Thursday Volume 504 28 January 2010 No. 32 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 28 January 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 925 28 JANUARY 2010 926 Chris Mole: I am always happy to discuss with local House of Commons Members progress on schemes in their areas. If Network Rail comes up with one figure or another, we will Thursday 28 January 2010 continue to discuss it. Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): I, too, The House met at half-past Ten o’clock broadly welcome the redoubling of the line, largely through my constituency, on behalf of my constituents PRAYERS who commute from Kemble. None the less, in proposing these plans, will the Minister bear in mind the interests of the people who live alongside the line, particularly in [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] the village of Minety, who are concerned that there will be too much extra traffic on the line, and who seek local Oral Answers to Questions improvements if the redoubling goes ahead? Chris Mole: We always expect the concerns of local constituents to be taken into account, but the objective TRANSPORT of the improvements is to enable additional trains to run and to provide the option of a diversionary route for south Wales. The Minister of State was asked— Norman Baker (Lewes) (LD): The Swindon to Kemble Swindon to Kemble Railway Line stretch of line is of major strategic significance, and it is a public policy failure that we have not been able to 1. Mr. Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con): redouble it so far. Given the expected increase in passenger What recent assessment he has made of progress on his traffic over the next 10 or 20 years, will we have a policy Department’s feasibility study into the doubling of the of reopening lines and stations that should not have Swindon to Kemble railway line; and if he will make a been closed in the first place, and of redoubling lines statement. [313710] that should not have been singled? If the Scots and the Welsh can successfully reopen railway lines, why can we The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport not do so in England? (Chris Mole): Officials at the Department for Transport are currently in detailed discussions with Network Rail to determine an acceptable price for this work along Chris Mole: Of course, we can and do, but it is a with time scales for construction. We hope to be in a question of the affordability of any scheme that is position to give further information on the matter in the introduced at any particular time. If the hon. Gentleman near future. is saying that his party would make additional resources available for capital investment in the railways, it is Mr. Robertson: I am grateful to the Minister for his something to which we would be sympathetic. response. Do I take it that there will be a decision to go ahead with the redoubling of the line, which is important Ticket Offices to people who live in Cheltenham and Gloucester—a major town and an historic major city? The rail link between those places and London is unacceptably slow, 2. Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green) unreliable and expensive, and people in the area, including (LD): What recent representations he has received on many of my constituents, need to see an improvement. railway station ticket office opening times in Hornsey Will the Minister give us an assurance that we will move and Wood Green constituency. [313711] in the right direction on this one? The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Chris Mole: The Secretary of State and the Minister (Chris Mole): No representations have been received on for the South West strongly support the scheme, which this matter since the hon. Lady last wrote to the Secretary opens up the possibility for increases in service frequency of State about it in October 2009. to Gloucester and beyond, as well as providing an improved diversionary route to and from south Wales. Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green) (LD): Departmental officials, as I have said, are working I am sure that the Minister is aware of the Secretary of closely with Network Rail to ensure that it can introduce State’s successful intervention to halt the plans of South a scheme that is affordable within the resources available West Trains to close ticket offices. What consideration to the region. has his Department given to using those powers on Mr. David Drew (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op): I hear what First Capital Connect in my constituency? What criteria my hon. Friend has said, but if Network Rail has come does he use for such an intervention, and will he make a up with a figure of £65 million, rather than £45 million, commitment to review the recent closures, which have which is what we thought that it would be, can we have damaged safety at stations in my constituency, with a an urgent meeting with him and Network Rail to look view to using those powers in Hornsey and Wood at how we can make the scheme affordable, because as Green? my neighbour, the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson), has said, it is vital that that programmed Mr. Speaker: I heard three questions, but one answer work is undertaken? will suffice. 927 Oral Answers28 JANUARY 2010 Oral Answers 928 Chris Mole: The Secretary of State has no powers to Friend the Secretary of State and I are considering all object to major changes under the ticketing and settlement options open to the Government to require radical agreement where passenger representative groups have improvements. not sustained objections. In this case, FCC agreed to monitor sales of tickets at weekends over an eight-week Simon Hughes: The Minister will know that not only period last autumn. The Department has not yet received my constituents, but many, many others have got so details of that assessment, and will continue to pursue frustrated that the number of people petitioning the that train operating company for that data, which are Government to do something now is growing by the months overdue. I am sure that in raising the question, day. Will he assure us that a decision will be taken not the hon. Lady has reminded FirstGroup of its commitment. on the basis of defending the ideology of sustaining franchises, but in the interests of commuters and other Tramlink (Crystal Palace) users of the service, and that the users of the service will hear something soon? 3. Mr. Andrew Pelling (Croydon, Central) (Ind): How much funding his Department has provided to the Mr. Khan: The way in which the hon. Gentleman Greater London Authority for the extension of asked the question is important, as is the point that he Tramlink to Crystal Palace. [313712] has made. Hundreds of thousands of commuters have received an appalling service, not for one week or one The Minister of State, Department for Transport month, but over a period of three months. We take the (Mr. Sadiq Khan): The Department has not received matter seriously, and the Secretary of State and I discuss any bids for funding an extension to the Croydon it daily with the train operating company, which includes Tramlink. telephone calls, meetings and letters. The hon. Gentleman is right to remind us that each day the service is not The Department for Transport provides substantial improved is another day of suffering for passengers, funding to Transport for London in the form of a block and there is a cost to London as well. grant. My Department’s funding for TfL has risen dramatically since 2000, more than doubling to just less Kelvin Hopkins (Luton, North) (Lab): Thousands of than £3 billion in 2009-10 and rising to £3.3 billion next my constituents travel every day by First Capital Connect, year. That funding is not ring-fenced to specific projects, as do I, and we can give a daily account of the failings and it is for the Mayor and TfL to prioritise spending to of that company, which has shown itself to be totally deliver transport services in London as they see fit. incompetent and interested only in making money, not providing a service. I urge my right hon. Friend to give Mr. Pelling: The Minister is right. Substantial moneys serious consideration to taking the franchise away and have been given for investment in public transport in bringing it back to the public sector. London, but the Crystal Palace extension, which was on the agenda under Ken Livingstone’s mayoralty, offered Mr. Khan: All options are on the table. I hear my hon. the prospect of regeneration for deprived parts of my Friend’s representations, as I listen to all representations. constituency. Traders in Upper Norwood strongly support The point made in the previous question is important. such a scheme, and there is close to unanimous support We must not allow dogma to dictate the quality of in the community.Is it time for the Government, Transport service, or lack of it, that passengers receive. My job, for London and the Mayor to get together to try and get and that of the Department and our officials, is to the scheme back on the agenda? ensure a radical improvement in the quality of service provided by First Capital Connect.