:00:11. > :00:16.Order. Urging question, Caroline Lucas. Mr Speaker, could the
:00:17. > :00:21.Minister make a statement on Southern Rail services?
:00:22. > :00:26.Thank you Mr Speaker. Performance on the southern network has been
:00:27. > :00:30.affected by a combination of factors over the previous months. These have
:00:31. > :00:38.included trade union action, infrastructure reliability and
:00:39. > :00:44.operator issues. The unions have struck industry production in the
:00:45. > :00:50.run-up to Christmas. Let me be clear, this strike action is
:00:51. > :00:56.politically motivated. It has affected mass passengers were far
:00:57. > :01:05.too long. Union leaders have even described this as carrying on
:01:06. > :01:12.Fidel's work. This will be of no comfort to passengers, who just want
:01:13. > :01:15.to get to work. For the director of railway safety in the office for
:01:16. > :01:25.rail and road. Responding to the safety concern from the unions, Ian
:01:26. > :01:35.Prosser says, DOO is safe. The RNC and Aslef should not be... Once
:01:36. > :01:39.again I can assure the hard-working staff on GTR franchise that no
:01:40. > :01:42.trained staff are losing pay and no one is losing their job. Passengers
:01:43. > :01:47.want and deserve improvements, which is why in September the Secretary of
:01:48. > :01:51.State appointed Chris Gibb, a leading railway professional, to
:01:52. > :01:55.work with the operator and Network Rail to identify areas where
:01:56. > :02:01.performance on the network can be improved quickly. Some of these
:02:02. > :02:04.interventions are under way and would be making a significant
:02:05. > :02:09.difference by now, were it not for the fact that owing to continued
:02:10. > :02:16.industrial action by RMT and now planned action by Aslef, Southern
:02:17. > :02:21.Rail Services are to be subject to further delays and alterations now
:02:22. > :02:26.and over the coming weeks. In recognition, the Secretary of State
:02:27. > :02:29.announced on the 2nd of September a refund package that will compensate
:02:30. > :02:36.season-ticket holders with a package equivalent to one free month in act
:02:37. > :02:44.knowledge of exceptional issues this year. They also announced that GTR
:02:45. > :02:47.would be the first franchise to introduce... Starting an 11th of
:02:48. > :02:50.December. But compensation alone is not enough, we have to restore a
:02:51. > :02:56.timely, reliable and predictable train service. That is why the work
:02:57. > :03:03.of Mr Gibb is focusing on reducing the Network Rail faults, it is why
:03:04. > :03:06.we have new safety on trains that can cope with the number of people
:03:07. > :03:12.wanting to use them, it is why I've continued to ensure that the train
:03:13. > :03:16.operating company is doing everything in its power to run
:03:17. > :03:20.improved services. But we also need union leaders to stop their
:03:21. > :03:26.needless, unreasonable, disproportionate and politically
:03:27. > :03:31.motivated strikes. Caroline Lucas. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the
:03:32. > :03:33.Minister for that reply. I put this question today with cross-party
:03:34. > :03:38.support for members right across the house because on Friday we heard
:03:39. > :03:42.that Southern Rail Services will be Mr Gandhi disrupted every day from
:03:43. > :03:46.tomorrow until further notice. That grim warning of imminent service
:03:47. > :03:52.collapse comes on top of more than two years of rail chaos, long before
:03:53. > :03:57.any strikes happened. Back in May 2015 the then rail minister said
:03:58. > :04:01.that our ministers were flashing red in her department. 18 months on, my
:04:02. > :04:05.constituents are regularly in tears of anger and frustration, jobs are
:04:06. > :04:09.being lost, relationships being broken up, the economy seriously
:04:10. > :04:14.damaged. This situation is intolerable and the Government can't
:04:15. > :04:18.just simply wash its hands of involvement. So will the Minister
:04:19. > :04:23.roll up its sleeves -- his sleeves and get stuck in to resolve the
:04:24. > :04:28.prices acrobatic space crisis. Will he convene a meeting with the unions
:04:29. > :04:32.and with GTR to make this -- work this out and restore some
:04:33. > :04:36.reliability to this vital public service, and in so doing, show that
:04:37. > :04:40.he is not prepared to allow this crucial piece of infrastructure to
:04:41. > :04:44.simply collapse? To end this stalemate, will his department take
