§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 24 February 1999,Official Report, column 383, what criteria he uses to evaluate the (a) quality of service and (b) customer satisfaction provided by train operating companies. [74153]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 2 March 1999]: Quality and customer satisfaction are currently measured against benchmarks in passengers' Charters and franchise agreements. As I made clear at the Rail Summit on 25 February, this Government are committed to improving the quality of rail services, and believes that transport generally is as important as schools and hospitals.
The Summit demonstrated our determination to improve rail services. Sir Alastair Morton, as the new Chairman of the British Railways Board and prospective Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, will have a key role in raising standards and boosting investment. We also made clear that we need better measurements of quality and customer satisfaction.