Member

I should be clear about what the amendment does not do. It is limited to the transfers set out in the Bill: staff coming from Network Rail and from the operators contracted by the department. It does not deal with the operators in Scotland and Wales; I could have tackled those but, to keep the issue clear, I left them out at this stage. In any event, these are matters for the devolved Governments. It also does not touch open access or freight. The second amendment, Amendment 330, which is associated, does no more than ensure that TUPE applies to any such transfer. From my own account, I feel that it probably applies in any event, but it would be good to provide some level of reassurance; it should, in any event, be uncontroversial, and it seems appropriate to put it in the Bill.