:04:45. > :04:48.charge of this contract in the open, strip GTR of the franchise, bring it
:04:49. > :04:51.back in-house and that at least would increase the transparency
:04:52. > :04:58.around what is going on here. When four example with a concrete
:04:59. > :05:05.timetable, GTR reporting its performance be revealed? Will
:05:06. > :05:09.published date of the published weekly and where? It is tied to make
:05:10. > :05:16.it accountable. Will he answer the outstanding questions and today
:05:17. > :05:23.provide urgent clarity about whether GTR is in default? The transport
:05:24. > :05:27.committee called for a decision on GTR in early 2016 but it is now
:05:28. > :05:32.December, why hasn't he answered on time? I don't think the Minister has
:05:33. > :05:35.any idea of the pain that passengers and ministers in Brighton and beyond
:05:36. > :05:40.are suffering, because if he did he would be doing more about it. We
:05:41. > :05:44.have a catastrophic stalemate. What exactly is the minister going to do
:05:45. > :05:47.about this? My constituents in Brighton want to hear that he is
:05:48. > :05:53.going to get involved. Anything else is not enough. Minister Maynard. I'm
:05:54. > :05:57.grateful for her urgent question. But the best thing she can do under
:05:58. > :06:05.half of her constituents is to go and speak to her close friends in
:06:06. > :06:09.the RMT and tell them to call off their disproportionate and
:06:10. > :06:10.unreasonable industrial action. That is the best contribution she can
:06:11. > :06:23.make. Not answering the question... Mr Speaker, thank you very much for
:06:24. > :06:25.calling me in with this important, urgent question because this is not
:06:26. > :06:31.just about the Brighton mainline but communities in my own area. Students
:06:32. > :06:38.trying to get to school from Edenbridge to Tonbridge and others
:06:39. > :06:42.have been going to misery. The nationalised Network Rail has failed
:06:43. > :06:46.us again and again. Can the Minister please get on with sorting them out
:06:47. > :06:50.too? Minister. My honourable friend is entirely right to point out the
:06:51. > :06:55.impact this is having on his constituents in Kent. I travelled
:06:56. > :06:59.through London Bridge and saw some of the delays that were occurring.
:07:00. > :07:03.He's quite right. But the only long-term solution for this
:07:04. > :07:07.overburdened part of the network is for both Network Rail and the train
:07:08. > :07:11.operating companies to allow the incentives to work together to fix
:07:12. > :07:18.the underlying problems that plagued this network. Andy McDonald. Thank
:07:19. > :07:22.you Mr Speaker. This house is still having to address the abysmal
:07:23. > :07:26.service provided by Southern Rail after a year and a half of
:07:27. > :07:30.substandard service is testament to both Southern's incompetence and the
:07:31. > :07:34.extent to which this Government is committed to privatise rail even
:07:35. > :07:38.when franchises have become so deeply dysfunctional that they are
:07:39. > :07:43.unable to provide a decent public service. Mr Speaker, GTR should be
:07:44. > :07:48.stripped of their franchise long ago for failing to plan properly to take
:07:49. > :07:52.on the franchise as they themselves have admitted and providing what is
:07:53. > :08:14.by far the country's worst rail service. Instead the government have
:08:15. > :08:22.defended the southern to the hilt excusing or their failings of being
:08:23. > :08:28.the result of unavoidable industrial dispute allowing the cancellation of
:08:29. > :08:33.hundreds of services and repeatedly throwing tax because Manny had the
:08:34. > :08:41.problem. The honourable gentleman will sell us about Mr Gibb but why
:08:42. > :08:45.not about Mr Robinson who says he wants to staff the RMT back to work
:08:46. > :08:51.and he wants those people out of his well away industry. On Friday it was
:08:52. > :08:58.announced that Southern season-ticket holders would eligible
:08:59. > :09:05.for compensation eligible to a month's travel. Yet more money spent
:09:06. > :09:11.on the service. But they announced, session will apply to around 84,000
:09:12. > :09:16.passengers and yet Southerners responsible for 6,020,000 passenger
:09:17. > :09:19.journeys per year. While any amount of conversation is welcome Will the
:09:20. > :09:24.Minister take this opportunity to acknowledge that the measures
