John Redwood
(Wokingham) (Con):
Could the Secretary of State give us a little more indication of how he will consult on and agree minimum standards in the railway industry?
Grant Shapps:
I will set out in a bit more detail the way in which the legislation will work in a while, but, briefly speaking, secondary legislation by regulation will be used in each individual sector to come to the right balance. I will explain that in more detail, if my right hon. Friend is patient. I will give way in just a moment. I have already taken more interventions from Opposition Members than from Government Members. I think it is true to say that there comes a time when we cannot let such a situation continue. That is why we need minimum safety and service levels to keep livelihoods and lives safe. It is frankly irresponsible, and even surprising, for the Opposition to suggest otherwise.
January 17, 2023
Ah, secondary legislation again. It worked so well during Covid, didn’t it?
Secondary legislation means: ‘We’ll do what we like’. No principles, no constraints.
January 18, 2023
Shapps is a careerist and useless remainer. Has he achieved anything for the public? Anything? He was nasty to Liz Truss because his ego would not accept she did not want him in her govt. Well done Truss.
January 17, 2023
How to ensure a General Strike in one easy lesson
January 17, 2023
A minimum standard service level for Govt should be that it takes sensible actions and does not carelessly waste so much money.
January 18, 2023
But wasting other people’s money is about the only thing they are good at!
January 17, 2023
No detail in the answer, just a hint that strikes may be banned under the cover of safety.
January 17, 2023
Get those pizza oven warmed up; thereās more on the way
January 17, 2023
Iām at a loss to understand why the Minister was unable to answer a straightforward question such as this?
January 18, 2023
A matter of principle, Ministers don’t agree to answer questions from mere backbenchers!
And the Civil Service will always ensure.
January 17, 2023
Good luck and work hard and enjoy the training
January 17, 2023
Bonded Servitude – the Tory dream.
January 18, 2023
So what would you call the Russians not in the Moscow Elite, the non-Pyongyang citizens of N.Korea, the non-Communist member, or business tycoons of China (many try hard to live and prosper outside of course).
January 17, 2023
Is this row with the SNP being used to cover up the Usurper’s capitulation in N Ireland? They are both going on at the same time and one of them, the most important one, isn’t getting reported at all while the other is all over the news. We are all being told how strong the Usurper is to stand up to La Sturgeon.
January 17, 2023
A month ago we were told [UK public sector wages increased by 2.7% in the year to October, according to official figures that will fuel the anger of rail and health sector workers preparing to go on strike in the run-up to Christmas. ONS]. Yet the nurses on grade 5, got nearly a 10% rise in real folding money in 2022/23 considering a one-off back dated payment of Ā£1400, those below grade 5 got a higher %. These 2.7% increases the ONS are using donāt seem to be correct at all.
Are the rail workers public sector? Or just considered public sector because their pay is made up from subsidies rather than just the ticket fares?
[Subsidising the railways has cost British households Ā£1,800 each over the past six years, new figures show. Taxpayers have been forced to inject Ā£50.4bn to prop up the railways since 2016/17 as fare income is not enough to balance the books. Figures released by regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on Tuesday showed Government funding was Ā£13.3bn in the year to March 2022, compared with Ā£17.6bn in the previous year. Source Telegraph]
To give the rail the pay they want how much will the extra cost every household? Why donāt the news people ever tell us what it is going to cost the public to pay them what they are demanding. Does your government still pay the full subsidies on the days the railways donāt operate, someone said on this blog that they companies still get the subsidies and use the money for their often out of the UK owners. What other company would you do that for?
January 17, 2023
I don’t know, but I’ll think of something. Don’t try to put me on the spot like those tiresome opposition members.
January 17, 2023
Clearly he has never been a Union member, or even has a clue as to how Unions or the membership organise themselves for best effect.
Complicated legislation to try and force people to work, will simply not work, because the unions will find a way to circumvent whatever he puts in place.
January 18, 2023
Monopoly service providers should not be allowed to strike. Work to rule yes withdraw Labour no