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Transport (Greater Manchester)

The hon. Lady came here today, yet again, with not a single policy proposal to her name: not a single proposal to tackle congestion in our towns and cities. Eighty per cent. of congestion today exists in our towns and cities, and over the next 10 years 80 per cent. of congestion will build up in our towns and cities. When Rod Eddington examined the issue he said that the economy would suffer to the tune of £22 billion if we did nothing, but the hon. Lady's proposal appears to do just that: nothing at all. She has ducked so many difficult issues that she practically walks— ...I am happy to answer the questions that the hon. Lady put to me, Mr. Speaker. If she had presented a list of serious questions and alternative proposals I would certainly have dealt with them, and I will of course deal with the points that she raised. One thing we do know is that if the Conservative party were in power today, the £3 billion that we have on the table for Greater Manchester would not be available to that great city. The hon. Lady suggested that this deal would somehow be bad for the motorists of Greater Manchester, which represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what the package is about. It is about delivering a world-class transport system for a world-class city, and we should celebrate the fact that a strong and effective local leadership in Manchester has produced an innovative package of proposals that will bring real benefits to people's day-to-day journeys. What is more, by committing us to introducing the vast majority of public transport improvements ahead of a congestion charging scheme, the proposals give people real choices in regard to their journeys across the city. The hon. Lady asked how the financial risk would be borne. In presenting its bid to the Government, Greater Manchester said that it was prepared to accept and manage the risks associated with the deal. She asked what guarantees there were that the congestion charge would not increase in future. We have said that Greater Manchester must be completely transparent about the level of the charge, and that if it changed the terms of the proposals it would have to publish a new scheme order on which the people of Greater Manchester would be consulted. The hon. Lady accused the Government of bullying the people of Greater Manchester. The people of Greater Manchester have said that they want a world-class public transport system. They have also said, incidentally, that they want a world-class bus system, which is an integral part of the proposals. The hon. Lady represents a party that voted against the Local Transport Bill, for which Conservative councillors have been campaigning throughout Greater Manchester. I am disappointed by the hon. Lady's response, but I am afraid it comes as no surprise. It bears all the hallmarks of today's Conservative party. Conservative Members are clear about what they are against, but silent on what they think should be done. They have nothing to say and nothing to do, and they stand for nothing.