Oral Answers to Questions

Tim Loughton Excerpts
Thursday 12th March 2020

(4 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Chris Heaton-Harris Portrait Chris Heaton-Harris
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The Secretary of State and I met the TransPennine leadership not so long ago to put the very points that my right hon. Friend has just made. As he knows, there has been quite a big change at the head of that franchise. We are working with the new management to ensure that the new trains operate correctly and that the service his constituents would like is actually delivered for them.

Tim Loughton Portrait Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)
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While rail fares remain too high, the cost of disruption to our commuters when services go wrong, as is so often the case with Southern, is considerable. Although Delay Repay has been helpful, it does not reflect the true cost of taxis, hotels and loss of work that our constituents have been suffering. Can the Minister tell us whether the new ombudsman is going to tackle the issue and make sure that we have a compensation scheme that accurately reflects the costs that our commuters and constituents suffer?