Speeches by Turner.

“Q Returning to freight, I understand there is a problem at the moment with the ORR refusing longer-term applications, which presumably has a dampening effect on investment—at least, I would assume so. Do you think there is least the potential under GBR to take a longer-term view, and hopefully to reflect that in longer…”

“Q Does that data flow come through Rail Settlement Plan at the moment? John Davies: It does not. It comes from the Rail Delivery Group, through its provision of RAAS, which is the rail availability and reservation service.”

“Q In Trainline’s written evidence—possibly to the Transport Committee rather than this one, or possibly to both—there is a reference to a view that there might be some particularly sensitive data within GBR that Trainline believes should be firewalled off from any ticketing function. I think the suggestion is that ther…”

“Q But for inter-city, something similar to franchising? Steve Montgomery: Yes, you can put it out.”

“Q I will make it very quick. Mr Montgomery, I saw a document that rail partners published a few years ago called “Working together for a better railway”, which suggested that the ideal mix of passenger contracts would be concessions for commuter services and franchising—I do not think it used the word “franchising”, bu…”

“Q As I did in this morning’s session, I draw attention to the fact that I am a member of Unite. I have a few short questions, primarily to Ms Simpson to start with. We heard from some of our witnesses in this morning’s panels that they would like to see a passenger growth target in the Bill on an equivalent basis to th…”

“Q So the concern is about potentially losing access to some data flows that currently exist. John Davies: Potentially. There are already moves within the industry to restrict those data flows. Again, if it goes to the point that this is not entirely a theoretical risk, then yes, we would—”

“I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my chairship of the GMB parliamentary group. The School Support Staff Negotiating Body, established under Labour’s landmark Employment Rights Act, will make a real difference for more than 1,600 people in my constituency who have been unde…”

“9. What recent progress her Department has made on establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.”

“Did the publication of the Casey audit last year change or influence the Department’s thinking in terms of minimum standards?”

“Yes. It is important that we say that we are talking about a minority of drivers and that drivers themselves are often at risk of assault and abusive behaviour. I wanted to ask about particularly vulnerable passengers, including where there is a cross-departmental element to it. I am thinking particularly about SEND ta…”

“Presumably, we would want to avoid a situation where new national minimums are established for commercial drivers that are then not necessarily reflected in SEND home-to-school contracts, unless there is a very specific justification for doing so.”

“Thank you, Chair. Good morning. As with previous sessions, I would like to draw the Committee’s attention to the fact that I worked for the Minister between 2012 and 2016. Minister, I want to come back to something you said, which is that there is no evidence that Wolverhampton’s standards are significantly lower than …”

“Moving on to safeguarding, the Department has stated that the national minimum standards will be focused on safeguarding passengers. Of course, as far away as the Jay report, it has been said that safeguarding in taxi and private hire is a common thread in a number of very high profile and horrifying cases. What specif…”

“Finally, what is the Department’s view on the idea of making taxi and private hire driving a regulated activity like nursing or being a paramedic?”

“I thank the Home Secretary for her statement. As a Birmingham MP, I have set out on a number of occasions in the Chamber my serious concerns about both the decision and the way in which it was made. It is clear that the chief constable’s position is untenable. I pay tribute to the many police officers who are working h…”

“A little more than two years have passed since the last Prime Minister chaotically took the axe to HS2 north and east of Birmingham, and the mayor at the time, Andy Street, failed the test of leadership and failed to stand up for our region. There is an obvious link between the east-west connections the Secretary of St…”

“Yes. There is a cost element to it as well.”

“I draw attention to my chairship of the GMB parliamentary group, a union that represents workers in the distillery and retail trades. I will limit my comments to the uprating of excise duty, but I welcome this Budget more generally. It represents the right choice—investment and renewal over austerity and decline. Claus…”

“I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. I echo the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) about the regime’s severance of communications adding to the distress of many of our constituents, who are trying to establish the safety and personal liberty of loved ones. I appr…”