Thursday Volume 673 12 March 2020 No. 39 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 12 March 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 409 12 MARCH 2020 410 Dr Mullan: My constituents tell me that very often House of Commons buses come late or do not turn up at all. As we look to invest more in buses, what are we going to do to make Thursday 12 March 2020 sure that the companies delivering the services are doing a decent job for our residents? The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Grant Shapps: My hon. Friend is right: it is really important to make these bus services work in a manner where people can just rely on them and where they do PRAYERS not even have to look at a timetable because the frequency is there. As part of doing that, we will be opening up [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] bus open data powers, which will ensure that that information is transferred and available to people at bus stops and in their apps, enabling a much more frequent BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS service to run. QUEEN’S SPEECH (ANSWER TO ADDRESSES) Rail Fares The VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF HER MAJESTY’S HOUSEHOLD reported to the House, That Her Majesty, having been 2. Mike Amesbury (Weaver Vale) (Lab): What steps attended with its Addresses of 24 October 2019 and 20 he is taking to reduce the cost of rail fares. [901490] January 2020, was pleased to receive the same very graciously and give the following Answer: 5. Zarah Sultana (Coventry South) (Lab): What steps he is taking to reduce the cost of rail fares. [901493] I have received with great satisfaction the dutiful and loyal expression of your thanks for the speech with which 8. Kate Osborne (Jarrow) (Lab): What steps he is I opened the last Session of the previous Parliament. taking to reduce the cost of rail fares. [901496] I have received with great satisfaction the dutiful and loyal expression of your thanks for the speech with which 9. Mr Stephen Morgan (Portsmouth South) (Lab): I opened the present Session of Parliament. What steps he is taking to reduce the cost of rail fares. [901497] The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Chris Oral Answers to Questions Heaton-Harris): Fares are crucial to funding railway operations and our upgrade programme. We have frozen regulated rail fares in line with inflation for the seventh year running. TRANSPORT Mike Amesbury: Given that rail fares have gone up by a massive 40% since 2010, we now have the second most The Secretary of State was asked— expensive railway in Europe. However, I still have a Bus Services situation where constituents in the Northwich part of my constituency cannot get a reliable train service—in fact, disabled passengers cannot get one on one side at 1. Mr Richard Holden (North West Durham) (Con): all. What are the Minister and the Government going to What steps he is taking to improve bus services in do about that? (a) rural and (b) other areas. [901489] Chris Heaton-Harris: The hon. Gentleman would 11. Dr Kieran Mullan (Crewe and Nantwich) (Con): probably like to know that 98p of every £1 paid in fares What steps his Department is taking to encourage more goes back into the railways, which allows investment in frequent bus services. [901500] all the areas where he would like to see it, including accessibility for his constituents. The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps): Our £220 million better deal for bus users includes Zarah Sultana: Under the Conservatives, rail fares measures to improve bus services in rural and urban have rocketed by 40%. An annual season ticket from areas. This is together with the new £5 billion fund for Coventry to London is now £5,760, to Birmingham it is overhauling bus and cycle links throughout the country. £1,400 and to Nuneaton it is £1,200. That unfairly puts rail travel beyond the reach of many of my constituents Mr Holden: Towns such as Crook, Willington and and it discourages green travel. Privatisation has failed, Burnopfield in my constituency are starved of late so will the Government bring our railways into public evening and weekend bus services. What plans will the ownership to slash fares and combat the climate emergency? Government bring forward in the next few months to enable those areas to have better services? Chris Heaton-Harris: I am sure the hon. Lady will look forward, as I do, to the issuing of the Williams Grant Shapps: As I mentioned, there is not only the review, which answers some of the questions she raised, £220 million fund, but the £5 billion fund, which will but she should be careful what she wishes for because, enable us to bring forward a comprehensive package of today, using a single fare—£7, I believe it is—to go from measures, which I hope will significantly boost Durham London to Coventry, a host of Conservative Members County Council’s current £347,000 towards the bus are going to campaign in her hyper-marginal seat, at service operators grant. very good value for money. 411 Oral Answers 12 MARCH 2020 Oral Answers 412 Kate Osborne: Trade unions represent the hard-working Mr Speaker: Order. It has to be linked to the question staff on Northern who have had to take the brunt of that you were standing for. Do not worry; we will come passenger frustrations as the franchise has collapsed back later. under Arriva Rail North. Will the Minister explain why, with Northern having been taken back into public Karl McCartney (Lincoln) (Con): I note that the ownership, the expert advisory panel established to questions that my honourable and hairy friend has guide the new service through its first 100 days excludes answered so far were about reducing the cost of rail rail unions, the experience and expertise of which could fares, but that implies that either more people must ensure that passengers in the north finally get the rail make more journeys by rail, or taxpayers generally, service that they need and deserve? such as those in Lincoln, must subsidise the rail industry more. Which would my hon. Friend prefer? Does he Chris Heaton-Harris: It is a fair question. The answer have any plans to improve the franchise process to make is that Richard George, the head of the operator of last bidding for them more attractive to businesses? resort, is working closely with the unions and will continue to do so, because the workforce is all important Chris Heaton-Harris: We are going to change the to the delivery of a reliable service for passengers. franchise model—the Williams review is absolutely going to change how our franchise model operates—but my Mr Morgan: Many Portsmouth people rely heavily hon. Friend will have to wait a bit longer to see how that on South Western Railway for their daily commute. The is going to happen. We have strong views on the direction service that they receive is substandard, with less than of travel and look forward to informing the House 50% of mainline services operating on time, while rail shortly. fares have soared by 2.7%. Put simply, Portsmouth people are paying more but getting less. Will the Minister confirm what steps his Department is taking to address Robert Largan (High Peak) (Con): It is important to this injustice for my community? have affordable rail fares so that residents can access our railways, but many of my constituents do not have any access to trains at all because they do not have a Chris Heaton-Harris: I thank the hon. Gentleman for local train station. The people of Gamesley were promised his correspondence and the way that he has engaged a railway station more than 50 years ago, but it has still with my Department over this issue. He has been not been delivered. Will the Minister meet me to discuss representing his constituents on this matter very well. the bid for Gamesley train station? As he knows, a request for a proposal has been issued to the south-west franchise owners, FirstGroup and MTR, and to the operator of last resort. Parliament will be Chris Heaton-Harris: My hon. Friend wisely highlights kept informed of those developments. It is all about a proposal that will be considered among the bids for trying to improve the service for the hon. Gentleman’s the Restoring Your Railway fund. I would be delighted constituents. to meet him to talk about it. Matt Rodda (Reading East) (Lab): As we have heard, David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and rail passengers throughout the country are struggling Tweeddale) (Con): The Secretary of State is already with the exorbitant cost of train travel, with fares aware of how unhappy my constituents who use Lockerbie having risen by a staggering 40% since the Conservatives station are—after fare increases, they have seen an took office. In stark contrast, Germany has recently cut appalling level of service from TransPennine. TransPennine rail fares, and in Luxembourg public transport has been has now made certain commitments to improve the made entirely free, thereby both supporting families service; what can the Department do to ensure that it and helping to tackle the climate crisis. The Government meets those commitments? used yesterday’s Budget to prioritise once again unsustainable and expensive new roads ahead of support Chris Heaton-Harris: The Secretary of State and I for public transport.