division_name: Opposition Day &#8212; [17th( )Allotted Day] &#8212; Horsemeat &#8212; Infrastructure
motion: <p class="" pid="a.776.2/1" pwmotiontext="yes">I beg to move,</p>
  
  <p class="" pid="a.776.2/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House notes with concern the latest GDP figures from the Office for National Statistics, showing that the UK economy has now shrunk in four of the last five quarters; believes that investment in infrastructure is vital to the economy&#8217;s short term recovery and long term prosperity; further notes that, half way through the Government&#8217;s term of office, many of the major projects promised in the National Infrastructure Plan are yet to start work; further notes the admission of the Deputy Prime Minister, in the House Magazine of <phrase class="date" code="2013-01-24">24 January 2013</phrase>, that the Government cut capital spending too deeply, and that figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility show that in the first three years of this Government&#8217;s term it has spent &#163;12.8 billion less in capital investment than the last Government had planned; further believes that private sector investment has also been hit by weak demand and confidence in the UK&#8217;s flat-lining economy, and uncertainty resulting from the Treasury&#8217;s dithering, delay and lack of leadership; welcomes the independent review of long-term infrastructure planning undertaken by Sir John Armitt; and calls on the Government to act now to kick start the UK&#8217;s flat-lining economy by genuinely bringing forward infrastructure investment including building thousands more affordable homes.</p>
  
  <p class="" pid="a.784.1/1" pwmotiontext="yes">I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from &#8220;House&#8221; to the end of the Question and add:</p>
  
  <p class="" pid="a.784.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;notes that the previous administration&#8217;s final Budget planned to cut capital investment by 6 per cent more than this Government&#8217;s latest plans, in the period 2010 to 2014; further notes that this Government has increased capital plans by &#163;20 billion at the Spending Review and at the last two Autumn Statements, by taking tough but necessary decisions to cut current spending, with a result that public investment as a share of GDP will be higher on average over this Parliament than it was under the previous administration; further notes that this Government announced &#163;5.5 billion of extra infrastructure investment in the last Autumn Statement, including &#163;1.5 billion for roads, &#163;1 billion for new schools, &#163;900 million for science and &#163;1.8 billion for housing and local infrastructure; further notes that it has supported the largest investment in the railways since Victorian times under the High Level Output Specification; further notes that no national infrastructure plan existed under the previous administration whereas this Government has set out for the first time a multi-year long-term strategy for the UK&#8217;s infrastructure, with over 50 per cent of the Government&#8217;s top 40 projects and programmes due to be in construction, procurement or completed by the end of 2014-15; and believes that sweeping away red tape and developing new finance initiatives such as the UK Guarantees Scheme will also support up to &#163;40 billion of extra important projects&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="a.821.3/1" pwmotiontext="yes">Question put (<phrase class="standing-order" code="31(2)" pwmotiontext="yes">Standing Order No. 31(2)</phrase>), That the original words stand part of the Question.</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="a.821.3/2" pwmotiontext="yes">The House divided:</p>
  
  <p pid="a.821.3/3" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 225, Noes 297.</p>