L

Lord Harper (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 12 October 2026

Debate

Railways Bill

Contribution

There is something the Minister said that I was a little concerned about because I have seen the impact of this locally. She is absolutely right that we need to make sure, when heritage railways are operating, that they are operating safely. However, when she talks about the imposition of all the safety rules of the industry, we have to be mindful that these are often smaller organisations, with volunteers. Yes, they need to be safe, but we also need to make sure that we do not smother them and, in effect, put them out of business. Again, as the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, said, there is a balance to strike, and that is something that I know my noble friend Lord Parkinson wants. We just need to get that balance right.

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