Transport (Wales) Bill

moved Amendment No. 3:"Page 1, line 11, after ““required”” insert ““, including rail infrastructure,””" The noble Lord said: The amendment aims to ensure that the Bill is relevant to all aspects of Welsh transport, not just the road and bus network. Despite the Minister’s assurances at Second Reading and in a letter to me that provisions are contained in the Railways Act 2005, it is still extraordinary that railways are not mentioned in this Bill. I cannot find a reference and I fail to understand why that is. The amendment is not about whether the Assembly has the power to take the necessary steps to develop the railways and their services, but instead to ensure that any steps taken are co-ordinated—that is what we are after—with other areas of the transport network. At Second Reading, we were told that the answer lay in Sections 10 and 11 of the Railways Act 2005. Indeed, those sections relate specifically to Wales and ensure that the National Assembly must be a party to any policy of the Secretary of State which relates to Welsh railways and that the Assembly can give financial assistance to provide, improve or develop the railways. But nowhere is there a mention of or provision for integrated transport services. Her Majesty’s Government have already appreciated the effects that railways can have on roads. Andrew Davies, the Assembly’s Economic Minister, noted that,"““a single freight train can remove up to 120 HGV journeys from UK roads””." That effect is being ignored without an integrated policy to both rail and road. The content of the Bill differs considerably from the content of the Minister’s letter, to which I referred. He says:"““Rail is an essential element of creating this truly integrated transport system in Wales””." He goes on to say:"““I can assure you that rail services will form a central part of the Wales Transport Strategy””." I have no reason to doubt the veracity of those words. He adds:"““The Strategy will set out the Assembly’s vision and priorities for the transport system in Wales, which will form the basis upon which programmes for delivery will be formulated, primarily through local authorities’ transport plans. The consultation on the draft Strategy will give the Assembly the opportunity to discuss the feasibility of its proposed priorities and plans with its key transport partners, for example, Arriva Trains Wales and Network Rail. The speed of implementation will of course reflect the resources available””." With regard to the implementation of transport policies, the Welsh Assembly Government are fully committed to seeing improvements made to rail services and infrastructure in Wales. There is no doubt that rail will be considered as part of the integrated transport policy, but it is curious that there is no mention of it in the Bill. That is the reason behind the appropriate Amendment No. 3. I beg to move.