Rail Fares

David Evennett Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Eagle]

If the hon. Gentleman will wait, I will move on to say a little more about our current policy thinking later in my speech.

[Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con)]

Will the hon. Lady give way?

[Maria Eagle]

I will give way, but then I must make some progress, because the debate already has to be shorter than we had hoped.

[Mr Evennett]

I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady and am listening to her with great interest, but she is attempting to rewrite history. Does she feel any guilt about the huge fare increases that took place under the Labour Government, because commuters in my constituency had a really rough time?

[Maria Eagle]

The reality is that when the previous Government saw what train operating companies were doing with the power that flex gave them to game the system and clobber some commuters far more than others, we banned it. This Government have reintroduced it. Times are still tough and the Government should not have caved in to pressure from train companies, but they seem to be unwilling, or perhaps incapable, of standing up to vested interests on behalf of commuters, who are now paying the price. I have made it clear that we would have strictly enforced the 1% above inflation cap and not allowed the increases of up to 11% that commuters have faced at ticket offices since the new year.