Public Transport (Disabled Access)

Gregory Campbell Excerpts

Wednesday 12th October 2011 Westminster Hall

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy) on securing the debate and on the excellent way in which she introduced the subject for us. The background is that 60% of people with disabilities have no access to a car and are therefore totally reliant on public transport, whether bus, train, tube or taxi. For them, public transport is of even greater importance than for the rest of the population, and that fundamental point should underlie the debate.

In London, the treatment of passengers with disabilities is probably, although it does not always feel like it, rather better than it is in many other parts of the country. That is not an accident; it has happened because we have a regulated bus service and a unitary transport authority. It has also happened because of the hands-on approach taken by the former Greater London council and, for most of the period since their introduction, by the Greater London authority and the Mayor in pushing the whole disability agenda. The Mayor’s office also has a very effective advisory network that can ensure that it delivers on those issues. Under the previous Mayor, Ken Livingstone, there was an ambitious programme to convert a large number of tube stations to disability access, for which he should be commended. That is the issue that I want to refer to in a local context.

There are 11 stations—Network Rail and underground— that serve my constituency. Of the Network Rail ones, on the North London line, Upper Holloway, Crouch Hill and Canonbury have proper disability access, with ramps and so on, and all are staffed at present. With the stations that are mixed London Underground and Network Rail, there is an utterly ridiculous situation. In the case of Highbury and Islington, for example, the London overground station has disability access—it has recently been refurbished to bring in the East London line—but the underground station does not, so it is impossible to get off an overground train and on to an underground train there, because there is not proper access to enable people to do so.

Finsbury Park is a very old, busy and crowded underground station, and Network Rail, the underground and buses converge there. After a lot of argument, Network Rail has agreed to put in a lift between street level and the mainline platforms, which are well above street level. At the same time, Transport for London has cancelled its plans to put in a lift to the underground platforms underneath. Thus we have a ludicrous situation in which someone in a wheelchair, arriving at Finsbury Park station by the overground, will be able to get from the mainline platforms to the street, but will not be able to get to the underground.

I use that station frequently and every day passengers carry people with wheelchairs, and carry buggies, up and down. The overcrowding and lack of accessibility, and the danger that goes with that, are ridiculous. I hope that the Minister will pass on to his friend the Mayor of London what I have to say to him: please think again about the cancellation of the conversion scheme for a large number of London stations. It is making the lives of many people a misery and something should be done about it. The conversion needs to happen much more widely, across the network.

At other stations there is no access for people with disabilities. Those include Archway, which was also the subject of a plan from Ken Livingstone. Three stations that were due to be converted have had their plans cancelled. Highbury and Islington is the other, and only one station—Tufnell Park—has accessibility to the tube, which is by means of a lift. The situation is ridiculous, but I do not plead that case just for my constituency. I am using it as an example that could be repeated across London; it is not exclusive to my area.

My second general point is about buses and accessibility. After a lot of campaigning, London buses have ramps, and drivers are supposed to stop in such a way that the ramp can be used, enabling wheelchair users to get on the bus. Many drivers are good, reasonable, responsible and decent, and they stop in the proper place, giving people time to get on. That is fine, but unfortunately some drivers do not do it. Buses are often crowded, so often people with a wheelchair have to wait for many buses to go by before they can get on. On a cold winter’s morning, it is no joke when a person in a wheelchair is stuck for a long time simply trying to get on a bus. Space is lacking, because it is taken up with buggies and other things, so while I obviously accept the point that awareness is needed, we need training to go with it.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will dwell on that point for a moment. He referred to gaps in his constituency, but in the past 15 or 20 years there has been movement on the issue of infrastructure across the UK. However, there appears still to be a gap in staff training and awareness of problems. Although there has been some progress on that in the past 10 years, more needs to be done, particularly as some people do not seem to be aware of the crucial issues that affect partially-sighted and disabled people.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

I absolutely accept that attitudes, awareness and training have improved, but we need only look at the building we are in to see that we still have very far to go in achieving proper accessibility. I realise that those things are not simple, but nevertheless they must be achieved.

Outside London, where the bus service is largely less regulated, facilities tend to be much worse, and we need a much tougher approach from central Government to ensure that bus companies do as they should, bus stops are appropriate, and buses are sufficiently regulated and regular to enable people to get around. It is no fun to be waiting in a wheelchair in the cold, unable to move around to get warm, as other people who are not in wheelchairs can.

As to Network Rail, the McNulty review stated:

“The Study recommends that the default position for all services on the GB rail network should be DOO”—

driver-only operations—

“with a second member of train crew only being provided where there is a commercial, technical or other imperative.”

