To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will publish the (a) correspondence and (b) notes of discussions between his Department and the right hon. Member for North Tyneside on the operation by National Express of the East Coast Rail subsidiary franchise in 2009.

The Department for Transport has not received any correspondence from Mr. Byers on the operation by National Express of the East Coast Rail subsidiary franchise.

My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) had a brief conversation in the House of Commons with Mr. Byers in June 2009 about the East Coast Main Line.

As this was a conversation in the House of Commons there is no official note. However, the Secretary of State has stated for the record that they discussed the right hon. Member's experience in dealing with rail franchise difficulties when Transport Secretary. As regards the situation then facing National Express the Secretary of State told him that despite the company's difficulties he had no intention whatsoever of renegotiating the East Coast franchise on terms favourable to the company, as the company was seeking in its approaches to the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State also told the right hon. Member that in his view such a move would undermine the rail franchise system and would not be in the best interests of tax payers.