Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted in Part
Amend the Bill to require parliamentary oversight of the Long Term Rail Strategy.
Recommendation
There is inevitably a tension between realising the value of a truly long- term strategy and recognising that governments must retain discretion and flexibility. It is essential that the Long Term Rail Strategy does not lose continuity and become in effect a series of short-term strategies. The Bill should be amended to require that the Strategy be laid before Parliament, and that, where the Secretary of State makes substantive changes, it be required to be laid again in its amended form. (Recommendation, Paragraph 29)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the Committee’s concerns about the speed of referral and agrees that it is critical that passenger issues are dealt with appropriately, effectively, and swiftly. The provisions outlined in the Bill regarding this will therefore be supported by a Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the Passengers’ Council and the ORR which will set out exactly how the two organizations will work together and the process and timeframes for enforcement referrals. The government would be happy to keep the Committee updated on the progress of this.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
The Government partially agrees with this recommendation. The Government understands the need for continuity for the sector and the confidence this can provide the rail industry and wider supply chain. We agree with the committee that it is vital the LTRS does not become short- term and lose the features that make it so valuable in an industry that has historically lacked true long-term vision and strategy. That is why we have already committed for the LTRS to cover a 30-year period to provide the long-term certainty that has been absent from the railway for generations. The Bill already provides that the LTRS must be published and if the Secretary of State revises or replaces the LTRS in any way, they must then publish this updated version. The Government is therefore confident that there is a sufficient process already in the Bill to ensure any changes to the strategy are transparently communicated with the public, and disagrees a legislative amendment is needed. However, in recognition of the desire from the Committee to ensure there is proper parliamentary scrutiny of the LTRS, the Government will happily commit to laying a Written Ministerial Statement as well as a copy of the LTRS in the library of both Houses to ensure parliamentarians can scrutinise the strategy and any revisions made to it. Great British Railways’ Licence Conclusion: We urge the Government to publish at least an initial draft of GBR’s licence before the Bill’s Report Stage so that the draft can be subject to scrutiny by the House of Commons. The Committee’s Report notes that the record has been corrected regarding this. However, the Government recognises the desire from both the Committee and industry stakeholders to have more detail on the what the draft licence may contain. In recognition of this, the Government will aim to publish a policy document on the contents of the draft licence before the Commons Report Stage of the Bill, so that it can be subject to scrutiny by the House of Commons. We can also reassure the Committee that full consultation on the draft licence will begin later this year during passage of the Bill. Duties placed on GBR, the ORR and the Secretary of State
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