§ Lord Phillips of Sudburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
At which meeting of the board of the Strategic Rail Authority was the decision taken to exclude FirstGroup plc from the shortlist for the competition for the new East Anglian rail franchise. [HL2465]
§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)Decisions as to which potential bidders should be shortlisted to receive an invitation to tender (ITT) are not matters reserved to the SRA board, but are taken by the SRA executive committee. The shortlist of those to receive ITTs for the Greater Anglia franchise was decided in confidence at a76WA meeting of the executive committee on 13 March and announced on 1 April.