difference between HGVs and LGVs?”

“But even within the HGV sector, the use cases are wildly different when it comes to the charging requirements.”

“Understood.”

“Correct me if I am wrong, but even notwithstanding those abnormal loads, if you have a fleet that is basically going depot to depot there is inherently a charging opportunity at both ends of the journey. If you are not doing that type of journey, it is only the home depot that has the charging facility.”

“But that is slightly different from what Jamie said. The total cost of ownership is competitive, but you cannot roll it out because of access to charging infrastructure, or have I misunderstood that?”

“We have talked about how it would be charged. What about what is actually charged? Should there be different pricing or exemptions depending on vehicle age? We have touched on this a little. Are there any other ways around a per-mile charge in principle that could be made more palatable in practice?”

“Are you recognising that in calculating the total cost of ownership?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. North Norfolk has many things to be proud of, and our half-a-billion-pound tourism industry is high on that list. However, that can bring its challenges: a seasonal economy leads to insecure employment and makes it hard for businesses to plan for the future. We…”

“Connections to market towns in my constituency are vital for our tourism and hospitality industry. We have a great branch line service, but patrons of the much-lauded Gunton Arms and Suffield Arms will know that Gunton station quite often suffers from having trains only every two hours. Does the hon. Member agree that …”

“The Government are due soon—I am sure you are eagerly awaiting it—to publish their integrated national transport strategy. Could you each give a personal wish list of one or maybe two things that you hope to see in it to improve how spatial and transport planning interact?”

“Are there any other comments on measurement?”

“You mentioned LTPs. Do you think the Government should give clearer guidance? Very briefly, please.”

“This inquiry has certainly covered that aspect of the problem as we see it. If the mechanisms do not necessarily deliver the answers at the moment, do the inputs and outputs get captured? Are the costs and benefits of schemes adequately captured within the current framework, at the very least?”

“At some level, that would have to track individual user behaviour to make those statistics meaningful, would it not? You are going to be double-counting or missing things out.”

“Does anyone have any particular thoughts on whether the vision-led language is useful or hollow, what you need to deliver that, whether vision-led actually means car-free, and whether that is viable in all parts of the country? I do not need an answer from everyone, but perhaps I could gently encourage Grahame to answe…”

“I should draw the Committee’s attention to my registered interest as a serving Norfolk county councillor, as we have a senior officer from that authority here—don’t panic, Grahame! Lucy just mentioned the NPPF. It is almost as if transport does not fit neatly into any departmental box. That comment aside, I assume that…”

“Do we have the right criteria for local authorities to measure whether things they do and developments they play a part in actually improve integrated transport?”

“In my constituency there is a mother whose daughter lives with a disability and is reliant on a particular type of prescription food that has to be kept at ambient temperature. If the temperature of their house drops, the food perishes, and she cannot eat. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is not just the concern facin…”

“We may still need to start our journeys in a private car, at least in some contexts. Lucy, do you have a view on this?”

“As a serving county councillor, I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Corpusty primary school is a valued small rural school in my constituency threatened with closure at the end of this academic year. It has educated generations of children in North Norfolk, and is a vital asset …”