Debate Pack
A Westminster Hall debate on the ‘Net zero targets and decarbonising transport’ has been scheduled for Tuesday 4 February 2020 from 9.30-11.00am. The debate has been initiated by Damian Hinds MP.
Insight
The move comes at a time when the rail franchising system is under considerable strain.
Research Briefing
The Railways (minimum service levels) Bill 2019-20 was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 19 December 2019 No date is yet available for second reading.
Insight
The ongoing Williams Review is likely to recommend improving accessibility and regional accountability for rail services
Research Briefing
After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019 the Government intensified planning for a no-deal Brexit and stressed its intention to take the UK out of the EU on 31 October with or without a deal. But the UK remained in the EU after 31 October after a further extension of the Article 50 period was agreed with the EU. A no-deal Brexit however remains the default outcome if an agreement is not ratified. This briefing paper provides an overview of Government and EU preparations for a no-deal Brexit, and of recent reports analysing the possible impact of this outcome
Debate Pack
A Westminster Hall debate on the 'Proposed reinstatement of the Colne to Skipton railway link’ has been scheduled for Tuesday 29 October 2019 from 9.30-11.00 am. The debate has been initiated by Graham P Jones MP.
Insight
Keith Williams will appear before the Transport Select Committee on Monday 28 October.
Research Briefing
The EU and the other 27 Member States have been preparing for a possible no-deal, or 'disorderly', Brexit. The European Commission has had a no-deal preparedness plan which is now complete, and the EU27 have also been implementing their own preparations which will take effect if the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement at the end of October 2019. This paper looks at the EU preparedness programme and at some of the EU27 measures, particularly in the area of citizens' rights.
Research Briefing
The UK is party to hundreds of international treaties with third states or organisations, many of them on trade, by virtue of its EU membership. To continue to benefit from the advantages of these agreements, the Government has been seeking to replace them in a UK bilateral context. The Government has prioritised trade agreements, but has also agreed replacement agreements covering aviation services and safety, and road transport, for example. But Parliament is not happy about the way the Government is carrying out this 'treaty continuity programme' and Committees in both Houses have called for a greater scrutiny role for Parliament in treaty-making processes. This paper looks at what has been going on and what Parliamentary Committees in both Houses have asked for. It includes a table showing where we are with scrutiny of these treaties and what sort of scrutiny they have undergone, both in their precursor form as EU treaties and currently as replacement treaties.
Research Briefing
This paper provides general information on the proposed high-speed rail line between London and the North of England (HS2). It gives a brief overview of the scheme, its costs, compensation arrangements and the Bill which would give statutory and planning authority for the construction of Phase 2a of the scheme between the West Midlands and Crewe.
Research Briefing
This briefing looks in detail at the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the EU and UK and finalised on 14 November 2018. It was endorsed by EU Member State leaders at a special European Council summit on 25 November and the UK Prime Minister promoted it in the UK Parliament and around the country. The Agreement was debated at length in Parliament on several occasions and has been voted on three times. But the House of Commons has not endorsed it. A second extension of Article 50 took exit day to 31 October 2019, but once again the UK is faced with the possibility of leaving the EU without an agreement if this agreement or another one is not ratified by the UK and the EU.
Research Briefing
This paper shows that while HS2 will deliver significant capacity and connectivity improvements, there are alternatives available that could deal with the capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line at a lower cost. This paper also shows that there is still uncertainty around the costs of HS2. The estimates at the time of the 2015 Spending Review put the cost at around £65 billion (in 2015 prices). The ambitions of HS2 Ltd are to reduce the costs of the infrastructure for Phase 2b by around 40% from the 2015 Spending Review estimate.
Insight
Many rail passengers, namely season ticket holders, have been left several hundred pounds worse off under the Delay Repay passenger compensation regime.
Research Briefing
Both the standard and enhanced Delay Repay compensation schemes have regularly been touted as being more generous to passengers. This is true for many, but there is evidence in this paper to suggest that the shift to Delay Repay from the Passenger’s Charter has left many season ticket holders worse off.
Research Briefing
This paper discusses the British Transport Police (BTP): its operations, how it is overseen and current plans for its reform.
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