My Lords, Amendment 314 in my name, supported by my noble friend Lord Moylan, enters the arcane world of Treasury theology—what is and what is not public expenditure. It would require the Secretary of State to report on the impact of the Bill on public finances. This is important because...

My Lords, Amendment 314 in my name, supported by my noble friend Lord Moylan, enters the arcane world of Treasury theology—what is and what is not public expenditure. It would require the Secretary of State to report on the impact of the Bill on public finances. This is important because...

My Lords, I have added my name to five amendments in this group. I am the lead name on Amendment 31, which would require the Secretary of State to issue directions to promote fair competition, and on Amendment 48, to which my noble friend referred. It has the same objective...

My Lords, I have added my name to five amendments in this group. I am the lead name on Amendment 31, which would require the Secretary of State to issue directions to promote fair competition, and on Amendment 48, to which my noble friend referred. It has the same objective...

My Lords, I intervene briefly to support my noble friend Lord Moylan’s amendments on this. In many ways, this debate is similar in its nature to the one we have just had, in that it relates to how the GBR relates to an independent sector. In the previous debate, it...

My Lords, I intervene briefly to support my noble friend Lord Moylan’s amendments on this. In many ways, this debate is similar in its nature to the one we have just had, in that it relates to how the GBR relates to an independent sector. In the previous debate, it...

I understand that we will be having a separate debate on this, but is the Minister able to give the assurance that I asked for that the abstraction rates will not be changed?

I understand that we will be having a separate debate on this, but is the Minister able to give the assurance that I asked for that the abstraction rates will not be changed?

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, has just told a very moving story, and I think everyone who listened to that will agree that that state of affairs is simply not acceptable.

I join others in paying tribute to the valedictory speech of the noble Lord, Lord Wilson. He was...

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, has just told a very moving story, and I think everyone who listened to that will agree that that state of affairs is simply not acceptable.

I join others in paying tribute to the valedictory speech of the noble Lord, Lord Wilson. He was...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley. On social care, she is absolutely right.

On housing, the Government’s target of 1.5 million homes is not a policy but a dream. By their own calculations, they are already 400,000 adrift. In London we need 88,000...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley. On social care, she is absolutely right.

On housing, the Government’s target of 1.5 million homes is not a policy but a dream. By their own calculations, they are already 400,000 adrift. In London we need 88,000...

My Lords, I support entirely what the noble Lords, Lord Bassam and Lord Teverson, and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, have said.

I am slightly confused by a comparison between what the Department for Transport said in a press release on 8 January and what the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, has...

My Lords, I support entirely what the noble Lords, Lord Bassam and Lord Teverson, and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, have said.

I am slightly confused by a comparison between what the Department for Transport said in a press release on 8 January and what the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, has...

If it is the case that only minor amendments are needed to what is now before us, why can that not happen on Report?

If it is the case that only minor amendments are needed to what is now before us, why can that not happen on Report?

My Lords, I added my name to the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Vaux. Like him, I served on the Select Committee on fraud, ably chaired by my noble friend Lady Morgan of Cotes, that produced a very substantial document indeed. After we produced our report, the Government...

My Lords, I added my name to the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Vaux. Like him, I served on the Select Committee on fraud, ably chaired by my noble friend Lady Morgan of Cotes, that produced a very substantial document indeed. After we produced our report, the Government...

My Lords, the Minister mentioned compensation in his response. The Government want people to travel by train rather than by plane. He will know that the compensation available to the Eurostar passengers mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Snape, is much less than the compensation offered to air passengers, such as those disrupted at Heathrow recently, leaving many of the Eurostar passengers severely out of pocket. Is there not a case for aligning the compensation regimes between the two modes?

My Lords, the Minister mentioned compensation in his response. The Government want people to travel by train rather than by plane. He will know that the compensation available to the Eurostar passengers mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Snape, is much less than the compensation offered to air passengers, such as those disrupted at Heathrow recently, leaving many of the Eurostar passengers severely out of pocket. Is there not a case for aligning the compensation regimes between the two modes?

