Extract from committee stage (Commons)(day 2) of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill - Sep 16
Thursday, 17 September 2020 09:41
Ben Lake (Ceredigion) (PC):...This Government are keen on investing
in rail infrastructure, as we see from HS2 and Crossrail, and they
also have the responsibility over the railways in Wales. Wales was
promised boldly in 2010 that a Conservative Government would
electrify the Great Western main line to Swansea and in 2015 that
the valleys lines and the north Wales main line would also be
electrified. Despite those lofty promises, the north Wales main
line and the valleys line are still not...Request free trial
(Ceredigion)
(PC):...This Government are keen on investing in rail
infrastructure, as we see from HS2 and Crossrail, and they also
have the responsibility over the railways in Wales. Wales was
promised boldly in 2010 that a Conservative Government would
electrify the Great Western main line to Swansea and
in 2015 that the valleys lines and the north Wales main line would
also be electrified. Despite those lofty promises, the north Wales
main line and the valleys line are still not electrified, and after
10 years the promise to electrify the line all the way to Swansea
has materialised as a partial electrification to Cardiff Central
only. In that key area of infrastructure, there are no limitations
on the power of UK Ministers to invest in Wales, and although Wales
has about 11% of the railway track, it has received only 1.5% of
the money that UK Ministers have spent on rail improvements in
recent years. Why, therefore, should UK Ministers be afforded
additional powers to act in devolved competences, given that they
have failed to make the most of the powers they already have?
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