Baroness Pidgeon (LD)

My Lords, it has been an interesting discussion on this important group. My Amendment 325 would add a new requirement for Great British Railways to publish a cyber security and technology strategy. As we have heard from a number of noble Lords, it is important for the public and Parliament to understand how Great British Railways will use emerging technologies throughout the railway, including artificial intelligence. These new technologies, of course, may help innovation, develop resilience and improve the passenger experience, but this country also faces increasing threats to our national infrastructure, so we must make sure that our infrastructure remains safe and that passengers and those who work on the railway feel protected. Alongside this serious cyber threat, we on these Benches continue to focus on ensuring that passengers are at the centre of this Bill and this new structure. Rail passengers will also expect and deserve modern accessible services, reliable wifi, real-time information and inclusive design. Investment in technologies that will benefit passengers and ensure that Great British Railways can develop the quality railway that passengers deserve is really important. The other amendments in this group are variations around the theme of my amendment. Members want to see innovation and technology at the heart of Great British Railways and Amendment 91A in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, also points to the supply chain having greater visibility of planned investment, which I am sure is something we all support. Open data has also been raised. This has transformed travel in London, under the noble Lord the Minister’s leadership at Transport for London. iBus, when it was rolled out, was an absolute game changer for how people use the public transport network. The importance of allowing such innovation in start-ups developing apps, and the quality jobs that have grown in that sector, should not be underestimated. I hope that this same high standard will be the basis of Great British Railways as well. I will not comment on the debate being based on the 1970s, although, I have to say, many great things happened in the 1970s. I look forward to the Minister’s response to this group.