Contributions
565 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)I can start by confirming that existing exemptions from designation will be retained. I hope that provides an assurance to the shadow Minister. The powers could be used to allow…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)The Committee will be glad to hear that I do not intend to re-rehearse the argument that I pre-emptively set out in response to the amendments. On the broader point made by the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Members for Didcot and Wantage and for Broadland and Fakenham for tabling these amendments, and the hon. Member for West Dorset for speaking to them. They seek to…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)But they are not outside the scope of the passenger watchdog as a whole. We would not want to be prescriptive in one place, only for us not to be able to make the passenger…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham for these amendments, but also right hon. and hon. Members across the Committee for their contributions on this important point.…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I am pleased to speak to clauses 37 and 38 relating to the passenger watchdog’s duty to keep matters under review and its power to collect information. Clause 37 ensures that the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I will happily let the shadow Minister intervene again, because I would like to seek clarity on how inserting “and” would allow the watchdog to choose whether it has to…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)My point is that the shadow Minister’s interpretation of the term “investigation” might diverge slightly from mine in respect of what we expect the passenger watchdog to do in…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)The shadow Minister asked about the interaction between Transport Focus and London TravelWatch in instances in which cross-border services might need active deliberation between…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for the amendments, which would require the ORR to take action in the event of a referral from the passenger watchdog. First, I will point out that…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I turn first to the shadow Minister’s point about either diffusing enforcement capabilities between the ORR and the passenger watchdog or seeking to double them up as part of…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his contribution. Perhaps, in slower time, he can walk me through each specific provision and we can come to a determination as to the intent that…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank hon. Members for these amendments, which all relate to the passenger watchdog’s investigation reports. I will begin with amendments 138 and 69, which both require the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)It is a pleasure to serve yet again under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Clause 35 provides definitions for key terms used in chapter 1 of part 2, ensuring clarity and consistency…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for that clarification. Amendment 141 would remove the requirement for the Secretary of State and the ORR to consent to standards that may be set,…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)Clauses 28 and 29 enable the Secretary of State and Scottish and Welsh Ministers to exempt certain railway passenger services from designation. Exempting a service means that the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank hon. Members for their amendments, which relate to the standard-setting role of the passenger watchdog and to accessibility. I will speak first to those related to the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Ninth sitting)Good morning, Mrs Barker, and to everybody—another day in Committee. I thank the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham for these amendments, which seek to ensure that the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his constructive approach to the remaining clauses and the Government amendment as part of this group. He and his colleagues have ably and…03 Feb 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Tenth sitting)The right hon. Gentleman is right to be impatient with the Government’s pace in achieving accessibility improvements at stations in his constituency and across the country. He is…03 Feb 2026