Opposition Day — [1(st) Allotted Day] — Transport Strategy — 5 Dec 2006 at 21:45

I beg to move,

That this House notes that severe congestion on the roads and railways is now very widespread and is significantly worse than it was a decade ago; further notes that the Eddington Report is the eighth major transport strategy document published by this Government since 1997; further notes that in its 10 Year Plan the Government made a series of specific commitments to improve the transport system by 2010 which will not now be fulfilled; further notes that the remit of the Eddington Report was to look at the UK's transport needs after 2015 but that many of its recommendations mirror the Government's now abandoned commitments in the 10 Year Plan; and believes that the UK cannot wait any longer for the Government to keep its promises to ease congestion and improve the transport system.

I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:

"welcomes Sir Rod Eddington's independent report on the impact of transport decisions on economic productivity and growth; accepts his findings that the UK transport network provides the right connections, in the right places, to support the journeys that matter to economic performance, but also that the current unprecedented period of sustained economic growth will continue to place increasing pressures on key sections of that network, and that this needs to be addressed with a wide-ranging strategy encompassing better-use and investment solutions; supports the Government's commitment to taking the decisions which will be required to meet these pressures and put UK transport on a sustainable footing, including tackling the environmental impacts of transport, piloting road-pricing and building on the improvements in rail performance; acknowledges the progress already made through sustained long-term investment and forward planning through the Future of Transport White Paper; and recognises the substantial increases in capacity which this approach has brought, and the continuing programme of investment to provide further increases in capacity and reliability in future."

The House having divided: Ayes 213, Noes 290.

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