12: Clause 2, page 2, line 21, at end insert—
“(1D) The relevant franchising authority must consult the Council of the Nations and Regions before making a direct award of a public sector contract to a public sector company for a rail service that serves destinations in two or more of England, Scotland and Wales.”Member's explanatory statement
This amendment requires the relevant franchising authority to consult the Council of the Nations and Regions before making a direct award of a public sector contract to a public sector company for a rail service that serves destinations in two or more of England, Scotland and Wales.
My Lords, we come now to one of the most important debates in our consideration of this Bill in Committee: a group of amendments on devolution and the powers of local authorities, devolved authorities and combined mayoral authorities in relation to the vision of passenger railway services. At this stage in the debate, I intend to speak only to the amendments in my name—Amendments 12, 13 and 50—although I will offer general support to the others in this group, many of which I have added my name to. I may have more particular comments about them later in the debate when their movers have had a chance to speak to them.
I shall dispose briefly of Amendments 12 and 13, which were intended to be helpful. Indeed, Amendment 12 is still intended to be helpful. It would require the relevant franchising authority to consult the newly established Council of the Nations and Regions, which the Prime Minister has set up, before awarding contracts to a public sector company. We on this side of the House thought that it might be useful for the new council to have something practical to do; I would have thought that considering the provision of railway services is something that would take up a considerable amount of its time and generate a great deal of interesting debate. I shall say no more about this amendment because I imagine that it will be happily accepted by the Minister.
4:45 pm
Amendment 13, coupled with Amendment 12, seeks that the relevant franchising authority must also consult the Prime Minister’s envoy for the nations and regions. Of course, when the amendment was drafted, that post not only existed but was, as far as we understood, filled. The less I say about it at the moment, the better, since I believe that the post has not been filled; perhaps the Minister could bring us up to date on that exciting and fast-moving story. Indeed, I am not entirely sure whether the post still exists, having been created with such fanfare in a moment of crisis. I shall leave Amendments 12 and 13 to one side for the moment and see what the Minister has to say later.
I turn to my Amendment 50, which is at the end of the Marshalled List. It proposes that the Bill should not commence until
“regional partnership boards have been established between Shadow Great British Railways”,
or, as I have added for the sake of safety,
“the Secretary of State acting temporarily in its place”.
At this stage, I am not sure of the legal status of shadow Great British Railways. Does it exist as a legal entity? Does it have the powers to establish boards and participate in them? That in itself as a technical matter would be an interesting thing for the Minister to comment on when he comes to speak. I think we would all like to know exactly what its status is.
These partnership boards are to be set up between shadow Great British Railways and
“local and regional authorities in England to give local leaders a greater say in how the railways are run in their area”.
That wording has some root. It was not simply invented by me; it was taken from the Williams review of the railways, where, on page 41, the Minister and other noble Lords will find the declaration that:
“New partnerships between Great British Railways and local and regional government will be established to give local leaders a greater say in how the railways are run in their area”.
That is exactly the wording found in the amendment that I have tabled.