Crossrail Bill

moved Amendment No. 1: 1: Clause 23, page 15, line 16, leave out ““from time to time publish”” and insert ““publish every 12 months or from time to time”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, this is a slightly modified version of the amendment that I tabled in Committee. I have opted to modify, rather than to drop, the amendment because I was not satisfied with the reasoning that the Minister gave for allowing total freedom to the ORR in relation to frequency of reporting. For the sake of time, I will not repeat all I said in Committee. However, it is not unreasonable to expect the Office of Rail Regulation to produce an annual report detailing its past, present and future activities in relation to the Crossrail project. I understand that the ORR may need to report on certain incidents or matters of importance more regularly, and this amendment would not prevent that. It is imperative that an annual report is provided, so that it can be scrutinised by all interested parties and, if necessary, by this House and the other place. The benefits of annual reporting are clear. Twelve months is a long enough period to assess performance accurately; the reports can be used as benchmarks for future performance expectations; and an annual report will simplify comparative studies with other key documents. I imagine that the Minister will refer us to his comments in Committee on why he does not agree with this amendment. However, I believe that this is a fair compromise and I am optimistic that the Minister and his noble friends may be more open to this approach. After receiving letters from the Minister on a different issue, I am grateful for his comments, particularly on the requirement that Cross London Rail Links will publish financial information on an annual basis, subject to protecting commercial interests. I am disappointed that the Minister did not add this to the legislation by accepting my amendment. However, I am pleased that the Government and the Minister have decided to adopt our thinking, and I hope that they repeat that logic today. I received a letter dated 10 July from the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, regarding the impact of construction of Crossrail on the Great Eastern Main Line. The Minister explained the impact of the construction in great detail and emphasised the need for a consistent approach to planning and consultation across the network. The Minister went on to offer me, in my other capacity as leader of Essex County Council, constant information on the subject. I am pleased to accept his comments. I apologise for dealing with these two small issues, but there was probably no other opportunity to mention them. I beg to move.