§ 3. Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome)What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on rail services to Wales and the west country. [136864]
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy)I have regular discussions with my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport.
§ Mr. HeathMust not Isambard Kingdom Brunel be turning in his grave at what has happened to God's wonderful railway? There have been broken rails, a criminally dangerous signalling system at Paddington and clapped-out locomotives that simply break down half the time. Do not the people of Wales and the west country deserve a better railway system? Will the right hon. Gentleman make it his business to talk to his colleagues and to authorities in Wales, and on the other side of the bridge in the west country, to ensure that we have the railway system we deserve?
§ Mr. MurphyI could not agree with the hon. Gentleman more, especially because, many years ago, I had the privilege of fighting his seat in the west country. As I am now Secretary of State for Wales, he will be aware that I failed to win that seat.
The task facing this country is to get a safe and efficient railway system working at full capacity as quickly as possible. That imperative was made crystal clear to railway companies by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport. The whole House is aware of the serious problems in Wales and the west country. The regulator has said that by next Monday there will be a sustainable timetable, so that people will be conscious of the amount of time they have to spend on trains. By the end of this week, I hope to have further information on how best to repair track and ensure the safety of the system. I hope that the bulk of repairs will have been completed by Christmas.
§ Mr. Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent)Does my right hon. Friend accept that our constituents want railways to be run as a public service, whereas those who currently run railways are interested not in providing a service but in making a quick profit?
§ Mr. MurphyI am sure that most hon. Members believe that many of the problems that we are currently facing were the direct result of the ideological and misguided policy of railway privatisation, which was carried out by the Conservative Government during their final years in power. They were warned that privatisation would be a disaster, and that turned out to be the case.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones (Ynys Môn)I, too, offer you our congratulations on your appointment, Mr. Speaker, and wish you well in your responsibilities.
Does the Secretary of State acknowledge that there have been improvements in the rolling stock on the north Wales line recently and that Virgin Trains will again introduce new stock, next year? Does the right 925 hon. Gentleman acknowledge that if the best use is to be made of the new rolling stock, we need to upgrade the line in north Wales?
The right hon. Gentleman will know that there are plans to upgrade the line between Crewe and Bangor. Will he impress on Rail track and the Strategic Rail Authority the need to extend the work to Holyhead?
§ Mr. MurphyI could not agree more. Our railway system across north Wales, and the section of the trans-European network from Ireland to England, is one of the most important links between Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as between different parts of Wales. I hope that the Strategic Rail Authority will take that into account in considering bids for the single franchise.
§ Mrs. Betty Williams (Conwy)Is my right hon. Friend aware that the removal of all Virgin services to north Wales constitutes major discrimination against my constituents and others? Yesterday, two people from north Wales wanted to travel to the House of Commons to attend a reception connected with lupus, a serious medical condition. The only way in which they could have come to London was by reserving seats, and that facility was not available to them, although it is available on some Virgin services between London and other parts of the country. Will my right hon. Friend please undertake to investigate this unsatisfactory state of affairs?
§ Mr. MurphyMy hon. Friend is, of course, right about the inconvenience caused to her constituents, which is also experienced by Members and their constituents throughout Wales. As she knows, following a meeting with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister last Thursday, Rail track announced that the bulk of the necessary track repairs would be completed by Christmas, and the remainder by Easter. It also announced that the industry planned to publish a national track recovery plan this Friday—which, as I have told the House, will include details of a sustainable timetable that will come into force next Monday.
The main problem is the lack of reliability. Even if it takes longer to travel from one place to another, ensuring that people know how long the journey will take constitutes a big improvement in itself.