I am grateful to the noble Lord. I am particularly grateful for his suggestion that we debate this only once. I have listened carefully to what he has just said and I will reflect on it, as I said I would do on the rest of the subject. I am...

I am grateful to the noble Lord. I am particularly grateful for his suggestion that we debate this only once. I have listened carefully to what he has just said and I will reflect on it, as I said I would do on the rest of the subject. I am...

My Lords, before the Minister sits down, I am very grateful for his response to my amendments, but on the relationships between local authorities and central government, we already have an example in the south-west—and, I think, in south Wales—where the train operators and the local authorities have come together...

My Lords, before the Minister sits down, I am very grateful for his response to my amendments, but on the relationships between local authorities and central government, we already have an example in the south-west—and, I think, in south Wales—where the train operators and the local authorities have come together...

In quick answer to my noble friend, the only reason it should be procured centrally is because improved wifi is needed on every railway service in Britain. Therefore, the department is determined to deliver it on all those services, and fragmenting the procurement would lead only to increased cost and...

In quick answer to my noble friend, the only reason it should be procured centrally is because improved wifi is needed on every railway service in Britain. Therefore, the department is determined to deliver it on all those services, and fragmenting the procurement would lead only to increased cost and...

My Lords, I think that illustrates a point. The Minister talks of devolution, but everything is flowing one way, so I will come back to this point. It arose in relation to Scotland—and, I think, also Wales—on Tuesday. GBR will be obliged to consult with local authorities on matters of...

My Lords, I think that illustrates a point. The Minister talks of devolution, but everything is flowing one way, so I will come back to this point. It arose in relation to Scotland—and, I think, also Wales—on Tuesday. GBR will be obliged to consult with local authorities on matters of...

I think the noble Lord is in a different place in his imagination of this. These proposals will generally originate with GBR. Its structure, which I described on the first day in Committee, will be organised locally and regionally and so it will know how those proposals are going to...

I think the noble Lord is in a different place in his imagination of this. These proposals will generally originate with GBR. Its structure, which I described on the first day in Committee, will be organised locally and regionally and so it will know how those proposals are going to...

I was really pleased to hear the Minister say how devolution is of such importance to the Government. We have had an interesting debate. I am glad he has committed to take this away and see what can be done with the proposal in Amendment 22A and reflect on the...

I was really pleased to hear the Minister say how devolution is of such importance to the Government. We have had an interesting debate. I am glad he has committed to take this away and see what can be done with the proposal in Amendment 22A and reflect on the...

Moved by

Lord Lansley

32: Clause 7, page 5, line 29, leave out from “section” to “in” in line 30

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment, and the amendment in the name of Lord Lansley to Clause 7, page 5, line 36, would remove the exclusion of issues including access to infrastructure, the infrastructure capacity...

Moved by

Lord Lansley

32: Clause 7, page 5, line 29, leave out from “section” to “in” in line 30

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment, and the amendment in the name of Lord Lansley to Clause 7, page 5, line 36, would remove the exclusion of issues including access to infrastructure, the infrastructure capacity...

My Lords, there are two sets of issues in this group. Mine is terribly simple and it is by way of a question to the Minister, just to be clear.

I do not understand why, in Clause 7, at the point the Secretary of State may give directions to Great British...

My Lords, there are two sets of issues in this group. Mine is terribly simple and it is by way of a question to the Minister, just to be clear.

I do not understand why, in Clause 7, at the point the Secretary of State may give directions to Great British...

My Lords, I will speak briefly to Amendments 35 and 36, which are in the names of my noble friends Lord Grayling and Lord Moylan.

Respectively, they deal with amending Clause 7, on the power to give directions, and Clause 9, on the power to give guidance to GBR. They...

My Lords, I will speak briefly to Amendments 35 and 36, which are in the names of my noble friends Lord Grayling and Lord Moylan.

Respectively, they deal with amending Clause 7, on the power to give directions, and Clause 9, on the power to give guidance to GBR. They...

My Lords, these amendments cover directions and guidance from the Secretary of State. They push for greater transparency around those, which is something that we really support. Information that has supported key decisions and directions should be placed in the public domain. It is really important that Great British Railways...

My Lords, these amendments cover directions and guidance from the Secretary of State. They push for greater transparency around those, which is something that we really support. Information that has supported key decisions and directions should be placed in the public domain. It is really important that Great British Railways...

My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 37 in my name, which is a probing amendment. It would limit the power of the Scottish Ministers to issue directions to GBR to circumstances where a KPI has been missed or performance has not been up to snuff.

I do not advance that...

