Clause 19
Local Transport Bill [Lords]
12:45 pm
Stephen Hammond (Shadow Minister, Transport; Wimbledon, Conservative)
I am explaining that that is what the criterion says. If the hon. Gentleman will wait a second, I am about to explain why my amendment is going there.
The problem with that definition is that there seems to be no definition of “adverse effects”. How, then, can we define “well-being” and “benefits” for local people? I assume that the Minister has worked out a formula for measuring personal utility on that basis. I presume that the Government intend that the effects on operators will be financial and that they believe that the benefits to local residents will be related to lifestyle, but that has not yet been defined. At the moment, it does not appear that we are combining like with like.
I ask the Minister, what is meant by “proportionate”? What proportion do the Government have in mind? Who will decide on that proportion and, again, where is it defined? The Government recognise that the potential consequences of a quality contract include not only an increase in bus ridership, but the fact that some bus operators may choose to—