Schedule 2 - Abolition of Rail Regulator: Consequential Amendments
Railways and Transport Safety Bill
10:00 am
Mrs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York, Conservative)
I want clarification from the Minister. The table in schedule 2 seems to have been lifted entirely from the Railways Act 1993—I assume that the Transport Act 2000 did not have a huge impact on the schedule—but it is not as clear as it could be. I am mindful of the Minister's earlier comment that there is provision for annual reports, annual accounts and a business plan, which is helpful. It would have been helpful to take the opportunity in schedules 2 and 3 to link in the relationship with the SRA.
Paragraph 22 contains the first reference to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996. One of our amendments proposed that the channel tunnel be specifically excluded from the Bill. We had the opportunity to allow a separate body to deal with the channel tunnel, which would prevent any funny business. Someone from Europe might insist, for example, that a French investigation be conducted on the English side of the channel, or vice versa. The Minister will be disappointed, because the amendment would have been helpful.
Schedule 3 refers to savings that will be made as a result of the abolition of the rail regulator. It would be helpful if the Minister would confirm the proposed timetable for that. My understanding is that the rail regulator will remain in place and serve out his contract. I assume that the start date for the Rail Safety and Standards Board is imminent, and that there will be a gap during which the board will perform some of the Office of Rail Regulation's duties. Can the Minister confirm the time scale for phasing out the rail regulator, so that the regulator, as well as the Committee, may know exactly where he stands?
I do not disagree with the hon. Member for Bath on the principle of replacing the rail regulator with the board, but, as my hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale said, we want to know the reasons for that. Are they in keeping with the principles that the Minister failed miserably to convince me about? I do not know how I shall explain to my hon. Friend how we square that.
The title of schedule 3 mentions that savings will be made. On a cursory reading—