David's News Extras

Call for publicly owned railway

National Express train (Photo: Steven Crozier)

This comes after National Express's short life as the franchise holder following GNER's pull out after its parent company ran into problems.

David said,

"The whole question of the franchises needs to be looked at again. This is the second time we have had this problem with the East Coast Main Line and it is a very important line for the North East of England.

"My view given what has happened, it might be better it was left in public hands and the Government set up an organisation to run the railway."

East Coast Rail take-over move

David says the bid, so far rejected by National Express, needs to be examined, but his main concern is the effect on passengers.

David said,

"We will have to take a close look at what the implications are. There may be competition issues concerned. But my main concern is what impact this may have on passengers on the East Coast Main Line."

Backing for Nexus Bid

The government has made private bidding to run the Tyne Wear Metro a condition of getting £300M for upgrading and modernisation of the system. David says the infrastructure is not being privatised.

David said,

"The whole question here is what can we do to make sure the money put into Metro gives us even greater results. I would expect that within the 20 years we are looking at we will more than make up that amount.

"Whatever happens we will have a rail infrastructure owned by the public, but possibly with someone else operating the trains. It is not being privatised. I personally would like to see the in-house bid win, and I don't see any reason why they should not."

Apart from the bid Nexus bid, interest has come from the state owned German Deutsche-Bahn, as well as from the Netherlands and China.

Well done Gateshead FC

He has tabled a Commons motion congratulating the club and all associated with it on its promotion to the Blue Square Premier League.

The Early Day Motion reads:

EDM 1486
GATESHEAD FOOTBALL CLUB
13.05.2009
Clelland, David
That this House congratulates Gateshead Football Club, its supporters, players, management team and all associated with the club in gaining promotion to the Blue Square Premier League; and wishes the club well on its way to returning to its rightful place in the Football League.

£5 seat fee blasted

National Express East Coast train (Photo:Steven Crozier )

He says the £5 charge for a reserved seat on a return journey is excessive. National Express are to introduce the charges this weekend.

David said,

"I would have thought £1 would be a reasonable amount. The fact is it that people reserve seats on several trains during peak times out of London, so they can take the option of which train they catch.

"And that means all the other passengers who wouldn't get reserved seats have to stand in the aisles in case the other passengers turn up,"

Expenses: rational discussion needed

He says it is bad for democracy that there is no rational discussion.

David said,

"It just seems like parts of the press are having fun with this. That might be deserved for some. But it is bad for democracy that we can't have a rational discussion about the issues."

National Express going off the rails?

Amid rumours of financial problems for the company, David says the company told the Commons Transport all was well, but it would seem there is doubt about that.

David said,

"My suspicion is that National Express has bitten off more than it can chew despite the fact that when they came to the select committee they denied they had any problem at all and things were going smoothly."

National Express need to take 'a close look'

After figures which show a huge rise in complaints, David says this compares very unfavourably with the way GNER ran the service, which was "successful and popular".

David said,

"I am aware that more people have been complaining about the National Express East Coast service.

"National Express took over a very successful and popular franchise and I see no reason why they should be having these problems. If things don't improve then there should be a close look at whether they are meeting the contractual terms of the franchise agreement."

Nissan gets big EU Loan

The European Investment Bank is lending Nissan £380m, half of which will be spent at Washington to develop greener vehicles based on the latest electric technology.

David said,

"It is very good news and it is where the future lies in reducing emissions and having more efficient vehicles."

Minister to investigate Sports Funding

David has secured this pledge following doubts about the future of the EIS. He has tabled a Commons motion on the subject.

David said,

"There had a been a slippage in funding for EIS at the beginning of the year, which meant they weren't going to have the money to pay staff and that was across the country. And in accordance with the law, they had to all give them notices but they knew it was only a temporary thing. Now that has been sorted out and all those notices have been withdrawn and that includes the Gateshead facility."

David said there was the problem for obtaining work for the EIS at Gateshead because the region does not have a major sports body to provide funding.

David says £550M of taxpayers' money has been given to Sports bodies by funding body UK Sport. he has met with Steve Cram who chairs the local EIS to try to find a solution,

David continued,

"They are now using that money for the benefit of their sport which itself doesn't look too bad - excepting they now have decided to concentrate the money they are getting in the areas where they are maintaining facilities. So that means for instance swimming is based in Bath. So the premier coach for swimming who was at Sunderland swimming pool, David McNulty, has gone off to Bath.

"We have lost him because the sporting body decided that's where they are going to have the swimming. Similarly the cycling is being concentrated in Manchester."

When David spoke to the Minister, he told him he was very unhappy with the way things were done, saying it has a detrimental effect on regions like the North-East.

He said,

"We don't have a major body in our region and it's for the bodies themselves to decide where to go - so we have got no control over it. As they are using public money, I think ministers and politicians ought to have an input into what is going on there."

"We were given the assurance that the Olympic Games project would benefit all regions. And here we find that because the sporting bodies decided in pursuing the Olympic project they are going to concentrate the money in certain areas, that our area loses out."

After Terrier, FRES and Warrior?

The MoD wants to build a new Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) fleet of vehicles and upgrade the Warriors. It is not yet known where the contracts will go, but Defence Ministers have been told Tyneside needs to know to safeguard more jobs.

