That this House notes that the honourable Member for Meironydd Nant Conwy mistakenly told the House on 5th December 2001, column 93WH that the Scottish Executive could appoint a member of the Strategic Rail Authority's Board and that the honourable Member for Ceredigion then intervened to agree with him and state that a lack of a similar appointment power for the National Assembly for Wales was responsible for delays in the implementation of the Wales and the Borders Franchise; further notes that section 202 of the Transport Act 2000 gives the National Assembly for Wales the same power precisely as the Scottish Executive, namely to be consulted on such an appointment; regards the real villain in this story as the shambolic and greed-driven desire of the previous Tory government to privatise the railway at any cost; and calls upon the honourable Members to withdraw their erroneous claims at the earliest possible opportunity and to stop making excuses for Tories.

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Meironydd Nant Conwy mistakenly told the House on 5th December 2001, column 93WH that the Scottish Executive could appoint a member of the Strategic Rail Authority's Board and that the honourable Member for Ceredigion then intervened to agree with him and...