Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 28th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

We all want a long-term solution to the dreadful events that have taken place in Sri Lanka. It is enormously important that there is a settlement that provides a stable and lasting solution for both communities. I will ensure that Foreign Office Ministers are aware of the points that the hon. Gentleman raises and ask them to update the House at an appropriate early opportunity.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

From tomorrow, for 10 days, Network Rail will close the A390 in the village of St Blazey, which I am proud to say is the place where I was born, so that it can carry out scheduled maintenance on a level crossing. Local businesses will face significant disruption and a loss of revenue, and local traffic will have to take a 23-mile detour. The community received notice of the closure only on 18 December, so businesses have had insufficient time to make arrangements to mitigate its impact. Network Rail’s behaviour has been unacceptable. Will a Transport Minister make a statement to confirm Network Rail’s responsibilities to consult local communities before closing roads, during which we could consider whether compensation should be paid for the loss of business?

[Chris Grayling]

My hon. Friend has been pushing hard on this issue and I understand his concern. It is clearly not acceptable for Network Rail to provide inadequate notice of, and not to make adequate arrangements for, such a closure. However, I know from my constituency experience that if level crossings become antiquated and fail, the disruption can be equally bad. My hon. Friend makes his point succinctly, and while the work clearly needs to done, it should be managed properly, and Network Rail should give due notice when it does the right thing by local people.