§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the report in the Financial Times of 30 June, what measures they will introduce to ensure that British motorway service stations provide as good a service as those of other European countries, notably France, as regards the quality of food, the behaviour of staff, hygiene standards, overcrowding, and high pricing; and, if they do not intend to introduce such measures, why not. [HL201]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)Successive governments have imposed a range of requirements which apply to all motorway service areas (MSAs). These, though, are essentially safety related, day to day management of MSAs being a matter for their private sector operators. It is disappointing that the survey reported in theSunday Times found that, in these respects, operators here compared poorly with their European counterparts. I do not believe it is for the Government to intervene in the running of private businesses but we are considering what scope exists to increase competition in the MSA sector with the aim of improving standards across the board.