Baroness Pidgeon (LD)

I will speak to my Amendment 82 in this group, to which the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, has added his name. It would create a new board of Great British Railways, and it provides detail of the composition of this board. The board would increase the transparency and accountability of the Secretary of State’s decisions, as it would create a vehicle for these to be properly discussed and would ensure that a wide range of expertise were at the table. If the Secretary of State decided to make a decision that was against the advice of the board, the reasons for that would need to be set out clearly and publicly. The membership of the board would represent Great British Railways and other key stakeholders in the running of the railway, such as open access operators, freight operators, the Office of Rail and Road, the Passengers’ Council and organisations that represent passengers with accessibility requirements. It would comprise of at least six members. To make sure that there is a voice for other stakeholders, no more than half of the board’s membership would be employed by or otherwise represent Great British Railways. This amendment would allow for any decision or direction from the Secretary of State concerning Great British Railways to be notified to the board prior to its being made. The board would then need to publish any decision or direction it had considered and whether it had approved it. If the board did not agree with the Secretary of State, it would still be free to go ahead with the decision, but it would need to publish a statement setting out its reasons for that. For us, this is a way to ensure that the Secretary of State uses the powers in this Bill wisely, with a proper sounding board for feedback from experts with different viewpoints in the field. I hope that the Minister will consider this proposal seriously. The other amendments in this group are around clear objectives for Great British Railways. Amendment 64A from the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, would require consultation with the supply chain and railway service providers when preparing objectives for a funding period. That would appear to be a sensible way to ensure industry buy-in and prioritisation. Other amendments seek different ways to try to measure and assess the performance of Great British Railways. I hope that the Minister will be able to provide details of how the Secretary of State and Parliament will assess this going forward, and I look forward to his response.