Contributions
1,117 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]My Lords, this next group of amendments, as we have heard, relates to bus franchising. I will first turn to Amendment 8 in my name. This amends paragraph 9(3)(a) of the Bill’s…28 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastMy department is clear that the performance of Avanti West Coast has not been good enough. Officials routinely meet Avanti and Network Rail as part of a relentless focus on…27 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastI will have to write to the noble Lord about the amount of Delay Repay. I have statistics here about the number of trains on time and the number of trains cancelled. Although the…27 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastThe noble Lord is clearly not lost for words. However, it is not within my gift to award free tenancies of public houses in London—probably wisely. A lot of what he says is right,…27 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastI thank my noble friend for that question. Indeed, I have discussed with him and others the rather too frequent regularity of cancellations north of Preston. I will not reiterate…27 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastThe answer to those questions is that the contract that these people have been given does not allow the withdrawal of the franchise for performance that many people in this House…27 Jan 2025HANSARDAvanti West CoastI strongly sympathise with my noble friend on his experiences in his weekly travelling. My postbag, email and every other means of communication is full of criticism of Avanti…27 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationMy reference earlier to integrating the electrification programme with rolling stock decisions reflects the fact that many trains on the British railway network are now capable of…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationThat commitment was one of many in a hurriedly put together document entitled Network North , which incidentally went as far south as Tavistock and went to Holyhead. The…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationMore seriously, I agree with my noble friend that the point at which we celebrate 200 years of the first public passenger railway in the world is a very good moment both to…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationOf course, I strongly agree with my noble friend that whatever I said last time was the right thing to say.22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationUpdated plans are currently being developed by Network Rail for where and when electrification is required to deliver a fully decarbonised railway over the next 25 years. Those…22 Jan 2025HANSARDAirports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 4 December 2024 be approved. Relevant document: 12th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Considered in…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationMy noble friend raises a very good point. The intention of both the Secretary of State and me in respect of the review of capital projects in the department is to produce a list…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationThe noble Baroness refers to the Botley Road bridge in Oxford, which has taken far longer to replace than it should and is a complex story. I am going to Oxford on Friday. The…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationI thank the noble Baroness for her question. The future of the service from Salisbury to Exeter on South Western Railway, which she refers to, is dependent on the fairly imminent…22 Jan 2025HANSARDRailway ElectrificationI will continue to claim that the Network North plan was unfunded, because it depended on money that had never been properly allocated in the future to HS2 phase 2. When this…22 Jan 2025HANSARDAirports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025That the Grand Committee do consider the Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025. Relevant document: 12th Report from the Secondary…20 Jan 2025HANSARDAirports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025I thank noble Lords for their consideration of these draft regulations. I will attempt to respond to as many of the specific points raised as I can. The noble Lord, Lord Kirkhope…20 Jan 2025HANSARDAirports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025My Lords, these draft regulations were laid before Parliament on 4 December 2024 and will be made under powers conferred by the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023,…20 Jan 2025