To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of regenerative agriculture to the resilience of domestic agricultural supply chains and the long-term productivity of British farms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of regenerative agriculture to the resilience of domestic agricultural supply chains and the long-term productivity of British farms.

Lords committee stage fourth day. Clauses 15 to 24 agreed to.

Lords committee stage fourth day. Clauses 15 to 24 agreed to.

Moved by

Lord Moylan

91: Clause 15, page 9, line 9, at end insert—

“(c) the development of rail freight network usage.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment seeks to ensure the rail strategy includes developing rail freight.

Moved by

Lord Moylan

91: Clause 15, page 9, line 9, at end insert—

“(c) the development of rail freight network usage.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment seeks to ensure the rail strategy includes developing rail freight.

My Lords, it is immensely good that we are back here discussing this very slow Railways Bill and the attempt that it puts before us to recreate the railway system of the Soviet Union in Great Britain.

Freight is an important part of our rail business. Everyone agrees on that; there...

My Lords, it is immensely good that we are back here discussing this very slow Railways Bill and the attempt that it puts before us to recreate the railway system of the Soviet Union in Great Britain.

Freight is an important part of our rail business. Everyone agrees on that; there...

My Lords, I have Amendment 106 in this group and apologise to noble Lords for not being able to be here at the last Committee session when a number of amendments to which I had put my name were debated. I am grateful to other noble Lords who spoke so...

My Lords, I have Amendment 106 in this group and apologise to noble Lords for not being able to be here at the last Committee session when a number of amendments to which I had put my name were debated. I am grateful to other noble Lords who spoke so...

My Lords, I support all the amendments in this group. As noble Lords know, I am a former chairman of the Rail Freight Group. Some of the examples that the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, just mentioned have been dear to my heart for decades—including why the hell do they not...

My Lords, I support all the amendments in this group. As noble Lords know, I am a former chairman of the Rail Freight Group. Some of the examples that the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, just mentioned have been dear to my heart for decades—including why the hell do they not...

I have three amendments in this group, one of which, Amendment 106A, follows on from what my noble friend Lord Lansley said. Before I start, I should declare my interests as an advisor to Hutchison Ports and a member of the UK and Ireland leadership team of AtkinsRéalis.

I tabled Amendment...

I have three amendments in this group, one of which, Amendment 106A, follows on from what my noble friend Lord Lansley said. Before I start, I should declare my interests as an advisor to Hutchison Ports and a member of the UK and Ireland leadership team of AtkinsRéalis.

I tabled Amendment...

My Lords, let me just speak briefly, following on from what my noble friend Lord Grayling said—I will try not to repeat what he has already said. First, I go back to the original 75% target, which was referred to in the Minister’s Written Statement—the 40% is effectively a subset...

My Lords, let me just speak briefly, following on from what my noble friend Lord Grayling said—I will try not to repeat what he has already said. First, I go back to the original 75% target, which was referred to in the Minister’s Written Statement—the 40% is effectively a subset...

My Lords, the debate on this group shows that across the Committee, we are all supportive of increasing the use of rail for freight as well as for passenger services. Amendment 107 in my name would strengthen Clause 17 on the rail freight target. The Bill as drafted states that...

My Lords, the debate on this group shows that across the Committee, we are all supportive of increasing the use of rail for freight as well as for passenger services. Amendment 107 in my name would strengthen Clause 17 on the rail freight target. The Bill as drafted states that...

My Lords, first, on Amendments 106 and 106A, the Government share the noble Lord’s ambitions for the freight sector, which is why we have committed to the overall target of increasing rail freight by 75% by 2050 and why we recently announced, as has already been mentioned, the interim freight...

My Lords, first, on Amendments 106 and 106A, the Government share the noble Lord’s ambitions for the freight sector, which is why we have committed to the overall target of increasing rail freight by 75% by 2050 and why we recently announced, as has already been mentioned, the interim freight...

I hear and understand what the Minister says, but the bit that is missing is that he already controls in his department most of the passenger rail network. He also controls in his department Network Rail. So what is the strategy to get to the 40% increase by 2040?