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Eatwell. I want to give some relief to the Minister by not following up the justified criticism that he is receiving from my noble friends but referring to one new policy in the Budget which I approve...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Eatwell. I want to give some relief to the Minister by not following up the justified criticism that he is receiving from my noble friends but referring to one new policy in the Budget which I approve...

Further to the question by the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, can the Minister confirm that train operators offer choice for travellers, jobs for those in the railway industry and direct links to London from stations not served by other operators? Will he condemn the words of Mick Whelan, the general secretary of ASLEF, who described open access operators as “parasites”?

Further to the question by the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, can the Minister confirm that train operators offer choice for travellers, jobs for those in the railway industry and direct links to London from stations not served by other operators? Will he condemn the words of Mick Whelan, the general secretary of ASLEF, who described open access operators as “parasites”?

My Lords, further to my noble friend’s Question, does the Minister recall a speech that he made on 27 April 2022, when he was chairman of Network Rail, to the Rail Industry Association? He said:

“The industry will not back away from its modernisation and cost reduction drive despite the threat of strike action”.

Does that remain his policy?

My Lords, further to my noble friend’s Question, does the Minister recall a speech that he made on 27 April 2022, when he was chairman of Network Rail, to the Rail Industry Association? He said:

“The industry will not back away from its modernisation and cost reduction drive despite the threat of strike action”.

Does that remain his policy?

Lords question for short debate on what plans they have for open access operators following the creation of Great British Railways.

Lords question for short debate on what plans they have for open access operators following the creation of Great British Railways.

My Lords, for a debate on open access, many noble Lords have applied for the vacant slots. I am delighted that the Minister is in his place to pronounce on the quality of the bids.

Open access did not exist under British Rail, but privatisation, in which I played a modest...

My Lords, for a debate on open access, many noble Lords have applied for the vacant slots. I am delighted that the Minister is in his place to pronounce on the quality of the bids.

Open access did not exist under British Rail, but privatisation, in which I played a modest...

My Lords, I am glad I let the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, speak before me, because I listened very carefully to what he said at Second Reading, when he made a powerful speech in favour of pragmatism. I think that was an expression that he used; I see him nodding...

My Lords, I am glad I let the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, speak before me, because I listened very carefully to what he said at Second Reading, when he made a powerful speech in favour of pragmatism. I think that was an expression that he used; I see him nodding...

Before the Minister sits down, can he just clarify something that he said? Is it the case that under new Section 30A inserted by Clause 2(3) he has the flexibility already to renew two of the franchises mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Snape, by using that particular paragraph in...

Before the Minister sits down, can he just clarify something that he said? Is it the case that under new Section 30A inserted by Clause 2(3) he has the flexibility already to renew two of the franchises mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Snape, by using that particular paragraph in...

Any franchises. Can he use that section to renew the satisfactory franchises, because it would “not be reasonably practicable” to do so otherwise, and take them in-house?

Any franchises. Can he use that section to renew the satisfactory franchises, because it would “not be reasonably practicable” to do so otherwise, and take them in-house?

Moved by

Lord Young of Cookham

9: Clause 2, page 2, line 23, at end insert—

“30ZA Annual report of public operator liabilities

(1) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament, within six months of the day on which this Act comes into force, and on each anniversary of that date thereafter, a...

Moved by

Lord Young of Cookham

9: Clause 2, page 2, line 23, at end insert—

“30ZA Annual report of public operator liabilities

(1) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament, within six months of the day on which this Act comes into force, and on each anniversary of that date thereafter, a...

My Lords, Amendment 9 in my name would require an annual report on public operator liabilities. This might sound rather a dry subject with which to lead the last group on Report, but it is an important one, as it has the potential to totally disrupt the Government’s ambitions for...

My Lords, Amendment 9 in my name would require an annual report on public operator liabilities. This might sound rather a dry subject with which to lead the last group on Report, but it is an important one, as it has the potential to totally disrupt the Government’s ambitions for...