:09:25. > :09:30.announced on Friday will not come close to compensating the majority
:09:31. > :09:33.of passengers who have suffered Southern's abysmal service for the
:09:34. > :09:36.past year and a half and considering the fair I is scheduled for the
:09:37. > :09:40.start of the a few commuters receiving compensation those were
:09:41. > :09:51.wiped out by inflation busting fares. Sadly Mr Speaker a decent
:09:52. > :09:55.rail service... I know how to deal with these managers. Members are
:09:56. > :09:59.taking too long. The minister was just in time but am afraid the
:10:00. > :10:03.honourable gentleman has exceeded his son. We have to establish a
:10:04. > :10:07.disconnected means two minutes or under, not two and a half minutes or
:10:08. > :10:13.three minutes. We have to stick to these procedures. I am surprised he
:10:14. > :10:21.is so opposed to the idea of compensating southern passengers but
:10:22. > :10:23.he is right about one thing. This is entirely irresolvable dispute. As he
:10:24. > :10:29.rightly pointed out. It is resolvable because the RMT can
:10:30. > :10:35.recognise this as a safe mode of operation, call out the strikes and
:10:36. > :10:44.we can get on with improving the network. The Minister said no staff
:10:45. > :10:47.would lose the job but cannot tell the Minister that is not the case
:10:48. > :10:53.for some of my constituents who have been sacked because they have been
:10:54. > :10:56.made. Has the balance of rights as possibilities in our society not
:10:57. > :10:59.gone somewhat astray that in order to improve their terms and
:11:00. > :11:08.conditions were actually costing other citizens their jobs. There is
:11:09. > :11:13.a grossly disproportionate nature of this industrial action. He is right
:11:14. > :11:16.to point out that commuters up and down the GTR network are
:11:17. > :11:25.experiencing a poorer quality-of-life because of this
:11:26. > :11:33.unwarranted industrial action. , go order, order. The shadow Secretary
:11:34. > :11:36.of State should take some subtle soothing medicament, he will be
:11:37. > :11:39.aware I suggested to his north-east colleagues sometime ago it might be
:11:40. > :11:50.advisable to take up yoga because it will have a therapeutic effect. Or
:11:51. > :11:56.even yoghurt. The overall situation for passengers is intolerable and
:11:57. > :12:01.ever since and eat your heart receiving ?1 billion a year in fees
:12:02. > :12:05.and the apartment is exposed to ?30 million of lost revenue. What can
:12:06. > :12:11.the departments do to try to resolve this situation? Some months ago the
:12:12. > :12:15.right Honourable Lady will Beer where that we asked Chris Gibb to
:12:16. > :12:19.take a look into the operational by the network, the infrastructure and
:12:20. > :12:24.the train operating company. We look forward to receiving his report by
:12:25. > :12:37.the end of year which will guide us and how to make rapid noticeable
:12:38. > :12:41.identifiable improvements. The RMT members who are adding to the
:12:42. > :12:46.destruction of all our constituents are also the employees. Can we
:12:47. > :12:52.please be told how much they earn, how many of them have signed up to
:12:53. > :12:55.the new operating arrangements" what the issue is that is stopping them
:12:56. > :12:59.from reaching an agreement and allowing other workers to work
:13:00. > :13:04.reliably and students and teachers can get to work and old people visit
:13:05. > :13:09.their friends? My right honourable friend is right to point out why
:13:10. > :13:14.this is such a grossly disproportionate action from the
:13:15. > :13:19.RMT. Over 220 of the 223 staff involved have signed up to the new
:13:20. > :13:21.contracts to carry out the role of on-board supervisor. They are
:13:22. > :13:27.striking against a role they have all agreed to take up. That is in my
:13:28. > :13:35.view both unreasonable and disproportionate. Part of the
:13:36. > :13:40.problem is that every single promise made from that dispatch box has not
:13:41. > :13:47.improved the service on single iota in the last 18 months. Today there
:13:48. > :13:50.was a non-strike day but it was a complete shambles between Brighton
:13:51. > :13:56.and London. Will the Minister just say he will do whatever it takes to
:13:57. > :14:02.improve this service? I entirely recognise that the service today has
:14:03. > :14:05.been disappointing due to a broken rail between East Croydon and
:14:06. > :14:14.Gatwick but that is happening far too often I see rightly points out.
