Question
Labour promised that nationalisation would deliver a more reliable railway. Two years on, it is getting worse. Between April and June, all Government-run operators saw cancellations rise or punctuality fall. Ministers say that Great British Railways will turn that around when it launches next year. They promised its implementation timetable and draft licence consultation this autumn. On this last sitting day of October, neither has yet appeared. When will they, and when will passengers see the improvements they were promised?
Answer
May I start by congratulating the hon. Lady on her appointment to the Opposition Front Bench? I think this is the first opportunity that I have had a chance to do so from the Dispatch Box. She is right in some respects. We do need to make more progress on improving punctuality and reliability, and I cannot pretend that I am happy with performance across the entirety of the rail network at the moment. However, I would gently point out to her that at the last reporting period, cancellations across publicly-owned operators were 3.9% compared to 4.9% for operators yet to transfer and still in private ownership. On punctuality, 82.6% of stops by publicly-owned operators were within three minutes of their scheduled arrival time, compared with just 73.8% for operators yet to transfer.
Verdict: RED (12/100)
The reply does not answer the first two parts of the question: it gives no timetable for implementing Great British Railways and says nothing about when a draft licence consultation will be published. On the third part, about cancellations and punctuality, it gives current performance figures for publicly-owned and private operators and admits more progress is needed, but it is vague and gives no date for when passengers will see improvements. The asker would likely need to follow up for the timings they originally requested.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| When will the Government publish the implementation timetable for Great British Railways? | Not Addressed | Generic | Nothing in the reply mentions an implementation timetable for Great British Railways; the statements cover congratulations, punctuality and cancellation performance, and no date or timetable is given. |
| When will the Government publish the draft licence consultation for Great British Railways? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply says nothing about a draft licence consultation for Great British Railways or when one will be published. |
| When will passengers see the improvements in rail services, including cancellations and punctuality, that the Government has promised? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply engages with cancellations and punctuality and admits more progress is needed, but it gives only current performance figures for publicly-owned and private operators and no timing for when passengers will see the promised improvements. |