How many times have we seen people trying to get on or off trains at remote or suburban stations at night, when there are no staff on the station or the train—only a driver, who cannot see everything or be everywhere? It is then a great struggle simply to get on or off a train. The McNulty proposal to go to a largely driver-only-operated service means that many suburban and rural services will have no member of staff on them, and in addition there will be unstaffed stations. That is obviously a huge deterrent to anyone who has special needs getting into the station and on to the train. I hope that the Minister will make it clear that he does not want that aspect of the McNulty proposals to be introduced.

Additionally, it is often difficult for people, particularly those with sight difficulties, when there are no staff on the station and only ticket vending machines are used. The machines are often the wrong height or badly placed. Getting a ticket and getting on the train when there are no staff becomes a nightmare. It is unnecessary and wrong to have such arrangements; they are uncivilised and we should put a stop to them.

As many as 10,000 ticket staff across the country could lose their jobs between now and 2013 if McNulty is implemented. Those people are there to help, bring security and support people. Surely we need to give a lot of thought to that, and quickly. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Wigan on obtaining the debate, and I hope that the Minister understands that the role of the Government is to regulate and to ensure that services are provided: because 60% of people with disabilities have no access to a car, public transport is the only option for them. Buses and trains must be accessible, stations must be staffed and the staff must be trained to assist people as necessary. That is the only right and proper thing to do.

Railway Industry

Gregory Campbell Excerpts

Tuesday 19th October 2010 Westminster Hall

[Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot) (Con)]

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this important matter, and I thank the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Katy Clark) for securing the debate. Railways are a key part of our infrastructure, and if we are serious about global warming, investment in them is key. Today, however, I would like to focus on the challenge I face in my constituency. We have a delightful coastal railway—it starts in Exeter and terminates in Plymouth—running through Starcross, Dawlish, Teignmouth and Newton Abbot in my constituency. It is probably one of the most beautiful parts of the railway network and has been photographed countless times. More importantly, it is a lifeline for my local community, providing jobs and transport.

The records that I have been able to review show that 2 million people used that part of the network in the past 12 months. The local economy is heavily dependent on tourism. Devon as a whole had 5.3 million visitors in the past year, and those tourists are responsible for 7% of Devon’s economy. My constituency is in the district of Teignbridge, where tourism is critically important; it is the second most visited district in Devon. A third of the workers in Teignbridge—16,000 people—depend on tourism for their jobs. I urge the Minister to consider how important that stretch of railway is, not only because it is beautiful, but because it really matters to the economic viability of that part of the country.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

The hon. Lady outlines accurately some of the benefits that railway provision can bring, particularly to areas that require tourism infrastructure, such as my constituency and hers. Does she agree that simple investment in railways, such as the passing loop system, which does not exist on single-lane tracks in my constituency and might not in hers, can help to build the tourist infrastructure to which she alluded and make the switch from private cars to railways so much easier?

[Anne Marie Morris]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his contribution. I do not claim to be an expert in railway loops, but the most important thing is to ensure that we have viable railway networks at an appropriate and affordable cost, which is something the Minister is best placed to look at.

My concern about the stretch of the railway network in my constituency is that there were suggestions during the last Parliament that it is not worth maintaining it and that we should instead consider an inland route. That proposal was made because the line, which is on the coast, is subject to coastal erosion. Clearly that is a concern, but given the work that was done during the last Parliament, I think that we all agree that maintaining the existing line was economically the right answer, despite the coastal erosion.

The House of Commons inquiry came up with the figure of £100 million to put in a new line. By comparison, I have been able to unearth a figure of £200,000 to maintain that stretch of railway. On the concern about erosion, the latest studies show that we are looking at a relatively safe period over the next 50 years. The expectation is that there will be a 0.3 metre rise in sea levels in the next 100 years which, while important, should not detract from the viability of maintaining this piece of track.

I would also draw to the Minister’s attention the fact that usage of this railway line is one of the fastest growing in the country; it is anticipated that it will grow by 19% over this and next year. It is obvious that the more we invest in maintaining pieces of railway, the less dependence there will be on cars. In rural parts of the country such as mine, there is already significant dependence on cars, so this line makes an important contribution. I urge the Minister to look carefully at the line and at continuing investment in it. The last conversations that I had with First Great Western and Network Rail indicated that there was no intention of reducing investment, but I would be grateful if the Minister looked into that.

My final question, which is related but of more national import, is about rolling stock. The trains that come down my piece of railway line are very full. I understand that, under the previous Government, obtaining new rolling stock was very much down to the Government, who controlled what rolling stock train operating companies could acquire. That put a straitjacket on the proper commercial operation of those businesses, and I would be grateful if the Minister looked at loosening that stranglehold so that companies can make sensible commercial decisions. Hopefully there will be sensible use of rolling stock down the line.