:14:15. > :14:17.I expect both GTR and Network Rail to address these underlying
:14:18. > :14:22.performance issues. They can only do so if they are also faced with an
:14:23. > :14:29.unwarranted, unjustifiable industrial action. My constituents
:14:30. > :14:37.in Basingstoke who commute regularly look at the situation on Southern
:14:38. > :14:39.with horror. What assurances can the Minister give that a similar such
:14:40. > :14:42.action could not spread to other areas particularly as we are
:14:43. > :14:50.currently renegotiating the contract. Recognise the honourable
:14:51. > :14:58.Lady's concerned that I would say to her that we can all train operating
:14:59. > :15:02.services across country to ensure they do have an account to operate a
:15:03. > :15:10.reliable service and they will do that with whoever emerges. I have
:15:11. > :15:13.the analysis of the feedback from the 1000 constituents who have been
:15:14. > :15:16.in touch with me about the performance of Southern rail and it
:15:17. > :15:21.is a catalogue of misery. The failure of Southern rail is
:15:22. > :15:26.affecting my constituents's work, family love, health and well-being.
:15:27. > :15:30.When will the Minister confirm real devolution for London so that
:15:31. > :15:34.transport for London that has high levels of customer satisfaction can
:15:35. > :15:41.run these services and where will my constituents's Southern Major --
:15:42. > :15:47.misery on. Hope she will join with me in urging all sides in this
:15:48. > :15:50.dispute to return to the negotiation table and reach an agreement to put
:15:51. > :15:57.the needs of the passengers first, not the interests of the unions. , I
:15:58. > :16:00.apologise for my interjection earlier. Mr Speaker, while
:16:01. > :16:07.girlfriend was absolutely right to say that the price for the RMT's
:16:08. > :16:15.self-indulgent politically motivated strike action is being felt on jobs
:16:16. > :16:20.for young people turn to get to work. This is the undertow, its day
:16:21. > :16:24.has wait gone and bad strike must end. But will my right honourable
:16:25. > :16:28.friend find himself in a position to be able to confirm that the train
:16:29. > :16:31.operating company 's will now be able to take greater control of the
:16:32. > :16:36.works of Network Rail in the future so that we can solve some of the
:16:37. > :16:40.structural problems? I thank the honourable gentleman. Camille very
:16:41. > :16:44.gently telling that I now realise why 20s go the honourable gentleman
:16:45. > :16:53.was affectionately described to me by the very near constituency
:16:54. > :16:56.neighbour of his as "Peppery". , Crow I shall perhaps observe that
:16:57. > :16:59.the secretary of state will be making a speech on this issue
:17:00. > :17:04.tomorrow evening. He made there for wish to pay close attention to the
:17:05. > :17:15.following day 's papers to learn more as to what might be announced.
