Keir Mather

Draft Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026

I thank the shadow Minister both for his support for the measures and for his concern for my welfare over the last few weeks. To quote one of the five Prime Ministers who graced these halls during the 14 years of chaos and disarray under the Conservative party, he is right to say, in relation to the draft regulations, that “nothing has changed.” He is right to push me further on additional regulatory improvements that can ease doing business for UK shipping companies and seafarers. I am unashame

Draft Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026

I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 2 March 2026. The United Kingdom was a founding signatory to the Paris memorandum of understanding in 1982 and a member of its predecessor since the late 1970s. The Paris MOU is a well-established international framework for inspecting foreign ships that call at membe

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

I will give way briefly, and then I will make some progress.

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

If the hon. Gentleman would like to write to me setting out the terms of his invitation, I would be very grateful and happy to consider them. It would be great to visit his constituency. As His Majesty noted yesterday, the Government are bringing forward the civil aviation Bill, which will ensure that the UK’s aviation sector remains competitive, resilient and fair so that it can continue to drive economic growth while delivering better outcomes for passengers. The Bill will also strengthen cons

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

My hon. Friend makes a fair challenge. He is right to say that the ANPS review and the consultation on it is an opportunity for us to look at some of these questions again and to consider how, with Heathrow continuing to offer its unique opportunity to the United Kingdom’s economy as our only international hub airport, we can facilitate better access for the communities surrounding it, both for the economic opportunities for employment and for people across the United Kingdom to fly and enjoy ho

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. Once the ANPS is laid in Parliament, there is a 21 sitting day consideration period during which the House of Commons can resolve that a vote can be called on whether to approve the ANPS. There is also the important principle of Select Committee scrutiny. It is for the Liaison Committee, I believe, to determine which Committee is most appropriate to take forward Select Committee-level analysis of the implications of the ANPS, and to take oral evidence

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. If he does not mind my saying so, I think he may have a slightly over-inflated expectation of my powers as a junior Minister in the Department for Transport to compel a change in Heathrow airport’s ownership structure. What I am pleased to say is that there is broad support for the principle of expansion, irrespective of the fact that the Government have set this as a key priority to generate growth and prosperity in the United Kingdom. I will certai

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

Fortunately, Madam Deputy Speaker—come on! The hon. Member is right to say that the economic activity and jobs created by Heathrow airport are dependent on international supply chains, and I know his constituents will be looking with concern at what is happening in the middle east. The Department for Transport is engaging very closely with both our refineries and the aviation sector to ensure we have security of aviation fuel supply. That work is ongoing, and we are confident that, working close

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

As part of the ANPS process, we are going to consider the Government’s strategic objectives for surface access, including public transport mode share targets. Any expansion at Heathrow will be tested against the public transport mode share targets set out in the ANPS, and rail will form an important part of those considerations. I would be happy to have further conversations with my hon. Friend about how his constituents may be affected by any expansion and mitigations in that space, although I

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

I would be very pleased to engage with the hon. Member and, perhaps through him, with the community groups that he points to. It is important to say that the ANPS review will consider the elements of the existing ANPS that relate to surface access proposals. That includes mode share targets and measures to minimise and mitigate the effects of expansion on existing surface access arrangements. I would be happy to speak about that with him and his constituents.

Heathrow Airport: Third Runway

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this incredibly important debate, and I thank the Members in attendance, in particular the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) for securing the debate. We have engaged on this topic before, and I would welcome any further engagement in the build-up to and following the publication of the draft amended ANPS.

Rail Prices: Contactless Payments

The hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise disruption of commuter services on behalf of her constituents. It links back to the point that our railways are meant to be catalysts for economic growth, which should be the case in Esher and Walton, as in any other part of the United Kingdom. I will make two separate points. First, if the hon. Lady writes to me specifically about the disruption being experienced in her constituency, I will ensure that she receives a full response about what the Depart

Rail Prices: Contactless Payments

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan, and to respond to this debate. I congratulate the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) on securing it, and I thank the hon. Members for Strangford (Jim Shannon), for Esher and Walton (Monica Harding), for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) and for Woking (Mr Forster) for their important contributions as we consider contactless payment roll-out at railway stations and its impact on ticket prices. I want to start by reassuring the h

Draft Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2026

First, I thank the shadow Minister for his response, and I apologise for being accidentally pointed in the references I made to the equestrian and automotive activities that take place in his fantastic constituency. To respond to points the hon. Gentleman made, may I first thank him for his continued support for proportionate deregulatory measures that do not compromise aviation safety? Although we can trade differing points of view on political ideology in this House, aviation safety is somethi

Draft Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2026

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about community consultation, and the CAA’s design of noise policy takes it incredibly seriously. These exemptions are designed to be used only when other regulatory avenues are not available, but we expect all operators to take noise considerations into account. I know how important that is to his constituents, and it will be part of this work going forward. As I said, the second amendment in the instrument removes a criminal sanction in the Air Navi

Draft Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2026

I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 24 February. The instrument has two objectives. First, it amends article 71 of the assimilated basic regulation to give the Civil Aviation Authority the flexibility to grant exemptions. Secondly, it removes an unused criminal sanction to allow twin-engine aircraft to operate over lon

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

I thank my hon. Friend for his repeated and consistent advocacy on this issue. I am cognisant of the fact that air connectivity in the Scottish highlands is not a “nice to have” but an absolute necessity. As well as meeting the two Members, my officials would be keen to engage with a variety of stakeholders as part of the review, to obtain evidence on the benefits of the EGNOS solution. That evidence will be critical to ensuring that the Government work out their future position carefully and th

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

I would be very glad to meet the right hon. Member and our colleague. I understand the important role that EGNOS played in ensuring that we had those vital connectivity links to the Scottish highlands. That is why we intend to review the role that technologies such as EGNOS can play, to ensure that our airspace is resilient and fit for purpose, especially for remote airports that are more susceptible to adverse weather conditions. I am very happy to take that conversation forward with the right

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

My Department continues to engage with a range of aviation stakeholders, including the Civil Aviation Authority, to better understand the impacts of the loss of access to the European geostationary navigation overlay service. This includes the practicalities, costs and benefits for industry and the taxpayer if we were to rejoin.