To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will reconsider her decision not to include A27 Chichester improvements in the Roads Investment Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will reconsider her decision not to include A27 Chichester improvements in the Roads Investment Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the proposed A27 Chichester improvements were removed from the Road Investment Strategy 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the proposed A27 Chichester improvements were removed from the Road Investment Strategy 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the A27 Chichester improvements were removed from the Road Investment Strategy 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the A27 Chichester improvements were removed from the Road Investment Strategy 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the long-term strategy is for tackling congestion on the A27 in Chichester constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the long-term strategy is for tackling congestion on the A27 in Chichester constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the capital funding settlement for road investment strategies on infrastructure investment along the A27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the capital funding settlement for road investment strategies on infrastructure investment along the A27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to improve road safety at roundabouts on the A27 in Chichester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to improve road safety at roundabouts on the A27 in Chichester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to reduce congestion on the A27 through Chichester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to reduce congestion on the A27 through Chichester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contractual penalties will be incurred by (a) the A303 Stonehenge tunnel, (b) the A27 bypass project and (c) other major infrastructure projects that have now been cancelled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contractual penalties will be incurred by (a) the A303 Stonehenge tunnel, (b) the A27 bypass project and (c) other major infrastructure projects that have now been cancelled.

My Lords, I too congratulate my noble friend the Minister on his appointment, and his performance this afternoon has shown what authority he has in that post. Does he agree that capable Minister though the noble Baroness was, and respected in this House, she cannot possibly believe the guff that...

My Lords, I too congratulate my noble friend the Minister on his appointment, and his performance this afternoon has shown what authority he has in that post. Does he agree that capable Minister though the noble Baroness was, and respected in this House, she cannot possibly believe the guff that...

I am very grateful to my noble friend for his kind words. Of course, as always, he is absolutely correct: the previous Government had exhausted the reserve. They had spent it more than three times over only three months into the financial year, yet they continued to make unfunded commitment...

I am very grateful to my noble friend for his kind words. Of course, as always, he is absolutely correct: the previous Government had exhausted the reserve. They had spent it more than three times over only three months into the financial year, yet they continued to make unfunded commitment...

My Lords, around 2 million pensioners are caught in the income tax net because of frozen tax thresholds. Now, we are taking away another £300 from the same people through a measure that was not in our manifesto. I have already received many messages from pensioners expressing great concern about...

My Lords, around 2 million pensioners are caught in the income tax net because of frozen tax thresholds. Now, we are taking away another £300 from the same people through a measure that was not in our manifesto. I have already received many messages from pensioners expressing great concern about...

As my noble friend perhaps did not acknowledge, this is not an easy decision and I understand why there is disappointment about it, but it is the right decision in the circumstances. The level of overspend we inherited is simply not sustainable. Left unaddressed, it would have meant a 25%...

As my noble friend perhaps did not acknowledge, this is not an easy decision and I understand why there is disappointment about it, but it is the right decision in the circumstances. The level of overspend we inherited is simply not sustainable. Left unaddressed, it would have meant a 25%...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, correctly drew attention to our productivity problems. How much scope does the Minister think there is for improving our productivity? There are, obviously, the welcome planning reforms but how far does he think he can improve our productivity in percentage terms, and to...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, correctly drew attention to our productivity problems. How much scope does the Minister think there is for improving our productivity? There are, obviously, the welcome planning reforms but how far does he think he can improve our productivity in percentage terms, and to...

I am grateful to the noble Earl for that question. He is absolutely right: productivity must be increased because growth is a central mission of this Government, and we will not increase growth sustainably unless we increase productivity. Growth will not, of course, happen overnight. He asked for a timescale....

I am grateful to the noble Earl for that question. He is absolutely right: productivity must be increased because growth is a central mission of this Government, and we will not increase growth sustainably unless we increase productivity. Growth will not, of course, happen overnight. He asked for a timescale....

My Lords, I declare an interest. My title is Lord Sentamu, of Lindisfarne, which is in Northumberland. In Berwick, where I live, a hospital is being built. Will the building continue, or is there a question mark because of the finances? Secondly, I want to return to the question of...

My Lords, I declare an interest. My title is Lord Sentamu, of Lindisfarne, which is in Northumberland. In Berwick, where I live, a hospital is being built. Will the building continue, or is there a question mark because of the finances? Secondly, I want to return to the question of...

I am grateful to the noble and right reverend Lord for his question. As was set out yesterday, we will conduct a complete review of the new hospital building programme, with a thorough, realistic and costed timetable for delivery. I cannot give him any specific information on the project he...

I am grateful to the noble and right reverend Lord for his question. As was set out yesterday, we will conduct a complete review of the new hospital building programme, with a thorough, realistic and costed timetable for delivery. I cannot give him any specific information on the project he...

I am grateful to my noble friend for drawing the House’s attention to yesterday’s remarks from the IFS. It is clear that it is as shocked at

the rest of us at the scale of this overspend. I 100% agree with my noble friend that the Spring Budget was just...

I am grateful to my noble friend for drawing the House’s attention to yesterday’s remarks from the IFS. It is clear that it is as shocked at

the rest of us at the scale of this overspend. I 100% agree with my noble friend that the Spring Budget was just...

Lords Statement on the state of public spending.

Lords Statement on the state of public spending.

My Lords, I congratulate the Financial Secretary on his appointment and say how glad many of us are about his return to the Treasury. We recall—as I look around, there are a number of folk who do—his excellent service last time he was in that place.

Will he also please draw...

My Lords, I congratulate the Financial Secretary on his appointment and say how glad many of us are about his return to the Treasury. We recall—as I look around, there are a number of folk who do—his excellent service last time he was in that place.

Will he also please draw...

I am extremely grateful to my noble friend for his kind words. He is quite right: not only are the previous Government guilty of what we are discussing today, of running up an enormous overspend and of hiding that from Parliament, the public and the Opposition at the time, but...

I am extremely grateful to my noble friend for his kind words. He is quite right: not only are the previous Government guilty of what we are discussing today, of running up an enormous overspend and of hiding that from Parliament, the public and the Opposition at the time, but...