:17:16. > :17:19.I know it sits -- said some to blame problems on the union but my
:17:20. > :17:22.constituents have been putting up with a disgraceful service for the
:17:23. > :17:28.best part of two years. My honourable friend asked the question
:17:29. > :17:35.about TEFL which has better satisfaction, we want this company,
:17:36. > :17:39.GTR, stripped of the franchise. Will the Minister confirm, is it still
:17:40. > :17:42.the intention of government to facilitate this and that we say to
:17:43. > :17:48.him, we do not want to wait until 2021, get on and do it now. He is
:17:49. > :17:51.certainly right to identify the problems that are occurring on the
:17:52. > :17:55.network but the answer to this problems can only be solved if we
:17:56. > :18:00.are not facing industrial action on the network day in, day out which
:18:01. > :18:15.makes it impossible for those who wish to deal with both Network Rail
:18:16. > :18:20.and GTR and other companies. Can the man Minister confirm that the
:18:21. > :18:24.problems are caused by the film that has not been well run or by
:18:25. > :18:28.unacceptable union practices which are rendered all the more this at
:18:29. > :18:33.Christmas time? I thank my right honourable friend, it is an
:18:34. > :18:39.important point. It is noticeable that the RMT adjusted its strike
:18:40. > :18:44.days because of the public outrage. I would urge them to go one step
:18:45. > :18:50.further and call off the strike altogether and get back around the
:18:51. > :18:55.negotiating table. 'S coincidently I delivered a petition to number ten
:18:56. > :18:59.this morning calling for Southern to be sacked. Will the Minister of
:19:00. > :19:01.knowledge it is not just the unacceptable and pointless union
:19:02. > :19:13.action that is causing chaos on the network but also repeated
:19:14. > :19:18.necrophilia, a shortage of drivers, and when will the Minister step in
:19:19. > :19:23.and take control of the failing company hand-pass was possible to
:19:24. > :19:29.take to transport for London. We called for this as far back as 1999.
:19:30. > :19:32.And ensure passengers are provided with much more generous
:19:33. > :19:37.compensation. His analysis is correct but what I do not think the
:19:38. > :19:43.fully appreciate is that the need to focus on Network Rail as the source
:19:44. > :19:48.of many delays means we have to have full, rapid and ready access to the
:19:49. > :19:59.track day in and day out. We cannot do that against a backdrop of
:20:00. > :20:02.continual industrial action. I have long campaigned for compensation,
:20:03. > :20:05.can I thank the Minister for the step toward it today. On the Posh
:20:06. > :20:11.online we have a huge number of trains being cancelled or delayed.
:20:12. > :20:16.As a result of failures to the cameras on board, that seem to work
:20:17. > :20:19.very well as well. Camille Yu Cen to get GTR to get a grip on this. Why
:20:20. > :20:28.that there is a technical fault or some other issue that is
:20:29. > :20:36.interfering. My right honourable friend is owed assiduous credit and
:20:37. > :20:42.I hope he will welcome last Friday's announcement. On the matter
:20:43. > :20:45.regarding trends to Horsham I understand the faults on this
:20:46. > :20:49.particular trains are running at almost double what is usually to be
:20:50. > :20:55.expected. GTR are looking into the matter further. I will write to him
:20:56. > :21:01.with the outcome of that investigation. Can I tell them of
:21:02. > :21:12.stuff started committing from Forest Hill into London Bridge in 1963 and
:21:13. > :21:21.in all that time subsequently, the service has never been as unreliable
:21:22. > :21:25.and as chaotic as it is today. I do not use them a gradual, I use the
:21:26. > :21:29.overground service but unfortunately large part of my constituency and
:21:30. > :21:41.just about every other constituency concerned, do not have that option.
:21:42. > :21:45.Many of my constituents blame Southern, some unions and some
:21:46. > :21:49.Network Rail. We have heard about track failure is causing chaos. When
:21:50. > :21:51.will he and the government do something to reassure my
:21:52. > :21:54.constituents and those of everybody in this chamber that the government
:21:55. > :21:59.is actually trying to do the best they can for commuters rather than
:22:00. > :21:59.leaving them to the fate of the most incompetent organisation in the
:22:00. > :22:07.entire UK rail industry? The honourable gentleman has given
:22:08. > :22:12.new meaning to the description delayed journey. Members will be
:22:13. > :22:15.aware Chris Doak is an extreme acrobatic
:22:16. > :22:32.-- is an extremely aware... I look forward to seamy improvement we are
