§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) to whom the duties on the British Railways Board(a) to use its best endeavours to ensure that alternative services are provided when railway services are closed and (b) to alert the Secretary of State when there is a failure to comply with closure conditions will be passed when the duty to provide rail services passes to a private train operating company; [3313]
(2) if the obligations to retain transport services placed on the British Railways Board as conditions of railway closures will be passed to the Franchising Director to ensure that these obligations are honoured in future by train operating companies winning franchises to provide passenger services. [3312]
§ Mr. WattsFrom time to time in the past, various obligations were placed on British Rail as a condition of approving the enclosure of routes or services. Much more comprehensive obligations are now placed on franchise operators in the form of the contractually binding passenger service requirements—PSRs—which are specified by the Franchising Director in accordance with his objectives, instructions and guidance from the Secretary of State. PSRs are based on the existing British Rail timetable, including those services British Rail is operating to meet obligations relating to past closures. The contractual service obligations the PSRs introduce effectively supersede those which applied previously to British Rail.