Speeches by Mather.

“Before I get into to my substantive points on this amendment, I want to circle back to a query the shadow Minister raised earlier, via an intervention, about accessibility and data sharing. I have a little more specificity to share with him: independent retailers will have the same opportunity as GBR to provide passeng…”

“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 that GBR would otherwise be uninterested in working with the private sector, but I highlight to the Committee that that is not currently the …”

“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 services on the railway, but it makes a really important contribution, especially in terms of inter-city links, which I personally benefit f…”

“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 how GBR will work over the decades to come, but in terms of access, charging, passenger experience and making sure that our railway runs for…”

“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 critical priority for the Secretary of State and for this Government. The clause is necessary to fulfil the Government’s commitment that the…”

“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 course recognise the benefits that competition can bring to railway users and the economy at large. In the supply chain, competition drives innova…”

“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 similarly cognisant of upcoming election dates in the Senedd. I hope that provides the shadow Minister with the indication that he may need. R…”

“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 affect the existing profit-sharing arrangement between the Governments for cross-border services. The shadow Minister also asked me for a litt…”

“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 issuing directions or guidance to GBR. Amendment 169 will provide the opportunity for further clarity by encouraging the Secretary of State an…”

“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,”. This amendment makes further provision concerning memoranda of understanding between the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers.”

“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 to keep asking me about publication of the MOUs today, he may not have cause to do so in the future. That is something we are working to pro…”

“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, we are now one quarter of the way through the Bill? [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] The hard work progresses. Work has begun on negotiating th…”

“It won’t be the last!”

“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 merits of privatisation versus nationalisation, but the fact remains that the people who work across our railways do so with safety first and …”

“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 Ministers. The clauses are necessary to maintain the ability of the Secretary of State and Scottish Ministers to issue guidance to the ORR w…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North West Leicestershire (Amanda Hack) on securing the debate, and thank everyone for their contributions, including my hon. Friends the Members for Southport (Patrick Hurley), for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier…”

“It puzzles me that with all the other transport bodies that have been set up—National Highways is an interesting example—I do not recall a series of concerns having been outlined that one of the most robust systems of parliamentary democracy in the world was in some way, shape or form incapable of—”

“I defer to my hon. Friend’s expertise on that particular matter, but my overall point is that, rather than create events in our heads about when this enforcement power may be required, it is important that we give GBR, and the Secretary of State in exercising accountability in relation to it, a full suite of measures t…”

“I will give way one final time, and then I really do want to make some progress.”

“I had not forgotten the shadow Minister’s request for me to provide specific examples. In a sense, though, I do not believe that it would be wise to do so. I do not think that the purpose of this Committee is to speculate about what GBR may or may not do in future; it is important that we develop a suite of measures th…”