Clause 11 - Crown application
Railways and Transport Safety Bill
10:45 am
Mrs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York, Conservative)
I rise to satisfy my curiosity. The clause relates to
''property irrespective of whether it belongs to or is used for the purposes of the Crown or a Duchy.''
Will the Minister for Transport elucidate what the property of the Crown might be? For instance, the royal train springs to mind. I wonder which duchies might be involved. I am aware that the Duchy of Cornwall has extensive interests; I presume that the Duchy of Lancaster has, too. It would be immensely helpful to know.
Is clause 11 a standard clause that applied to the accident investigation branches that were set up in 1982 and 1986? What are the implications if, God forbid, the royal train is involved in an accident? I presume that the royals would not be able claim royal
prerogative, saying that they did not wish the train to be subject to investigation. What property belonging to a duchy is covered by the Bill? Is it a standard clause, or was it dreamed up for the purposes of the Bill?