June 10 2019

PRESS INFORMATION

For immediate publication

UNITED FRONT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND HERITAGE RAILWAYS AT HOUSE OF LORDS

HRA President Lord Faulkner drew unchallenged support for heritage railways in the House of Lords, in a recent debate on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail’s report, Young People and Heritage Rail. There was unanimity across the house, recognising the huge value of heritage rail in social and economic terms. Lord Ashton, Minister for Digital Culture, Media and Sport offered support for changes to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 to remove concerns about the engagement of volunteers under the age of 16. He also gave reassurance on the continued availability of coal for heritage rail, and support with regard to improved consultation in the Network Change process.

There’s no shortage of enthusiasm for heritage rail in the UK’s highest levels of Parliament. Their Lordships Faulkner, Jones, Berkeley, Grocott, Snape, Shutt, Rosser and the Lord Bishop of Leeds all spoke in support of the sector. Many had personal involvement with a heritage railway, and honourable mentions included the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, the Helston Railway, Telford Steam Railway, East Lancashire Railway, Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway, Tyseley Works, Swanage Railway, the Tallyllyn and the West Somerset Railway and the National Railway Museum.

Lord Faulkner pointed out to the House that Britain is the only country in the world that has passed legislation, the Railway Heritage Act 1996, specifically to ensure that the UK secures the preservation of evidence significant to the nation’s railway history – and that no other industry in the UK is viewed in such a way.

Removing the uncertainties of employment law

The role of young people in heritage rail has been impacted by the 1920 Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act. The Act was passed in times before heritage railways existed, when working conditions were dangerous, and workers needed protection from industrial exploitation. The Lord Bishop of Leeds noted that in Britain, social capital and development of young people’s skills needed investment at all levels, and that heritage railways ‘hit both of those nails on the head’. He suggested it was time to remove the uncertainty engendered by the 1920 Act, so that young people could continue to benefit from the kind of life experience that heritage railways are uniquely placed to offer.

Lord Faulkner said ‘the last thing the heritage rail movement needs is obsolete legislation that hinders the recruitment and retention of the next generation of volunteers to carry the torch forward.’ In reply, Lord Ashton confirmed that a potential solution, put forward by the HRA, has been identified, and that he was working with the appropriate departments to resolve the issue.

Coal and Consultation

Lord Jones asked what were the Government’s plans for heritage railways that use coal. Lord Ashton said his department was working carefully to consider how to achieve a balance between environmental and public health protection and ensuring that the UK’s heritage vehicle industry continues to thrive. He confirmed that DCMS officials were holding meetings with DEFRA to discuss

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the topic, and he reiterated DEFRA’s previous confirmation that proposals on domestic coal burning would not prevent heritage railways continuing to use the fuels they need.

Lord Snape raised the matter of consultation with Network Rail on proposed Network Changes. He cited the example of the Swanage Railway, who were not consulted on proposed changes involving its main line connection near Wareham, which had been resignalled to rejoin the railway. He suggested it would be helpful if heritage railways were made statutory consultees where such work is concerned. The Minister undertook to relay Lord Snape’s concerns to the relevant department.

Lord Ashton also applauded the introduction of the Level 3 Apprenticeship for heritage engineering technicians, and highlighted the option covering skills for the restoration and repair of locomotive steam engines through the BESTT programme. He concluded the debate with a powerful endorsement of Britain’s heritage railways: ‘We fully recognise the enormous benefits that heritage railways bring to the UK’s economy and tourism industry. We welcome the contributions of organisations such as the Heritage Railway Association and wish them every success. We stand ready to support them in securing the sustainability of the industry for future generations.’

Steve Oates, CEO of the Heritage Railway Association said ‘We’re delighted with the positive response from the Minister on all these issues. Having first identified the potential problems in the 1920 Employment Act, we’ve worked hard to develop the proposed solution. With the DCMS and DEFRA, we’re pursuing heritage rail’s freedom to continue using coal, and the Minister’s reassurances are very welcome. His acknowledgement of issues relating to consultation is also a great step in the right direction.’ Steve added ‘And it’s worth noting that every single railway, museum and workshop mentioned in the debate is a member of the Heritage Railway Association!’

To read an account of the debate in full, visit Hansard on line at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2019-06-05/debates/04F4BF11-E967-4475-BE66- 7E190EE5B1E5/HeritageRailYoungPeople

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Captions:

Faulkner 1: ‘The last thing heritage rail needs is obsolete legislation’ says HRA President Lord Faulkner.

Faulkner 2: Lord Faulkner of Worcester, President of the HRA, Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail.

Ashton: Lord Ashton of Hyde, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Oates: Steve Oates, Heritage Railway Association CEO: ‘We’re delighted with the Minister’s positive responses.’

Westminster: Houses of Parliament

Note to editors:

The APPG on Heritage Rail

The purpose of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail is to brief parliamentarians about heritage railways, the contribution they make to their local and regional economies and the skills training opportunities involved. Chaired by Nicky Morgan MP, the Group’s officers include Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Lord Grocott, Liz Saville Roberts MP, Lord Shutt of Greetland, Lord Snape and Martin Vickers MP. Page | 3

Britain’s Heritage Railways

There are more than 150 heritage rail lines in the UK, with more than 500 miles of track and 460 stations. They attract 13 million domestic and overseas visitors a year, employ around 4,000 staff and depend on 22,000 volunteers. It is estimated that the direct and indirect benefits to the UK economy are as much as £400 million every year.

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BESTT

The Boiler Engineering Skills and Training Trust is a partnership of steam heritage organisations representing railways, ships and traction engines. It offers a range of training courses based on boiler repair, maintenance and mechanical overhaul of steam engines. Over the last two years, BESTT has successfully trained 17 people based on the BESTT Boilersmith Training Plan sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund

Heritage Railway Association

The Heritage Railway Association is a voluntary run trade association representing, protecting and promoting the interests of heritage and tourist railways, related museums, tramways, cliff lifts, railway preservation groups and related organisations. More than 180 HRA member organisations regularly open to the public, 156 of them operating with passengers. The organisation has over 300 corporate members. The HRA assists and guides its members, who may be any organisation that is heritage rail related, and is preserving, or helping their visitors understand, or just enjoy, the UK’s rich rail based history.

More information:

Contact: Roger Carey, Carey Communications. 01296 688366 or 07973 873245, or [email protected]