Shadow Great British Railways: Chair Appointment Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Transport
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
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Shadow Great British Railways: Chair Appointment
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Excerpts(1 day, 12 hours ago)
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Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)
The British Railways Board was abolished in 1993. The way in which the railway needs to work in future has to reflect the significant devolution in the country since then. It is our intention that the railway is run by people who are in control of a significant part of it—what I would describe as the Network Rail route, and a train company —including the track, the trains and the staff, and that they deliver a decent service. That is the intention in future.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)
My Lords, may I appeal to the softer, gentler, more apolitical side of the Minister? Does he accept that it would be churlish not to congratulate the previous Government on paying £9 billion during Covid to keep all the trains running? Not one railway worker lost their job.