HC Deb 08 January 2001 vol 360 cc366-9W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will hold discussions with the Health and Safety Executive, the relevant companies and the trades unions in the railway industry to establish a uniform set of safety standards in the industry. [143763]

Mr. Hill

Arrangements already exist for the discussion of health and safety issues, including standards, through bodies such as the Health and Safety Commission's Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC), which includes representatives of employers, trade unions and passengers. There are no plans to convene additional meetings prior to receiving Lord Cullen's report on the Ladbroke Grove rail inquiry, which is expected to make proposals on the subject of standards and how they are set.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will discuss with the management of Railtrack the criteria for the issuing of contracts for maintenance and renewal, and the priority given to(a) quality and (b) price. [143756]

Mr. Hill

These are matters for Railtrack. I understand from the company that their criteria for the issuing of tenders for contracts are based upon the termination dates for the existing contracts and the strategic reorganisation of these contracts in order to maximise technical, safety, organisational and commercial benefits.

I understand that the criteria used for evaluation are as follows:

Tender Evaluation

Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of the most commercially advantageous offer which demonstrates compliance with the requirements of the contract and on the quality of the Tenderer's Technical and Assurance Offers and their ability to deliver the contract requirements.

The high level criteria against which Tenderer's submissions will be evaluated in respect of compliance with tender requirements and quality of proposals are as follows:

Technical

  1. 1. Overall Maintenance and Performance Strategy;
  2. 2. Innovation and Investment;
  3. 3. Corporate Structure;
    4. 367W
  4. 4. Sub-Contractor Information;
  5. 5. Organisational Structure;
  6. 6. Curricula Vitae for Key Personnel;
  7. 7. Human Resources Statement;
  8. 8. Plan Resources Statement;
  9. 9. Mobilisation Statement;
  10. 10. First Year Work Plan
  11. 11. Possessions Statement;
  12. 12. Fault, Incident and Rapid response;
  13. 13. Office, Sidings, Works and Welfare Accommodation; and
  14. 14. Stage 2 Details.

Assurance

  1. 15. Safety Proposals;
  2. 16. Environmental Proposals;
  3. 17. Quality Assurance Proposals.

Commercial

  1. 18. Percentages for Annual Fee, comprising Overheads and Profit;

Track maintenance contracts
Contractor Zone Contract area Start date End date
AMEC East Anglian West Anglia and NLL 1 April 1999 31 March 2001
AMEC South Sussex 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Amey Midlands Chilterns 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Amey Great Western Reading 1 April 1994 31 March 2002
Amey Great Western Exeter 1 April 1994 31 March 2002
Balfour Beatty East Anglian Great Eastern and LT&S 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Balfour Beatty London North Eastern ECML North 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Balfour Beatty London North Eastern ECML South 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Balfour Beatty South Kent 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Balfour Beatty South Wessex 1 October 1999 31 March 2004
First Scotland North, East and Central Scotland 1 April 1999 31 March 2004
First Scotland West and South West Scotland 1 April 1999 31 March 2004
First North West Manchester 1 April 2000 31 March 2005
GTRM East Anglian Norwich 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
GTRM Midlands WCML South 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
GTRM Midlands WCML Central 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
GTRM Midlands W. Midlands and Cambrian 1 April 1999 31 March 2001
GTRM Great Western Gloucester 1 April 1994 31 March 2002
GTRM Great Western Bristol 12 December 1999 31 March 2002
GTRM Great Western South Wales 1 April 1999 31 March 2004
GTRM North West Preston 1 April 2000 31 March 2005
Jarvis North West Liverpool and North Wales 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Jarvis North West Merseyrail DC 1 April 1994 31 March 2001
Jarvis London North Eastern Central 1 April 2000 31 March 2005
Serco Midlands East Midlands 1 April 2000 31 March 2005

Track renewals contracts
Contractor Zone/area Start date End date
A) Plain line
Jarvis Scotland January 1998 May 2002
Jarvis London North Eastern January 1998 May 2003
Jarvis West Coast (Midlands and North West) January 1998 May 2001
Balfour Beatty Southern October 1998 May 2003
Amey/SECO joint venture Great Western January 1998 May 2003
Centrac (Carillion) East Anglia January 1998 May 2001
GrantRail, Motherwell Bridge and First Engineering Various minor works Various Various
B) Switches and Crossings
Jarvis Scotland September 1998 March 2002
Jarvis London North Eastern July 1998 May 2003
Jarvis Great Western February 2000 March 2002
Centrac (Carillion) North West July 1998 July 2001
Centrac (Carillion) Midlands May 1998 March 2001
GrantRail East Anglia April 1999 May 2001
Balfour Beatty (variation to plain line contract) Southern October 1998 May 2003

  1. 19. Lump Sums for Accommodation and Contract Area Overheads;
  2. 20. Risk and Opportunities Register; and
  3. 21. Schedules of Rules.

I understand also that the Technical, Assurance and Commercial evaluations are brought together by identifying the different risks, opportunities, advantages and disadvantages of each tender and making a commercial adjustment to the Tenderer's commercial offer, thereby establishment the most advantageous offer overall to Railtrack plc.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list(a) the companies with contracts for maintenance and renewals working the railway industry and (b) length of each contract. [143765]

Mr. Hill

The following lists from Railtrack show the companies responsible for maintenance and renewals respectively and the lengths of each contract.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will call a conference of infrastructure and maintenance companies and the relevant trade unions working in the railway system, to prepare a planned investment, maintenance and renewal programme for the entire railway system. [143762]

Mr. Hill

The Government's plans for investment in the railway system are set out in the 10 Year Plan for Transport.

Following the Hatfield tragedy, at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister, the chairman of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority has been urgently considering the issue of maintenance and renewal work on the railway in close consultation with industry parties.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport and I will shortly be meeting the railway industry trade unions to discuss the continuing disruption on the railway.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what directions are issued to staff employing ultrasonic rail floor detectors in the event of their discovering cracks in the rail. [143764]

Mr. Hill

Railtrack's line standard (RT/CE/S/103) lists the minimum actions required when broken rail and rail defects are found. Railtrack expects its contractors to comply with its standards and to employ competent trained staff. A copy of Railtrack's line standard is available in the Library of the House.

Forward to