Oral Answers to Questions

Carol Monaghan Excerpts

Thursday 14th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)]

19. What steps he is taking to reduce potential disruption to travel in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

[Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)]

21. What steps he is taking to reduce potential disruption to travel in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Grayling)]

My Department is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of work to ensure that we are prepared for a scenario in which the UK leaves without a deal. We continue to work to ensure that the UK does not leave without a deal.

--- Later in debate ---

[Chris Grayling]

The bit I found reassuring is that we let a contract where there was absolutely no upfront commitment from the taxpayer at all, and we paid nothing until the service was delivered.

[Carol Monaghan]

The Secretary of State said on Monday, “I believe in competition”, so why, after realising back in September that a no-deal Brexit would require increased freight capacity, did he embark on what has been called a

“secretive and flawed procurement process”,

tipping off some companies in private while leaving established companies, such as Eurotunnel, out of the loop altogether?

[Chris Grayling]

We carried out a proper procurement process in discussion with all the leading ferry operators.