§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for what reason the promotion of private legislation in Scotland to permit the building of new railway lines is to remain a Westminster matter. [23303]
§ Mr. McLeish[holding answer 16 January 1998]: The provision and regulation of railway services is proposed to be a matter in respect of which legislative competence is reserved to the Westminster Parliament by virtue of Section 2 of Head 5 of Schedule 5 of the Scotland Bill. Therefore, any legislation, whether private or public, in respect of that reserved matter is properly a matter for the Westminster Parliament as it will be out with the competence of the Scottish Parliament to legislate in relation to reserved matters.
It is sensible in practical terms that safety, security and regulatory matters should be reserved to the UK Parliament to achieve consistent standards across the whole GB network and to allow for the smooth operation of services.