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Rail Fares and Franchises

If my hon. Friend has a little patience, I will come to that matter in a few paragraphs. The Department adopts a stepped approach to enforcement to ensure that any action taken is proportionate to the contravention. We have a range of tools, including the Secretary of State's powers to make an enforcement order or impose a financial penalty. If an operator falls below the defined levels, we can require them to produce a remedial plan to restore performance, but if deterioration continues, the Department can terminate the franchise. It remains our position that we do not renegotiate franchises. We expect operators to abide by the requirements of their franchise agreements. There have been calls for the East Coast franchise to remain under Government control as a public sector comparator. That is not possible, because legislation requires franchises to be put out to competition. Data from the months of public operation will of course help us to learn more about the business. However, I do not believe that robust conclusions about public versus private ownership could be drawn from a longer period of public operation.