London Underground: Quality of Service (Hansard, 27 February 1990)

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, London Underground fares increased by an average of 10.4 per cent, on 4th February. I am confident that the quality of service objectives set by my right honourable friend in December, together with the significant increase in government funding announced in November, will ensure that London Underground delivers an improved service to the travelling public.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, noble Lords on all sides of the House will be grateful for that assurance of improved services on the London Underground. It may come as a surprise to them. Does the recent statement that the intention of increasing fares was to reduce the number of passengers on the London 598 Underground have the Government's support? If so, are the Government aware of the dangers of increasing the amount of traffic on the roads as a result of such a policy?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I am not clear where that statement came from. However, I can tell the House that the overall increase was 10.4 per cent.—about 3 per cent, in real terms—and that ordinary adult fares, including those in the heavily congested central area, have increased by an average of 13 per cent. I do not believe that that will have any bearing on road traffic in London.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, has the Government's hope for an improvement in the service rendered by the London Underground yet shown any signs of realisation? How many escalators are still out of service and how many breakdowns of rolling stock and hold-ups resulting from them have occurred in the last few months?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Tordoff, asked a Question about escalators last November. At the time I told him that 73 per cent, of escalators were available. I can tell him and my noble friend that during the four-week period ending 3rd February escalators were available for 82 per cent, of the time. There has, therefore, been a 9 per cent, increase in usage.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, is the noble Viscount aware that both the general public and the ordinary staff on the Underground realise that its present system of administration and performance is redolent of the Augean stables? When one speaks and complains to the ordinary men who run the trains and to the inspectors who keep them going, they say that the fault lies in the administrative headquarters at St. James's. When one asks them why they make a special broadcast just as a train came roaring into a station so that everyone has to listen hard to what is going on, they say that the people who run the system have never been down there in their lives. Those people complain about the hold-ups on the way home in their Rolls-Royces. Instead of bothering with the people at St. James's, is it not about time for a conference to be held of the ordinary men and women who represent the public, the guards and the signallers on London Underground so that they may give their advice and make recommendations?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I am most interested to hear that from the noble Lord. I can only tell him that I shall draw his remarks to the attention of LUL. Perhaps he might volunteer to call such a meeting himself.

§ Lord Gainford
My Lords, has my noble friend the Minister any estimate yet of the improvement of services that may happen as a result of the travel survey carried out by London Transport with reference to the card that I was handed at Victoria Station today and which I showed him earlier this afternoon?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for showing me the card. I am sure that the House will be pleased to know that LUL is putting its customers' requirements first and planning for the future.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, the noble Viscount referred to the short-term objectives set by the Secretary of State in his letter to the chairman of LRT. As those short-term objectives include "peak capacity, reliablity and availability of lifts and escalators", why is it that the date for completion of those short-term objectives has been put back as far as March 1992? Does he agree that those objectives should be completed long before then? I further ask the Minister whether this increase in fares was discussed with the London Regional Passengers Committee. If so, what was its attitude?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, to answer the second question first, I understand that the London Regional Passengers Committee was not consulted about the increased level of fares but has raised no complaint about them. However it was consulted about the Government's quality of service objectives with which it expressed satisfaction as well as LRT's plans for increased investment. So far as concerns the objectives announced on 20th December, as the noble Lord said, they set performance targets. They are to be in place by April 1992. Clearly, quite a lot of the improvements will take place much more quickly than that; but I can tell him that LUL's performance record will be published regularly during this period.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, do not the Government consider that fare increases of this size are inflationary?

§ Viscount Davidson
Yes and no, my Lords.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, will the Minister bear in mind that all the matters that we are discussing are not the responsibility of the people who operate the Underground? They are the responsibility of those who are right at the top. Until they are made accountable for the salaries that they earn one can understand why the staff are now losing their morale. They do not want it. They are proud to work for London Underground.

§ Lord Denham
My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord will ask his question. We have already been dealing with Questions for 25 minutes. Perhaps the noble Lord will put his question, my noble friend will answer it and then we might move on to the next business.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, perhaps the chairman of London Transport will call together representatives of the workers under his control who actually operate the system and listen to their points of view.