Monday 15th October 2012

(12 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alun Cairns Portrait Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
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I pay tribute to the Secretary of State for the way in which he has handled a very difficult situation, not only accepting responsibility for an error made by an officer in his Department but moving forward swiftly with the review. Will he reassure me that renationalisation is off the cards for a range of reasons, including financial ones?

Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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I thank my hon. Friend for his kind words. The truth is that both parties have agreed in the past that franchising is the proper way to go and gets better returns for the taxpayer. This particular episode is not acceptable and we need to learn the lessons from it. I am determined to do that.