David Lidington MP

Stoke Mandeville and the Paralympics

davidlidington — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:12:48 +0000

Earlier this year I wrote to the Prime Minister regarding the possibility of Stoke Mandeville being the centre of the flame lighting ceremony for all future Paralympic Games. I have now received a reply and as you will see the Prime Minister has asked to be kept up to date on developments.

Romanian and Bulgarian Immigration to the UK

davidlidington — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:06:32 +0000

I recently received a letter from Mark Harper, Minister for Immigration, concerning Romanian and Bulgarian immigration to the UK, which I thought may be of interest to constituents, therefore, I have enclosed a copy of the letter below.

HS2- Environmental Statement and Design Refinement Consultations

davidlidington — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:40:31 +0000

Today the consultations on the Environmental Statement and Design Refinement for HS2 were announced. You can read the relevant documents for the Environmental Statement Consultation here and the Design Refinement Consultation here. Both consultations close on the 11^th of July (8 weeks from today).

I will add more information to this post as it becomes available.

National Audit Office and HS2

davidlidington — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:29:14 +0000

The National Audit Office has published a critical report on HS2. You can read the report here. What is likely to happen now is an enquiry by the Public Account Committee to which the Department for Transport will give detailed evidence.

Publication of the Vale of Aylesbury Plan Strategy – Proposed Submission

davidlidington — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:40:50 +0000

Last week I received a letter from AVDC to inform me that a six week publicity period for the proposed Vale Of Aylesbury Plan has now commenced and will be running until 5pm on Wednesday 19^th June. During this period, the public are able view the proposals in detail and submit their comments on its legal compliance and soundness, before it is submitted to Government for independent examination.

These proposals outline the emerging development plan for the entire District until 2031. Among other things, the Plan sets out strategic objectives for:

- Housing figures

- Economic Growth

- Job creation

- Environmental protection

- Infrastructure

- Local planning principles

To view the proposals and download the relevant publication material, please follow the link below:

http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/local-development-plans/vale-of-aylesbury-plan/

Alternatively, you can ask request a DVD or paper copies of the publication material by calling 01296 585439 or emailing VAPconsult@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk . Comment forms can also be obtained through these channels.

I should emphasise that comments must be submitted by 19^th June at the latest. This deadline is fixed and there is no room for flexibility.

HS2 Paving Bill

davidlidington — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:30:42 +0000

As you may know the Paving Bill for HS2 was introduced to Parliament yesterday and you can view the Bill by clicking here. No date has yet been set for Second Reading, which will be the first time MPs can debate the Bill, however, once a date has been confirmed it will be displayed here.

Hampden Row and Lacey Green Post Offices

davidlidington — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:25:12 +0000

Yesterday I received the below letter from the Post Office to inform me that unfortunately the Hampden Row Post Office will close temporarily on the 12^th of June due to the retirement of the subpostmaster. The letter also states that the outreached service provided by Hampden Row Post Office to Lacey Green will temporarily close as well on the 12^th of June. If constituents have any questions please get in touch.

HS2 and Wendover

davidlidington — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:20 +0000

During Community Forum meetings HS2 Ltd has indicated that there are two options for the construction of the green tunnel at Wendover. The tunnel can be constructed by either single or double faced working with double faced working cutting the construction time in half from 5 years to two and a half. Following contact from constituents who support double faced working I wrote to Alison Munro, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, to ask her to detail the impacts of construction for doubled faced working compared to single faced working. I have now received a reply which I have included below. To view information relating to construction of HS2 in the local area please click here.

HS2 Ltd’s Contingency Fund

davidlidington — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:37:55 +0000

Back in February I wrote to Alison Munro, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, to enquire as to the size of HS2 Ltd’s contingency fund and whether guidelines exist for what it can be spent on. I became aware of HS2 Ltd’s contingency fund when it was mentioned in board minutes which were published on HS2 Ltd’s website. I have now received a reply from Ms Munro which I have included below.

Newsnight & HS2

davidlidington — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:38:53 +0000

Newsnight recently showed a short documentary on high speed rail which included a case study of high speed rail between Madrid and Seville which opened in 1992. To view the documentary click here.