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Transport (Wales) Bill

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that. Earlier, the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) prayed in aid his experiences on the train to London today. Such experiences have unfortunately sometimes made me into a driver rather than a reluctant passenger. One of my regrets, which was discussed with the Minister some time ago, is the specific exclusion from the Bill of mainline services from Wales to England. As I said then, people on both south Wales and north Wales routes use mainline services in Wales as local services. It is regrettable that those mainline services were not included. Historically, Wales has suffered great difficulties because of the lack of an integrated transport system and policy. The best transport links in Wales have always been built through Wales from east to west rather than directly serving the specific needs of the country. Obviously the A55 and the M4 are great engines of economic prosperity, but we now need to look beyond the narrow corridors around those two roads, and to plan and develop a variety of transport systems to serve the whole of Wales. I must note my disappointment at the spatial plan that has been produced for Wales, which also seems to restate a preference for those two corridors in the north and the south, apparently ignoring much of the middle of Wales. We need a system that will serve the transport needs of all the people of Wales in terms of the economy, social use, tourism—the latter has not been mentioned a great deal, but it is very important in my constituency—and agricultural requirements. The Bill goes a long way towards meeting those long-term aims, and it is very welcome. I hope that, when it is enacted, it will allow the National Assembly to co-ordinate and ensure consistency between all forms of public transport and, importantly, to make key improvements to the road system—a point that I made in our earlier discussions—particularly in deep rural areas and on the north-south road route. We also hope that the legislation will enable the continuation of improvements in freight rail use. The hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) referred to correspondence that he had had with the Tad Deiniol from Blaenau Ffestiniog. I have also had that correspondence. We look forward to improvements on the line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno so that freight can be carried, as that would lead to great economic improvements in that constituency and elsewhere. I am glad that the Bill recognises the importance of cycling and making proper provision for pedestrians. The Government very graciously acted on suggestions on those issues when they were pointed out to them, which will result in a great improvement. Plaid Cymru welcomes the establishment of joint transport authorities, if and when there is a desire for them locally, and if the voluntary arrangements are not satisfactory. We are glad that the Government have agreed with the Welsh Affairs Committee—of which I continue to be a member—that the majority of members of the joint transport authorities should be from local authorities. That was a well-made point, and I am glad that the Government have responded to it. However, as a past and present member of the Welsh Affairs Committee, I have to say that it was disappointing to me personally that the Government refused to accept the Committee’s recommendation that the transport commissioner’s office be located in Wales. Perhaps we can take heart from the Government’s assurance that that matter will be kept under review, and that the location of the office might be changed if there are further concerns about the accessibility of the commissioner in Wales. The Bill contains many good points. It represents a positive step forward and we certainly welcome it.