Speeches by Mather.

“I do not dispute some of the points that the shadow Minister makes on open access, but could he tell us a little more about how this relates to his perspective on the access regime? One of the reasons open access is unable to thrive on the west coast main line is insufficient capacity, and part of the access challenge …”

“Clause 19 ensures that the existing safety duty under section 4 of the Railways Act 1993 will be preserved in full and continue to apply to the relevant sector bodies. Safety is a critical priority for the Secretary of State and for this Government. The clause is necessary to fulfil the Government’s commitment that the…”

“With respect to the hon. Member, I do not think that those two examples are analogous. The Secretary of State has a responsibility to set out the long-term rail strategy, to guide how GBR will work over the decades to come, but in terms of access, charging, passenger experience and making sure that our railway runs for…”

“The shadow Minister pre-empts what I am sure will be a spirited debate about open access in later clauses. Open access provides a proportionally very small percentage of passenger services on the railway, but it makes a really important contribution, especially in terms of inter-city links, which I personally benefit f…”

“Amendment 36 would require GBR to make an assessment of how procurement from the private sector could help it meet its value for money duty. The amendment is drafted on the basis that GBR would otherwise be uninterested in working with the private sector, but I highlight to the Committee that that is not currently the …”

“Before I get into to my substantive points on this amendment, I want to circle back to a query the shadow Minister raised earlier, via an intervention, about accessibility and data sharing. I have a little more specificity to share with him: independent retailers will have the same opportunity as GBR to provide passeng…”

“The amendments in this group relate to the ORR’s competition duty and primarily look to remove the various exemptions set out in clause 20. I will begin by saying that we of course recognise the benefits that competition can bring to railway users and the economy at large. In the supply chain, competition drives innova…”

“Regard will have to be paid to the business plan over the period for which it is implemented. It will also be possible to tell, on the business plan’s completion, whether it has been completed in a way that is cognisant of and reflects GBR’s duties. The Secretary of State will review the business plans with the duties …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution as part of this debate, and throughout our proceedings, on the importance of accessibility for people with disabilities and for parents with children. She has already shared with me, for my benefit, examples from across Europe of where family-friendly accessibility measures a…”

“It won’t be the last!”

“I thank the shadow Minister for tabling the amendments. Amendment 33 would add further duties to clause 18. The proposed duties are either duplicative of existing provisions in the Bill or would constrain GBR’s operational priorities, undermining the directing-mind approach that the Bill implements. Specifically, the p…”

“It is my understanding that the system this Bill creates for GBR to engage with third-party retailers through ticketing will include the sharing of necessary data. I presume that would apply to such things. However, I will clarify that for the hon Member and get back to him on that point as I do not have the exact answ…”

“I will start with the point about accessibility, which the shadow Minister and my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford have both spoken about. I reiterate how essential it is that accessibility provisions are hardwired into the Bill. I thank my hon. Friend for raising the work that is already taking plac…”

“Thank you, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank all hon. Members for their amendments, which seek to make changes to the provisions on the rail freight growth target. I also thank the shadow Minister for his very warm birthday wishes. I agree with the sentiment that he expressed: what more of a gift could I have received than working…”

“It is a pleasure to once again serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Before I begin my remarks, may I seek a piece of advice on amendment 250? We are considering it as part of this group, but if it has not been moved and has been proposed by a Member who is not on the Committee, am I required to speak to it?”

“The hon. Lady must have read my mind about that detail being forthcoming. If she will allow me to take away that specific point over the break that we are about to have, I might be able to come back to her when we resume the debate. For the moment, I will quickly turn specifically to the amendments in the group. The le…”

“I will give way briefly in a moment, but first I will build on the point that was made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford about how services can run across the boundaries of mayoral strategic authorities. Through GBR, we will be able to enter into processes that engage not only with a mayoral str…”

“I thank hon. Members from all parties for their well-considered contributions to this debate. I shall endeavour to give full answers to them. First, on the point made by the shadow Minister about how GBR will handle conflicting priorities that emerge within different strategies, as laid out by mayoral combined authorit…”

“We want GBR to be empowered to address and deal with all these questions relating to personnel and timetabling in a way that is consultative and in partnership with both unions and private sector operators. My point merely remains that it is not appropriate to freeze them in aspic as part of this Bill, in a way that mi…”

“I thank the shadow Minister for his intervention. I very much identify with the sentiment identified by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge. This is something that impacts Selby town, much as it affects communities across the country. It is right that GBR has regard to managing the way in which level crossings …”