Member

What we have discovered in this group is that here is a railway, East West Rail, that in the course of next year—I say to the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, that we are discussing this now and it will happen next year before the coming into force of any further Bill, so it is a relevant, present consideration about how the Bill will actually work—the Secretary of State is going to in effect direct into a structure that is legislatively designed, as the statute provides, so that it relates to a situation where a franchise agreement has ended. But there is no franchise agreement, so it seems to me that the legislation is just flawed. Still, they have written it and no doubt they will use it, and they will probably get away with it, because it is all designed simply to channel everything into a public sector company. So be it.