Contributions
565 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)Amendment 36 would require GBR to make an assessment of how procurement from the private sector could help it meet its value for money duty. The amendment is drafted on the basis…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)The shadow Minister pre-empts what I am sure will be a spirited debate about open access in later clauses. Open access provides a proportionally very small percentage of passenger…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)With respect to the hon. Member, I do not think that those two examples are analogous. The Secretary of State has a responsibility to set out the long-term rail strategy, to guide…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)Clause 19 ensures that the existing safety duty under section 4 of the Railways Act 1993 will be preserved in full and continue to apply to the relevant sector bodies. Safety is a…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)I do not dispute some of the points that the shadow Minister makes on open access, but could he tell us a little more about how this relates to his perspective on the access…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)The amendments in this group relate to the ORR’s competition duty and primarily look to remove the various exemptions set out in clause 20. I will begin by saying that we of…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)Clause 21 preserves the Secretary of State’s current ability to issue guidance to the Office of Rail and Road under the Railways Act 1993, and clause 22 does the same for Scottish…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his comments about the safety regime on our railways, and join him in the sentiment he expressed about the ORR. The Committee can argue about the…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)Before I speak to amendment 39, I will respond to the questions about the timings of the MOUs, but may I bring the Committee’s attention to the fact that, by reaching this clause,…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)As tempting as the right hon. Member’s requests are, if he would like me to use another phrase, I will say: as soon as possible. I say to the shadow Minister that, although he has…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)I beg to move amendment 169, in clause 24, page 13, line 29, at end insert— “(da) contain provision about the use to be made of the power to give directions under section 7,”.…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)We have already discussed amendments 166 to 168, which provide clarity on the situations in which the Secretary of State must obtain the consent of the devolved Governments when…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)On the shadow Minister’s point about profit sharing, the MOU is designed to set out the operational arrangement between GBR and Welsh services. In that respect, the MOU will not…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Eighth sitting)As Lord Hendy was fulsome in explaining, those involved in negotiations for the MOU are extremely cognisant of upcoming election dates in Holyrood, and I would say that they are…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his intervention. I very much identify with the sentiment identified by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge. This is something that impacts…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. My reading of the amendment is that it would remove the ability to amend the strategy within a 15-year period. Her broader point, about…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)On locking in a 15-year strategy that can be reopened only if the Secretary of State chooses to revise it, it has been said throughout our deliberations that we do not want…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for that assurance. I suppose that, in response to the amendments that he tabled, we agree that timetabling is of special significance because of the…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)We want GBR to be empowered to address and deal with all these questions relating to personnel and timetabling in a way that is consultative and in partnership with both unions…29 Jan 2026HANSARDRailways Bill (Seventh sitting)The hon. Lady must have read my mind about that detail being forthcoming. If she will allow me to take away that specific point over the break that we are about to have, I might…29 Jan 2026