Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 30 Jun 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"I share the Minister’s attractive vision for more choice and variety on our railways; the trouble is that that is not what the Government’s plans will introduce. They weaken competition, reduce choice and extend state central planning and control enormously. Anyone using Hull Trains, Lumo or Grand Central Rail can …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 14 Jun 2022
Portishead Railway
"The Minister is right to congratulate our right hon. Friend, my neighbour and co-MP for north Somerset, but it is not just his constituency that is affected. Right next door in my constituency, many people are in favour of the project, not only because of the reductions in the environmental …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Portishead Railway
Written Question
Friday 2nd July 2021
Asked by:
John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether the number of commissioned service contracts in place under the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail be the same as the number of rail franchises operated under the previous system.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
It will be for Great British Railways to determine the number of Passenger Service Contracts let. The geographic and financial size of Passenger Service Contracts will reflect local markets and needs. Great British Railways will need to take account of the full range of operational, commercial and economic factors in making these decisions.
Written Question
Monday 14th June 2021
Asked by:
John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare of 21 January and 6 May 2021 on behalf of constituent, Paul Walton, on the impact of the pandemic on the aviation industry.
Answered by Robert Courts
A response to these letters was sent on 7 June.
Written Question
Friday 12th March 2021
Asked by:
John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question
to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) cost, (b) efficacy and (b) value of the (i) Operator of Last Resort and (ii) private sector operators.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Operator of Last Resort (OLR) function exists to discharge the Secretary of State’s Duties under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993. In deciding whether to transfer an operator to the OLR, the Secretary of State has regard to the Statement of policy on the exercise of the Secretary of State's power under section 26(1) of the Railways Act 1993.
If an operator is transferred into the OLR, that operator is managed under contract by the Department for Transport in much the same way as private sector operators are. These contracts deal with issues of cost, efficacy and value on an operator by operator basis.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 30 Jan 2020
Oral Answers to Questions
"Angry and frustrated passengers in the south-east and elsewhere will have been delighted to hear the Secretary of State say that rail franchising is not working anymore, but will the Minister confirm that swapping the uncaring private sector monopolies of franchising for the equally uncaring state monopoly of renationalisation will …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 16 May 2018
East Coast Main Line
"I welcome the Secretary of State’s response to my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond), who asked about open access. The Secretary of State was clear that open-access services will be maintained, but may I ask him to go further? In preparing for the end of the current …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: East Coast Main Line
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 05 Feb 2018
Rail Update
"The last time the Secretary of State stood at the Dispatch Box, I asked him about open-access rail and competing rail firms. He rightly waxed lyrical about the benefits to customers in terms of choice and value that open-access rail can produce. As he looks at the options for the …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Rail Update
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 18 Jan 2018
Oral Answers to Questions
"On the east coast main line, rather than taking us back to the bad old days of British Rail, as the Labour party’s renationalisation proposals would do, will the Secretary of State instead consider the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations for more on-track open access choice and competition, with the …..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 10 Jan 2018
Rail Franchising
"The hon. Gentleman decries the lack of competition from direct awards, so have he and his party considered the report of 18 months ago from the Competition and Markets Authority calling for more on-track competition within franchises as an alternative to the increasing allocation of monopolies through franchising?..."John Penrose - View Speech
View all John Penrose (Con - Weston-super-Mare) contributions to the debate on: Rail Franchising