:22:33. > :22:40.all anxious to see. Given that tomorrow two of my towns,
:22:41. > :22:44.Seaford and New will see their rail service ceased to exist and instead
:22:45. > :22:51.have bus replacement services, from next week for the stations in my
:22:52. > :22:55.constituency will see no rail service at all for several days, the
:22:56. > :23:01.Government response is just not good enough. The Government need to
:23:02. > :23:06.intervene and get this sorted. The honourable lady has never been
:23:07. > :23:10.anything less than assiduous in campaigning on the half of Lewis,
:23:11. > :23:15.Seaford and Newhaven and their rail services. But I would make the point
:23:16. > :23:20.to heard that the devolution in service to her constituency is
:23:21. > :23:24.because of an announced threat of strike action, against a something
:23:25. > :23:29.they've already been doing for many, many months. 30% of our commuter
:23:30. > :23:35.network is driver controlled operation. Aslef have been operating
:23:36. > :23:41.this system for many months on the new... But they are now striking on
:23:42. > :23:46.precisely what they have been doing. That also is disproportionate and
:23:47. > :23:50.unreasonable. Mr Speaker, commuters in Croydon and elsewhere have
:23:51. > :23:54.suffered enough and they certainly shouldn't be expected to pay any
:23:55. > :24:00.more for the services they use for rail chaos. Will the minister now
:24:01. > :24:10.show that he recognises the extent of the failure and rule out any fair
:24:11. > :24:17.rises -- any fare rises next year? We have always said we will cap rail
:24:18. > :24:21.fair in creases on RPI plus zero. But the impact on southern
:24:22. > :24:26.customers, we announced a compensation package last Friday
:24:27. > :24:36.that amounted to one month's free travel for annual season ticket
:24:37. > :24:40.holders. Mr Speaker, our constituents in Sussex are at their
:24:41. > :24:43.wits end and we're at our wits end, notwithstanding the chaos being
:24:44. > :24:47.caused by these completely unjustified strikes, last week's
:24:48. > :24:51.announcement on compensation was a good start but a start and taking
:24:52. > :24:57.away with the other hand worthy price rises that went with it. When
:24:58. > :25:04.we have a proper transparent penalty system for GTR commuters when they
:25:05. > :25:08.are delayed without them having to go through a very bureaucratic
:25:09. > :25:13.process of claiming it? It might add some urgency to GTR to actually sort
:25:14. > :25:18.this out. I recognise the honourable gentleman's concern to make sure
:25:19. > :25:21.that automatic compensation for delays is broadened out as fast as
:25:22. > :25:24.it possibly can be. We need to ensure that it is a system that
:25:25. > :25:29.works and works well, and we need to make sure that the positives are --
:25:30. > :25:35.the passengers were on the trains that they say they were on and were
:25:36. > :25:39.delayed. We need a technological solution and I'm keen to improve it,
:25:40. > :25:43.and GTR will be the first we get to try this out on. Chris felt.
:25:44. > :25:49.Thank you Mr Speaker. Residents in Croydon have been suffering from the
:25:50. > :25:55.terrible service for many months now. Does the Minister agree this is
:25:56. > :25:59.partly due to track and infrastructure failings, partly due
:26:00. > :26:06.to GTR's incompetence and partly due to the intransigence of the RNC. If
:26:07. > :26:10.the RMT cannot be prevailed upon to call off this needless strike, will
:26:11. > :26:14.the Minister consider legislating to ban this kind of strike action on
:26:15. > :26:19.critical public infrastructure? He said he might identify the fact that
:26:20. > :26:25.this is an investment, not just in the ?20 million we have already put
:26:26. > :26:28.in but the support, the money will have to go in to ensure that one of
:26:29. > :26:33.the most overburdened parts of our network is able to properly meet the
:26:34. > :26:37.needs of those who rely upon it to get to work, to school and all the
:26:38. > :26:46.other areas that life depends upon in the south-east. Thank you Mr
:26:47. > :26:49.Speaker. I too thank the Minister for the start in terms of
:26:50. > :26:53.compensation and as all those who suffer across the network every day,
:26:54. > :26:59.with this intolerable situation and all those using the bridge across to
:27:00. > :27:02.Southampton Airport, often travelling to Gatwick Airport from
:27:03. > :27:08.Swanwick. Will the Minister confirm that he is looking at the broad
:27:09. > :27:10.ranging harm which is caused by this disproportionate political strike
:27:11. > :27:17.affecting regional airports as well as local businesses? I always
