MPs debate inter-city rail investment
9 January 2014
On Thursday 9 January, MPs took part in a general debate on inter-city rail investment. This debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following representation from Ian Swales.
Watch the debate and read the transcript
The debate was opened by Ian Swales and followed the Backbench Business debate on rural communities.
- Watch Parliament TV: Debate on inter-city rail investment
- Read Commons Hansard: Debate on inter-city rail investment
How the subject was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following representation from Ian Swales at the Committee’s public meeting on Tuesday 5 November.
- Parliament TV: Backbench Business Committee on 5 November 2013
- Transcript of oral evidence heard on 5 November 2013
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 3pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.