(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op):...As is, sadly, often the case, buses have
not yet been mentioned in the debate. Nevertheless, a strategic bus
plan in the region is important, and I wish to ask the Minister
what investment his Government are putting into the next generation
of sustainable buses. We hear much about cars, including the
significant investment in electric cars, but that will not
solve the issue of congestion because there will still be an
equivalent volume of vehicles in the south-east, and the roads
cannot cope with that. Many journeys carried out by car could, as
an alternative, take place by bus, and bus tech is really important
for the future. We must invest in R and D in bus tech, and I would
be interested to hear the Government’s plans on that and their
focus on our bus network...
Mr (Slough)
(Lab): The Minister mentioned Berkshire. I am from
Slough, where we have not only the highest number of electric
vehicle points in Berkshire, but one of the highest in the
country. Will he explain what support the Government can give to
our council and its partners as they seek to get more people into
electric cars?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
(Jesse Norman): As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, we
make a lot of money available to local councils to support the
roll-out of charge points. We have given money historically to
support plug-in car grants and home charging. I recently wrote to
local authorities to encourage them to take up our offer, which
remains open and, I think, not fully expended. He would be
welcome to invite Slough Council to write to us, and we would be
happy to work with them according to that scheme to make more
installations...
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