§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on rail franchising policy. [24405]
§ Mr. ByersI have today laid before the House a policy statement, "Passenger Rail Franchising". The statement sets out the benefits that I wish the Strategic Rail Authority to seek to achieve through rail franchising and requires it to explore the full range of options for securing518W them. It also incorporates the statement of policy referred to in section 26(10) of the Railways Act 1993, as amended by the Transport Act 2000.