My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 37 in my name, which is a probing amendment. It would limit the power of the Scottish Ministers to issue directions to GBR to circumstances where a KPI has been missed or performance has not been up to snuff.

I do not advance that...

My Lords, I am grateful to noble Lords for their contributions to this group.

On Amendments 32 and 33, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, access to railway infrastructure is a reserved matter. It is important that access and timetabling decisions make sense across the entire rail network; therefore, there...

My Lords, I am grateful to noble Lords for their contributions to this group.

On Amendments 32 and 33, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, access to railway infrastructure is a reserved matter. It is important that access and timetabling decisions make sense across the entire rail network; therefore, there...

On my Amendment 37, if the Minister insists on responding solely in the literal sense to explicitly probing amendments—seeking in this case to work out how a conflict in directions

between Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State, for example, might be addressed—all he does is encourage further amendments to...

On my Amendment 37, if the Minister insists on responding solely in the literal sense to explicitly probing amendments—seeking in this case to work out how a conflict in directions

between Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State, for example, might be addressed—all he does is encourage further amendments to...

I believe I did answer the noble Lord: the memoranda of understanding between Scottish Ministers and this Government, and between Welsh Ministers and this Government, set out the processes by which these things will be co-ordinated. Were there to be any real difficulty in the circumstances he is describing, we...

I believe I did answer the noble Lord: the memoranda of understanding between Scottish Ministers and this Government, and between Welsh Ministers and this Government, set out the processes by which these things will be co-ordinated. Were there to be any real difficulty in the circumstances he is describing, we...

We are grateful to the Minister for his explanations—for my part, on Amendments 32 and 33. The Minister explained why the Bill says that, for reason of reserve powers, the consent of Scottish or Welsh Ministers is not required. This is an opportunity to make it clear that, if we...

We are grateful to the Minister for his explanations—for my part, on Amendments 32 and 33. The Minister explained why the Bill says that, for reason of reserve powers, the consent of Scottish or Welsh Ministers is not required. This is an opportunity to make it clear that, if we...

Moved by

Lord Evans of Guisborough

38: Schedule 1, page 64, line 10, leave out from “may,” to “the” in line 11 and insert “at the recommendation of the Office of Rail and Road in relation to matters related to safety and standards, and after consultation with”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would require...

Moved by

Lord Evans of Guisborough

38: Schedule 1, page 64, line 10, leave out from “may,” to “the” in line 11 and insert “at the recommendation of the Office of Rail and Road in relation to matters related to safety and standards, and after consultation with”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would require...

My Lords, in moving Amendment 38 I will speak briefly to my Amendments 39, 41, 42 and 44 in this group. This group concerns Schedule 1, on the granting of the licence to Great British Railways, and the possible granting of licences to persons other than Great British Railways, to...

My Lords, in moving Amendment 38 I will speak briefly to my Amendments 39, 41, 42 and 44 in this group. This group concerns Schedule 1, on the granting of the licence to Great British Railways, and the possible granting of licences to persons other than Great British Railways, to...

My Lords, I have two amendments in this group. The purpose of Amendments 43 and 45 is to explore the circumstances in which the Secretary of State or the Office of Rail and Road grants a licence to a person other than Great British Railways to operate railway assets in...

My Lords, I have two amendments in this group. The purpose of Amendments 43 and 45 is to explore the circumstances in which the Secretary of State or the Office of Rail and Road grants a licence to a person other than Great British Railways to operate railway assets in...

My Lords, I shall speak briefly to Amendment 46 in the names of my noble friends Lord Grayling and Lord Moylan, which I think is a probing amendment. It would remove proposed new Section 8(6) in Schedule 1, which says:

“The Office of Rail and Road may not grant a licence...

My Lords, I shall speak briefly to Amendment 46 in the names of my noble friends Lord Grayling and Lord Moylan, which I think is a probing amendment. It would remove proposed new Section 8(6) in Schedule 1, which says:

“The Office of Rail and Road may not grant a licence...

My Lords, the amendments in this group are about strengthening the requirements for Great British Railways before it is able to grant a licence and to strengthen the Passengers’ Council in areas such as safety and standards. They would also strengthen the role of the Office of Rail and Road,...

My Lords, the amendments in this group are about strengthening the requirements for Great British Railways before it is able to grant a licence and to strengthen the Passengers’ Council in areas such as safety and standards. They would also strengthen the role of the Office of Rail and Road,...

My Lords, I thank my noble friends Lord Evans of Guisborough, Lord Lansley and Lord Grayling for their amendments in this group. I will address Amendments 41, 42 and 44 first.