I hear and understand what the Minister says, but the bit that is missing is that he already controls in his department most of the passenger rail network. He also controls in his department Network Rail. So what is the strategy to get to the 40% increase by 2040?

The answer to the noble Lord is to have a strategy rather than not to have one. GBR’s business plan will have to set out how it seeks to achieve that, and in order to do so it will have to interact with the freight sector—not only freight operators but...

The answer to the noble Lord is to have a strategy rather than not to have one. GBR’s business plan will have to set out how it seeks to achieve that, and in order to do so it will have to interact with the freight sector—not only freight operators but...

My Lords, I hope I do not sound too harsh when I say that the Minister’s speech was completely lacking in any substance about how he is going to achieve the target which is being imposed, willingly, by this legislation on the Government. It is all still on a wing...

My Lords, I hope I do not sound too harsh when I say that the Minister’s speech was completely lacking in any substance about how he is going to achieve the target which is being imposed, willingly, by this legislation on the Government. It is all still on a wing...

Moved by

Lord Moylan

96: Clause 15, page 9, line 11, at end insert—

“(2A) The rail strategy must include a workforce pay and productivity policy for Great British Railways and GBR companies.

(2B) The policy must provide that Great British Railways and a GBR company must not agree to or implement a general...

Moved by

Lord Moylan

96: Clause 15, page 9, line 11, at end insert—

“(2A) The rail strategy must include a workforce pay and productivity policy for Great British Railways and GBR companies.

(2B) The policy must provide that Great British Railways and a GBR company must not agree to or implement a general...

My Lords, the question of the workforce is absolutely crucial to passengers. The Bill has very little to say about it. Indeed, the Government have been very quiet on the subject. My Amendment 96 would require the long-term rail strategy to include a workforce pay and productivity policy, under which...

My Lords, the question of the workforce is absolutely crucial to passengers. The Bill has very little to say about it. Indeed, the Government have been very quiet on the subject. My Amendment 96 would require the long-term rail strategy to include a workforce pay and productivity policy, under which...

My Lords, I want to say a word or two about Amendment 96, which my noble friend just moved. I will then spend most of my time on the three amendments in my name.

I will be very interested to hear what the Minister has to say on my noble friend’s...

My Lords, I want to say a word or two about Amendment 96, which my noble friend just moved. I will then spend most of my time on the three amendments in my name.

I will be very interested to hear what the Minister has to say on my noble friend’s...

Will my noble friend confirm whether it is his view that, since the Minister became a Minister and ceased to be the chairman of Network Rail, the pay agreements that have been reached with the rail industry have notably failed to include the productivity improvements that were a characteristic of...

Will my noble friend confirm whether it is his view that, since the Minister became a Minister and ceased to be the chairman of Network Rail, the pay agreements that have been reached with the rail industry have notably failed to include the productivity improvements that were a characteristic of...

I would say two things about that. First, I can confirm that that is indeed the case. However, I would absolve the Minister in front of us of responsibility. I was going to come on to this point later on in my remarks, but I may as well do so...

I would say two things about that. First, I can confirm that that is indeed the case. However, I would absolve the Minister in front of us of responsibility. I was going to come on to this point later on in my remarks, but I may as well do so...

My Lords, I will intervene briefly on this group and follow up what my noble friend Lord Harper said on Amendment 316, which specifically refers to separate companies under GBR employing staff. On privatisation, under TUPE, those who worked for British Rail were transferred over to the train operating companies...

My Lords, I will intervene briefly on this group and follow up what my noble friend Lord Harper said on Amendment 316, which specifically refers to separate companies under GBR employing staff. On privatisation, under TUPE, those who worked for British Rail were transferred over to the train operating companies...

My Lords, I support what both my noble friends have said and, indeed, what my noble friend Lord Moylan said at the start. This matters because up to now we have seen no evidence that this Government are going to push through the modernisation of practices on the railways. In...

My Lords, I support what both my noble friends have said and, indeed, what my noble friend Lord Moylan said at the start. This matters because up to now we have seen no evidence that this Government are going to push through the modernisation of practices on the railways. In...