Question
My constituents are not demanding a multibillion-pound, high-speed answer to the five-and-a-half-hour journey time from Penzance to London, for example; they want just a fraction of that amount, to improve the comfort, reliability and punctuality of the service. My hon. Friend the Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire) mentioned that £57 million has been allocated for wi-fi on trains. That is a fraction of the money spent on high speed policies. We understand that the money is being held by the Treasury at the moment; when will it be rolled out? It is desperately needed now.
Answer
As I said to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire), we are very keen to make progress on better wi-fi connectivity on Great Western services, and I hope to say more on that in the coming months.67% vibes
Verdict: RED (15/100)
The question asked for a specific date for releasing and rolling out £57 million for Great Western wi-fi. The reply gives no date, does not confirm that the funding is being released, and does not describe how the rollout would happen. It offers general enthusiasm for the project and a hope to say more in the coming months, so the timing question is touched on but not answered, and the asker would likely need to ask again for a timetable.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| When will the £57 million allocated for wi-fi on trains be released and rolled out on the Penzance to London service? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The question asks for a specific date for releasing and rolling out the £57 million, and the reply gives no date, confirms no funding release, and names no rollout mechanism. It only expresses general keenness on Great Western wi-fi and a vague hope to say more in the coming months, so it touches the topic without answering the timing question. |