:27:18. > :27:21.recognise the importance of Southampton Airport Parkway in the
:27:22. > :27:25.overall network but it is for South West trains and indeed the southern
:27:26. > :27:30.network to meet individual colleagues with individual concerns
:27:31. > :27:35.such as that. I'm more than happy to discuss Southampton Airport's needs
:27:36. > :27:39.with her further. Thank you. I have the misfortune of having the misery
:27:40. > :27:44.line runs through my constituency and I welcome the Government's step
:27:45. > :27:48.for compensation. It's now time for the unions to show similar boldness
:27:49. > :27:52.and call off the strikes. However, the timetable is not worth the paper
:27:53. > :27:57.it's written on. What more can the Minister do to get GTR management to
:27:58. > :27:59.get a grip and stop running a service that doesn't require
:28:00. > :28:06.compensation from the Government because it is so appalling? I'm
:28:07. > :28:12.grateful to her, she has been a staunch advocate... We suffer from
:28:13. > :28:16.an inadequate railway line. What I would say to her is the most
:28:17. > :28:24.important thing we can do at this stage is for the unions to call off
:28:25. > :28:27.industrial action and for GTR and Network Rail to focus on what really
:28:28. > :28:37.matters, ensuring we have a reliable and timely and punctual railway
:28:38. > :28:41.network. We want to get rid of this horrendous performance exacerbated
:28:42. > :28:44.by the unions, my residence in Sutton. So that we can get back to
:28:45. > :28:51.the mere poor performance and tackling those underlying issues
:28:52. > :28:58.like rail come -- rail stock and more drivers. What about the
:28:59. > :29:02.passengers that are paying by oyster as pay as you go, what can they
:29:03. > :29:05.expect in return? My honourable friend is quite right to point out
:29:06. > :29:09.that particularly in the inner parts of London in those suburban areas,
:29:10. > :29:14.people are equally reliant on Southern Rail. There will also be
:29:15. > :29:29.season-ticket reduction commission they have annually or quarterly
:29:30. > :29:33.tickets and compensation, and that to me so is the function of wherever
:29:34. > :29:36.they live on the southern network. The Minister refers to a letter I
:29:37. > :29:42.received from the director rail safety, specifying that this form of
:29:43. > :29:46.technology is not only safe but has been tested by southern as safe.
:29:47. > :29:50.Given that the unions continue to use safety for this dispute, would
:29:51. > :29:55.the Minister consider using legislation stopping unions from
:29:56. > :30:00.striking on the grounds of safety, where the regulating the industry
:30:01. > :30:03.has been that as safe? Well, my honourable friend has done the
:30:04. > :30:09.country a great service in his time on the transport Select Committee,
:30:10. > :30:17.trying to nail the myth that DTO is in some way and an safe way of
:30:18. > :30:20.driving trains. The director of rail safety in the office for road and
:30:21. > :30:25.rail called it abundantly clear and was examined closely in the Select
:30:26. > :30:29.Committee meeting and he could not have been clearer. It is now for
:30:30. > :30:37.Aslef and the RMT to pay heed to his words, call off these unreasonable
:30:38. > :30:40.and disproportionate strikes. The state-owned Network Rail is clearly
:30:41. > :30:44.not fit for purpose. The private sector train operating companies
:30:45. > :30:48.have weak and ineffectual management and the rail unions are organising
:30:49. > :30:51.politically motivated strikes. If this were happening in local
:30:52. > :30:55.Government, the Government would have sent in its own commissioners
:30:56. > :31:00.to sort out the organisation. Why doesn't it do so in this case? My
:31:01. > :31:06.honourable friend I think is quite right to point out the importance of
:31:07. > :31:10.getting track and train operators to have incentives and work together to
:31:11. > :31:14.ensure they deliver a better service on the part passengers the Secretary
:31:15. > :31:23.of State has made -- made no secret of the fact that he views that
:31:24. > :31:28.working to bring better results on the network and we look forward to
:31:29. > :31:32.reporting that in due course and improving the service that all
:31:33. > :31:35.passengers, whatever political party they support, whatever their views
:31:36. > :31:38.on how the railways should be structured, they want to see a
:31:39. > :31:43.timely, reliable and punctual rail service but what is in the way of
:31:44. > :31:47.that is the R.N. To and -- the RMT and Aslef with their
:31:48. > :31:51.disproportionate and unreasonable industrial action.