§ 3. Mr. Norman Baker (Lewes)What steps he is taking to encourage better co-ordination between train and bus services within the Principality. [61561]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Hain)Our policy statement "Transporting Wales into the Future" will deliver more through ticketing, improved interchange facilities, better connections between services and improved availability of passenger information.
§ Mr. BakerAlthough I accept that the Government have done what they can to solve the problem of poor train connections, will the Minister seriously address the problem of poor train and bus connections? In Machynlleth, in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire (Mr. öpik), one can arrive on a train to find that the bus departed moments earlier and the next bus leaves hours later. What will the Minister do to address that consequence of Tory privatisation?
§ Mr. HainI am pleased that the hon. Gentleman is so well briefed on Machynlleth's problems and I share with him and the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Mr. Öpik) the desire to improve its bus and train interconnections. We have already made considerable progress, particularly on the Cardiff valley line, which now has bus interconnections with many of the valley towns on its route. Unlike our Tory predecessors, we are injecting extra resources into integrated transport packages which promote public transport to the maximum possible extent.