Speeches by Smith.

“There is quite a lot for this Committee, and those people on the Bill Committee, to be minded of to understand the detail of what this work will actually look like, isn’t there?”

“Will the Wales and Border business unit have the detail of how it works in that MOU, or is that a separate thing that we need to be mindful of in the workings of that unit?”

“Fiona, you touched on the elections that are coming up. You said you have been around over a number of years, so I am sure you have seen changes of Government in Westminster and Scotland. Are you concerned that any future changes would threaten the ways of working that are set out in the MOU, or are you experienced eno…”

“There is quite a lot for this Committee, and those people on the Bill Committee, to be minded of to understand the detail of what this work will actually look like, isn’t there?”

“You say that you think it is good to have that statutory underpinning. However, there is the opportunity to put some of what would be included in a memorandum of understanding into primary legislation rather than having it in a separate document. Do you think that that would benefit the relationship and insulate from e…”

“As Ministers in Scotland, you will have powers of direction over GBR under the Bill, at clause 8. Do you think that those sufficiently reflect the devolution settlement that you already have?”

“Finally, next year’s elections came up in the session with the previous panel. Do you have any concern that changes of Government in Cardiff or Westminster threaten the ways of working that are set out in your MOU, and what do we need to be mindful of with the Welsh elections coming next year?”

“Obviously, the Secretary of State down here will have the power to revoke directions made by Scottish Ministers like you, under clause 8. Is that a concern? Does there need to be a specific threshold in the legislation for when they can do that, or should they have free rein to do it whenever they like?”

“This is the document that has just been published.”

“Out of interest, what engagement have you had on the production of the guidance that has just been published? Have you had any say in that, or has it just landed on your desk from the DFT, leaving you thinking, “It might have been nice to be asked about this”?”

“It would be useful to have some more correspondence on that.”

“Obviously, the Secretary of State down here will have the power to revoke directions made by Scottish Ministers like you, under clause 8. Is that a concern? Does there need to be a specific threshold in the legislation for when they can do that, or should they have free rein to do it whenever they like?”

“Finally on that, following the cancellation of the Avanti services in Wales, what discussions have you had with the UK Government about GBR reinstating some of these services once it is back in public ownership?”

“As Ministers in Scotland, you will have powers of direction over GBR under the Bill, at clause 8. Do you think that those sufficiently reflect the devolution settlement that you already have?”

“We have covered bits of my questions already, so I am going to pick out bits that we have not, and then possibly throw in something else. To start, given the different devolution settlements between Scotland and Wales, do you have concerns that Scotland will get better outcomes than Wales under the Bill?”

“Clause 80 of the Bill puts a duty on GBR to consult with Scottish Ministers if it appears that a decision would “significantly affect the interests of Scotland’s economy or of persons living in, working in or visiting Scotland.” Do you think “significantly affect” is the right test?”

“Jamie, in Merseyside you have a private operator running the trains in Liverpool, with the mayor’s oversight, so you have both bits there. Is that private operation with mayoral control of what is being offered a good alternative to nationalisation?”

“The two local authorities represented here are very well established and already have a very significant role to play. However, do you think that the Bill sets out a viable road map for enhanced local control by relatively immature strategic authorities? What outcomes might be expected?”

“You described how you have the West Midlands piece but you also have this wider thing that brings in the smaller councils. I am assuming that is the equivalent of the peninsula rail group down in the south-west, where you have several counties that work together. Does this not just highlight how complicated the Bill is…”

“You have discussed Transport for Wales a little bit, which is obviously what you are here to represent. In a Welsh network largely owned by GBR, which is where the Bill will take us, and on which some GBR services will run, what risks do you feel there are to Transport for Wales’s ability to run its services effectivel…”