Contributions
1,459 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD UkraineAs the Foreign Secretary will know, the attack in February was not the first invasion of Ukraine by Russia; it has been illegally occupying territory, including Crimea, for the…31 Oct 2022HANSARDCivil Service Jobs: RelocationIt is always good to hear that the town of my birth is well represented in any Department. The Minister will be aware that moving civil service jobs into coastal communities,…27 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalWe could have quite a session on the changes in ticket buying patterns in recent years. The number of people buying tickets at a ticket office has declined dramatically, and we…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalI have met FirstGroup to discuss the overall position of its franchise. It should be remembered that FirstGroup is also involved in running the Great Western Railway franchise,…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalOn 7 October, a short-term contract was entered into with the incumbent operator for the West Coast Partnership. The contract extends the delivery of the West Coast Partnership…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalI have covered a number of times the position on performance payments in the Avanti contract. The hon. Lady’s constituents will have seen the clear commitment we have made to…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalWe are already acting; there is daily engagement with Avanti on how it is progressing towards its improvement plan. As I have made clear, we are not just accepting assurances that…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalI make the point that the TransPennnine Express is a separate franchise from Avanti, although FirstGroup is the overall operator. We are starting to see the reinstatement of some…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalFrom my own time in the Wales Office, I am conscious of the vital economic role that the railway plays in north Wales in terms of economic performance. As my hon. Friend says, the…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalThe hon. Member is right to suggest that this idea of a publicly owned transport service being some sort of panacea of great customer service is rather false. It is interesting to…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalIt is always good to get constructive suggestions as to how we improve train services. On the service, I think I have said “unacceptable” more times at the Dispatch Box on this…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalWe have already begun to see the restoration of some peak-time services. It is also worth saying that very few people use the open return-price ticket—I certainly did not use it…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalCertainly we are keen that Avanti should honour all its contractual obligations. The one on which we are most focused is ensuring that it improves the operation of the railway…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalMy discussions with FirstGroup and Avanti, and particularly with FirstGroup, do not indicate that it is inevitable that they will lose the service in six months’ time, or that…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalAgain, it is worth noting that, in the case of Avanti—I shall talk specifically about Avanti as it is the subject of today’s urgent question—agreement on rest-day working with the…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalThe assurances that Avanti is giving are that its plans for December will restore the majority of direct services into north Wales. DFT officials are engaging daily with Avanti,…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalI know that my hon. Friend is strongly committed to restoring the connections which her constituents have a right to expect. Certainly, the December plan includes the restoration…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalThe hon. Gentleman would be aware, had he heard some of what I said earlier, that the performance payments in relation to the period since the timetable reduction have yet to be…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalI have pointed out a couple of times that performance payments for the period since the cessation of rest-day working and the reduction in the timetable will be evaluated…25 Oct 2022HANSARD Avanti West Coast Contract RenewalWork is ongoing to ensure that the operator of last resort would be ready in April to pick up the service. I will touch on some of the issues raised, but not all are within…25 Oct 2022