Member

As I have indicated, that was 40 years ago, but in some cases we are no better off in various parts of the country. I mentioned Birmingham International, but noble Lords on both sides will be aware that travelling by train, particularly late at night, is often a pretty solitary experience. I am a proud father of two daughters and two stepdaughters. All four of them have said to me that travelling after, say, 8 pm or 9 pm from local stations in and around, in the case of two of them, the Birmingham area and, in the case of the other two, the London area is not a particularly pleasant experience, but at least in London there are members of staff around to ensure people feel safer. Outside London, of course, there is no such provision, and over the years staff have been withdrawn from various stations throughout the United Kingdom, in my view to the detriment of the travelling public.