The Government have repeatedly emphasised the importance of independent regulation under the new system. They tell us that the ORR...

My Lords, I thank my noble friends Lord Evans of Guisborough, Lord Lansley and Lord Grayling for their amendments in this group. I will address Amendments 41, 42 and 44 first.

The Government have repeatedly emphasised the importance of independent regulation under the new system. They tell us that the ORR...

My Lords, I am grateful to hear from noble Lords on this group, and it is a special pleasure to hear from the noble Lord, Lord Reay.

Amendments 38 and 39 would undermine one of the fundamental principles that the Bill seeks to establish. The Secretary of State will set the...

My Lords, I am grateful to hear from noble Lords on this group, and it is a special pleasure to hear from the noble Lord, Lord Reay.

Amendments 38 and 39 would undermine one of the fundamental principles that the Bill seeks to establish. The Secretary of State will set the...

Can I ask the Minister why, if it is not necessary to create a statutory consultation requirement, it is necessary to have a consultation requirement in relation to the Passengers’ Council? Can it not respond to the consultation on a licence in the same way as Scottish or Welsh Ministers...

Can I ask the Minister why, if it is not necessary to create a statutory consultation requirement, it is necessary to have a consultation requirement in relation to the Passengers’ Council? Can it not respond to the consultation on a licence in the same way as Scottish or Welsh Ministers...

I am sure it could, but it is desirable to mention the Passengers’ Council, since we are setting it up and it is an important body. The distinction I am seeking to draw is leaving the Passengers’ Council as a consultee, rather than requiring its permission.

I am sure it could, but it is desirable to mention the Passengers’ Council, since we are setting it up and it is an important body. The distinction I am seeking to draw is leaving the Passengers’ Council as a consultee, rather than requiring its permission.

Can I press the Minister on the question I asked? As he said, the Secretary of State is the holder of the licensing power, but the Office of Rail and Road is given a general authority to issue licences for non-GBR operators, but I still do not understand what the...

Can I press the Minister on the question I asked? As he said, the Secretary of State is the holder of the licensing power, but the Office of Rail and Road is given a general authority to issue licences for non-GBR operators, but I still do not understand what the...

I think we are leaving things as they are, but if the noble Lord would like a specific example, I will have to write to him because I do not have such an example immediately in my mind.

I think we are leaving things as they are, but if the noble Lord would like a specific example, I will have to write to him because I do not have such an example immediately in my mind.

That would be very helpful.

That would be very helpful.

The broad principle is that we are leaving licensing in the position it is in at the moment.

The broad principle is that we are leaving licensing in the position it is in at the moment.

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their contributions to this debate, which have been very helpful and largely supportive across parties. I am grateful to the Minister for his response. He has dealt with questions from some of my noble friends to their satisfaction. I am not sure he

notus-xml...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their contributions to this debate, which have been very helpful and largely supportive across parties. I am grateful to the Minister for his response. He has dealt with questions from some of my noble friends to their satisfaction. I am not sure he

notus-xml...

Moved by

Baroness Pidgeon

40: Schedule 1, page 64, line 11, after “Road” insert “, the London Transport Users’ Committee,”

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment, and others in the name of Baroness Pidgeon, seek to include the London Transport Users’ Committee in consultation requirements.

Moved by

Baroness Pidgeon

40: Schedule 1, page 64, line 11, after “Road” insert “, the London Transport Users’ Committee,”

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment, and others in the name of Baroness Pidgeon, seek to include the London Transport Users’ Committee in consultation requirements.

My Lords, I am delighted to move Amendment 40 and speak to the other amendments in this group, which are about London TravelWatch. For those of your Lordships who do not know—although, as we have joked before, I feel this Room is a reunion of those of us who were...

My Lords, I am delighted to move Amendment 40 and speak to the other amendments in this group, which are about London TravelWatch. For those of your Lordships who do not know—although, as we have joked before, I feel this Room is a reunion of those of us who were...

My Lords, when I was deputy chairman of Transport for London, I found London TravelWatch a rather annoying body. I suspect that when the Minister was the transport commissioner he found it even more annoying than I did, because of course it was there to complain as well as to...

My Lords, when I was deputy chairman of Transport for London, I found London TravelWatch a rather annoying body. I suspect that when the Minister was the transport commissioner he found it even more annoying than I did, because of course it was there to complain as well as to...

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Pidgeon, for these amendments. I should directly contradict the noble Lord, Lord Moylan: as the commissioner of transport for Transport for London, I found London TravelWatch a very constructive body. I enjoyed dealing with it; there were other people we dealt with who were...

