Julie Morgan MP

Appropriate services

I managed to speak in both of the oral questions sessions yesterday on the final day of the House of Commons before the recess. On transport, I intervened to ask about providing decent coverage of rail services:

7. Julie Morgan (Cardiff, North) (Lab): If he will take steps to ensure that there is a frequent railway service from all parts of the UK. [109934]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Tom Harris): New franchise agreements specify a minimum service level that takes account of demand and network capacity. Bidders can propose more services, where that is operationally practicable. There are also provisions to deal with the need for extra trains during the life of a franchise.

Julie Morgan: What can my hon. Friend do to ensure that First Great Western provides a good reliable service into Wales in view of the fact that the 3.15 pm from Paddington now stops at Cardiff and does not go on to Swansea? The 7.03 am from Bristol to Cardiff and Swansea has been taken off altogether. What can he do to ensure that a better service is provided for Wales?

Mr. Harris: I am aware of my hon. Friend’s concerns and they have been echoed by right hon. and hon. Friends over the past few weeks. The 17.18 Cardiff to Swansea service run by First Great Western is a matter for the company: I do not have the authority to intervene in that matter and insist that that particular service is reinstated. However, the Department will continue to monitor passenger numbers on that route. I am told by First Great Western that capacity on alternative services run by Arriva Trains Wales is sufficient to accommodate passenger numbers on that line.

I was also able to intervene during Constitutional Affairs Questions. On a question relating to social exclusion, I asked about Citizens Advice and the Specialist Support Service, which I campaigned to retain earlier this year when it was threatened with closure:

Julie Morgan (Cardiff, North) (Lab): Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that in Wales the citizens advice bureaux, properly supported by the Welsh specialist support service, have an important contribution to make to reducing social exclusion? Will she comment on the future of those two bodies?

Vera Baird: The future for those two bodies is very positive. The point is to turn them over to a fixed-fee regime. They are increasing their productivity massively, which is commendable. They now have a full year in which to do much more of that before they are gently and supportively moved across on to a fixed-fee regime, enabling them to do more work for more people at better quality prices for the taxpayer. It is difficult to get a value-for-money, good quality legal advice service into this country, particularly in rural areas. The Tories never managed it. This Government will.

Banning the buffet

I made a quick intervention in yesterday's Opposition Day debate on transport strategy to raise the issue of First Great Western's services from London to Wales. My Swansea colleague Sian James was remarking that FGW has been named as one of the least reliable rail franchises in Britain, with only a 79.4% reliability record, and that the 1515 hours service from London Paddington to Swansea was being cancelled. There are other concerns, too, not just about punctuality but also about overcrowding and services:

Julie Morgan (Cardiff, North) (Lab): I support my hon. Friend’s remarks about First Great Western. If the service beyond Cardiff is going to stop, the service to Cardiff may soon stop as well. It shows a lack of interest in Wales on the part of First Great Western. Is she aware of the proposal to cut the buffet service between Cardiff and Paddington, which I have received a complaint about? Does she think that that is a strange way of improving the rail service?

Mrs. James: I certainly do. It highlights the fact that a company that was recently engaged in a re-franchising process, when it made many promises, is now making cuts at will and making changes that suit it, not the people that it is supposed to be serving.

Apparently FGW believes that it can save eight minutes on journeys by replacing the buffet service with a trolley service. This is difficult to imagine for those First Great Western services which are standing room only!

I'm always very grateful for comments and representations from constituents on the rail service from Cardiff to London — I've raised before in the House the cost of the journey, which incredibly is more than the cost of a plane ticket to some European capitals. With the recent news of more above-inflation increases in ticket prices, it's important that the rail operators remember that they are, after all, providing a public service.

Traffic problems at Cardiff Gate

Over the past couple of weeks, a number of constituents have shared their worries with me about the traffic situation at Cardiff Gate Business Park. The business park has proven to be a very successful endeavour and it is a great shame that employees and employers are meeting with such difficulty at the site. One constituent informed me that it took her nearly two hours to get from the Business Park to Thornhill, and home — a journey which in the morning takes her ten minutes.

This is clearly unacceptable. Back in July, I wrote to Cardiff Council to ask what could be done to help alleviate the gridlock. Councillor Elgan Morgan, the Lib Dem Executive Member for the Environment and Transport portfolio, told me:

"It is understood that WAG [the Welsh Assembly Government] propose to widen the M4 motorway between Junction 29 (Castleton) and Junction 32 (Coryton). Although the slip roads at Junction 30 will be trunked after the M4 Widening works are completed, it is understood that there are no improvements planned by WAG for improving safety and capacity of the roundabout on the junction. It is hoped that an appropriate improvement to the junction can be identified and funded in partnership with Cardiff Gate Business Park and WAG given the potential safety and operational benefits to the business park, the local highway network and the M4 motorway.

An initial meeting has already been held with WAG officers on 10th July 2006, and a meeting has also been arranged with representatives of Cardiff Gate Business Park for 17th July 2006."

Last week I wrote to Councillor Morgan asking what progress has been made on those discussions, as well as the discussions which were being had on sustainable options such as car sharing, bus services and cycling. With more businesses looking to move to Cardiff Gate, it is crucial that improvements are undertaken to ensure that people can access — and leave! — the Business Park quickly and efficiently. I'll be keeping constituents informed of developments over the coming months.

On the buses

The Concessionary Bus Travel Bill has been introduced into Parliament, which will create a scheme of free bus travel for older and disabled people in England. To mark the occasion, a special bus laid on by Arriva stopped at 10 Downing Street today to be greeted by Tony Blair and Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander.

Of course, we in Wales have led the way on this — which is why we already have our own scheme of free bus travel at any time for people aged over 60 and for disabled people. Sue Essex, the Assembly Member for Cardiff North, introduced this scheme, in just another example of devolution working for people in Wales. See here at Directgov to check if you're entitled to get around cheaper and easier!