Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Network Rail: Staff Levels, Working Arrangements and Employment Conditions

Thursday 29 April 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Network Rail's chair and CEO about the organisation's structure and operation.
  • Grahame Morris mentioned that trade unions are alarmed by Network Rail's recent proposals.
  • Network Rail's proposals could involve significant job losses and reduced safety-critical maintenance frequency.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Employment Transport
Context

The MP is concerned about recent proposals by Network Rail that could involve job losses and reduced maintenance work, raising fears of safety issues similar to those under Railtrack.

Question

What recent discussions has the Secretary of State had with Network Rail representatives on future staff levels, working arrangements, and employment conditions?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

As sole shareholder, the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the chair and chief executive officer of Network Rail, as do I. Obviously those discussions sometimes cover matters such as the structure and operation of that organisation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details about recent discussions on staff levels, working arrangements, and employment conditions were not provided

How: Avoiding Specifics, General Statement

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Q2 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Transport
Context

The trade unions are alarmed by recent Network Rail proposals that could involve job losses and reduced maintenance work, raising concerns about compromising safety on railways.

Question

I thank Network Rail for contacting me yesterday, but may I point out that the trade unions are alarmed to hear of its recent proposals, which could involve the loss of thousands of rail jobs and a halving of the frequency of safety-critical planned maintenance work? We certainly do not want any return to the cost-cutting and safety failures under Railtrack. Can the Minister assure the House that safety will not be compromised and that any changes will be agreed with the trade unions and the regulator, which play such a vital role in protecting safety on our railways?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

Yes.

Not addressed: Details about safety assurances and agreements with unions were not provided, only a one-word affirmative response was given.

How: Deflecting By Providing Minimal Response

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