Speeches by Shanker.

“Q I suppose the crux of this is: do you guys, with your organisations and trade bodies, believe that the creation of GBR will make things better going forward? I am thinking of things like giving stability to what UK rail looks like; being able to invest in infrastructure and rolling stock; collaboration between indust…”

“Q Are you saying that we do not need any changes in this area? Steve Montgomery: We can modify it, but we need that comfort that it will be evaluated fairly and not have the constraints of GBR putting everything in front of it, saying, “We might use those paths in the future again”. We cannot have that; we need certain…”

“Q In the existing framework, open access applications are routinely refused due to lack of capacity, or perceived lack of capacity. That pitches passengers against freight all the time. What is good about that system that you would want to keep? What would you like to see change? Steve Montgomery: The system at the mom…”

“Q Mr Brown, how does the Bill reflect the failings that you highlighted in your review about a broken franchising system? Richard Brown: I did not actually say that franchising was broken; I said that it needed to be substantially improved. Frankly, having reread my review before this session, I think the complexity of…”

“Q My first question is, do you think that the functions and duties of Great British Railways, as set out in the Bill, enable it to be an effective system operator? Also, do you think that this will result in rail travel being more affordable for passengers? Jeremy Westlake: On the first one, about being an effective sy…”

“Q In your view, is anything missing from the Bill that you would have liked to have seen in it to enable that to happen? Alex Hynes: Not from my perspective. Obviously, the sooner it gets Royal Assent, the sooner we can start creating Great British Railways and delivering the benefits of having a directing mind for the…”

“Q I have to ask this question. Several years ago, the decision was made to create GBR and have it headquartered in the brilliant city of Derby, and successive Governments, Secretaries of State and rail Ministers have backed that decision. Recently, Mr Westlake, when I asked about the size and shape of the headquarters …”

“Q Do you agree that the accessibility duty, if combined with detailed targets in the business plan, will improve the whole system for disabled passengers? Emma Vogelmann: From our perspective, having accessibility targets and so on that are not built into statutory instruments is not a guarantee of change in accessibil…”

“Q If those targets are in the business plan, they cannot just be ignored, can they? Alex Robertson: Absolutely not. The ORR will have a role to play in highlighting progress against that. We would have a role in being consulted—we have to be consulted in the development of the business plan—and our duty to reflect the …”

“Q Mr Williams, how does the Bill reflect the vision of your review that we have a more integrated and passenger-focused railway? Keith Williams: I think it absolutely does. That was at the heart of the review. Customers’ main complaints were about punctuality and cancellation. Bringing track and train together ought to…”

“Brave Derby veterans have contacted me. Those who suffer from mental health or are recovering from PTSD are really concerned about the negative effect that fireworks have on their lives. I am sure that the hon. Member would agree that those brave men and women who have put their lives on the line for our country deserv…”

“It would not be illegal, would it?”

“Finally, regarding some work around setting national standards and national baselines for enforcement standards and requirements, things like data sharing, joint operations, public reporting and access to data: are they the sorts of things that are being looked at?”

“Just taking the guide dogs issue and the refusal there, what is the plan to make improvements in that area?”

“On traditional operators versus apps, does the Department believe that the current licensing conditions treat app-based platforms and traditional operators fairly, or does one face looser requirements than the other?”

“Just back to Wolverhampton, and this is probably a question for Liz. The Minister is right: Wolverhampton made out to us when its chief operating officer gave evidence that it is a victim of the current system. To be honest with you, I am not quite as convinced; that is probably a fair way of putting it. It could intro…”

“My point is that it is making out that it is a big problem, but it has many levers that could rectify that problem if it was serious about doing it. Do you agree that the excuse that its guidance and the guidance of DfT is the problem, or do you think it could do more to rectify the situation itself, even with current …”

“What is the Department’s view of the current effectiveness of enforcement around accessibility legislation and duties?”

“You covered my final question there on the minimum standards around disability.”

“It could do a lot more. Other authorities will say they do not see enough of its enforcement officers, yet they have lots of drivers licensed by Wolverhampton.”