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Pidgeon, for these amendments. I should directly contradict the noble Lord, Lord Moylan: as the commissioner of transport for Transport for London, I found London TravelWatch a very constructive body. I enjoyed dealing with it; there were other people we dealt with who were...

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what arrangements her Department plans to put in place for ongoing engagement with Members of Parliament, principal councils, and other local stakeholders regarding proposals for local government reorganisation and devolution in Devon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what arrangements her Department plans to put in place for ongoing engagement with Members of Parliament, principal councils, and other local stakeholders regarding proposals for local government reorganisation and devolution in Devon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with devolved Administrations on the recruitment and retention of GPs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with devolved Administrations on the recruitment and retention of GPs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness in response to the hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford of 13 July 2026, Official Report, Column 619, whether her Department has investigated those...

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness in response to the hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford of 13 July 2026, Official Report, Column 619, whether her Department has investigated those...

I was pleased to see that the Chancellor was in the west midlands yesterday meeting manufacturing apprentices alongside Mayor Richard Parker. What conversations has he had with the mayor about using new devolution powers to invest in local skills and employment, and what will he do to make sure that young people in Wolverhampton North East get more local opportunities to benefit from?

I was pleased to see that the Chancellor was in the west midlands yesterday meeting manufacturing apprentices alongside Mayor Richard Parker. What conversations has he had with the mayor about using new devolution powers to invest in local skills and employment, and what will he do to make sure that young people in Wolverhampton North East get more local opportunities to benefit from?

Indeed, the West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, is using the powers that he has, including recently by stepping in and taking action to improve bus services across the west midlands. Yesterday he stepped in to provide support for the Jaguar Land Rover workers who may face redundancy and will certainly be well placed to get further jobs.

Indeed, the West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, is using the powers that he has, including recently by stepping in and taking action to improve bus services across the west midlands. Yesterday he stepped in to provide support for the Jaguar Land Rover workers who may face redundancy and will certainly be well placed to get further jobs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on establishing a UK-wide framework for the secure sharing of NHS patient data between health services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on establishing a UK-wide framework for the secure sharing of NHS patient data between health services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to devolve decisions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) local councils and (b) combined authority mayors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to devolve decisions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) local councils and (b) combined authority mayors.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is right that the UK has a vibrant ecosystem of innovative companies, but too many are looking to go overseas to realise their scale-up potential and become globally consequential companies, so I very much welcome the focus on using the state as a strategic...

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is right that the UK has a vibrant ecosystem of innovative companies, but too many are looking to go overseas to realise their scale-up potential and become globally consequential companies, so I very much welcome the focus on using the state as a strategic...

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and his work on this agenda. I reassure him that, as the Chancellor set out this morning in his growth speech, we will work across Departments to ensure that we open up public procurement to smaller and start-up businesses, so that they...

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and his work on this agenda. I reassure him that, as the Chancellor set out this morning in his growth speech, we will work across Departments to ensure that we open up public procurement to smaller and start-up businesses, so that they...

Does the Minister believe that putting up taxes is good or bad for economic growth?

Does the Minister believe that putting up taxes is good or bad for economic growth?

Sometimes it is necessary, in order to fund improvements in our national health service and to fill the £22 billion fiscal black hole that we inherited.

Sometimes it is necessary, in order to fund improvements in our national health service and to fill the £22 billion fiscal black hole that we inherited.

Can I make a pitch to the Minister for a part of the country called the midlands, which I know that she knows well? Not everything is about the south or the north. There is a swathe of counties that form a band of engineering and manufacturing prowess in this...

Can I make a pitch to the Minister for a part of the country called the midlands, which I know that she knows well? Not everything is about the south or the north. There is a swathe of counties that form a band of engineering and manufacturing prowess in this...

Being from Wolverhampton, I agree with my hon. Friend that the midlands is a very important part of the country. He is a really powerful advocate for his area, and he will know that we have put forward a ceramics support package to ensure that his area, and others in...

Being from Wolverhampton, I agree with my hon. Friend that the midlands is a very important part of the country. He is a really powerful advocate for his area, and he will know that we have put forward a ceramics support package to ensure that his area, and others in...

I welcome the reference that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has made to the Oxford growth corridor and localising power and resources, but my constituents are deeply concerned about ensuring that infrastructure comes before the many developments that the Government have in mind. Can she confirm that along the...

I welcome the reference that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has made to the Oxford growth corridor and localising power and resources, but my constituents are deeply concerned about ensuring that infrastructure comes before the many developments that the Government have in mind. Can she confirm that along the...