David said,

"I brought the previous minister, Baroness Taylor, up to see the factory and this week we have had her predecessor up here. I'm confident that ministers know how important this is to us, and I know the staff at the Vickers factory are in an excellent position to provide these vehicles."

Good News for Vickers

Terrier Vehicle (Photo: BAe Systems)

The order is for sixty Terrier vehicles which clear the way for our troops, removing obstructions. It is hoped that further news from government will Secure the future of more jobs.

David said,

"This is excellent news, it is a big order. It is good news for both the North East and BAE systems on Scotswood Road. It secures employment for the future and will be a big boost for the apprenticeship scheme.

"I'll be seeing them when the minister arrives and discussing what other support can be offered in the future.

"It is a vote of confidence in our engineering skills in the region.

"A £300m order may not be a big issue for the company nationally, but in Tyneside it is great news and I think it will offer a lot of security, some certainty, for workers at Vickers."

Backing for Sports Facility

He points out that this is contrary to the assurances given that the 2012 Olympics would create more opportunities and he says that the closure would deny the region of vital support services hindering North-East sporting excellence in the future.

David’s Early day Motion reads:

EDM 1128
ENGLISH INSTITUTE OF SPORT’S FACILITY AT GATESHEAD STADIUM 19.03.2009
Clelland, David That this House expresses serious concern at the news that the English Institute of Sport facility based at Gateshead Stadium is under threat of closure; considers the provision of expert medical and physiotherapy support at this important centre of excellence as vital to the maintenance and continuing development of sporting excellence in the North East; notes that such closure would be contrary to the spirit of assurances given by Ministers that the Olympic project would enhance sporting opportunities across all regions; and calls on UK Sport and Government Ministers to act swiftly to prevent the closure of this facility in Gateshead.

Tories abused their power

Lord Tebbit said that the Thatcher Tory government had wanted to bring prosperity to the North-East, but David said they used the police as a ‘political weapon’ to devastate communities.

David said,

"I don’t think Scargill covered himself in glory but they on the other hand, there was a definite abuse of power by Margaret Thatcher and Tebbit at the time. They used the force of the police as a political weapon against communities up and down the country, not just in the North East of England. These communities will never forgive them for it."

No Case for National Express

National Express train at Newcastle

The operator is said to be asking to pay the government less for its franchise despite increased profits, and there are fears the service could be reduced a minimal level. The company has said it will meet timetable commitments, but other services above the minimum required could be targeted.

David said,

"National Express should think very carefully before cutting jobs and service. Obviously they are a business out to make profit and so I would be not at all surprised if they attempted to use these results as a way of trying to reduce their commitments in some way but I certainly don’t think they have a case for that."

Hitachi Super Express

Trains could be built in Gateshead

British-led consortium Agility Trains have indicated that Gateshead is a strong contender and it would bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

David said,

"This is fantastic news. This is a huge opportunity for the North East with a project that’s easily as big as when Nissan first came to the region."

"I have been in discussion with the Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon about locating the project in Gateshead and Also Mick Henry at Gateshead Council. We must pull out all the stops to bring the manufacturing facility to Gateshead , and I will play my part.

"The North East has a long and proud history with the railway industry. Gateshead has been a big player in the industry in the past and I hope we can be in the future."

Support for pleural plaque sufferers

White patches in the lungs show pleural plaques

The campaign, backed by the Evening Chronicle, aims to overturn a House of Lords ruling which is preventing sufferers from receiving compensation. The disease is caused by exposure to asbestos.

David said,

"These people need support. They suffer badly enough with the effects of the disease without having to struggle to get reasonable compensation."

Rail Franchises under Scrutiny

National Express Train (Photo: Steve Crozier)

This comes as Sir Richard Branson has said he might step in to take over the East Coast Main Line from troubled operator National Express. David says the Commons Transport Committee of which he is a senior member, will be looking at the issue.

David said,

"The transport select committee is looking at the whole question of franchises and hopefully, we will get to the bottom of all the details of this."

When Senior National Express executive Paul Bunting refused to give any further information to MPs about this, David said,

"I wondered if Mr Bunting had seen the Newcastle Journal which has an article about projected problems that there might be in the franchise for the East Coast Line and suggesting that Richard Branson might have an interest in taking it on."

David with Geoff Hoon

Transport Secretary backs High Speed Rail

He met with Mr Hoon to press the case for the North-East’s transport needs and also to raise the need to consider a system to use Maglev technology of which David is an active proponent, making the case in the Transport Committee whenever the subject is discussed.

David said,

"It is important to look at the latest technology if such a route were to be built. And of course any high-speed rail line needs to be linked up to the North East and Scotland and in my discussions with the Secretary of State, he fully recognised that,"

Charge may help

National Express train (Photo:Steven Crozier )

National Express East Coast plan to introduce a £1 fee for seat reservations to reduce the number of reserved seats that are not used. David says this would be welcome.

He said,

"There is a frequent problem on many services in which people reserve a seat on different services which they may not intend to use.

"We will all be familiar with getting on a train and having to wait until it is moving before you can start trying to track down which seats have been booked but not used."

Smart Future for Travel

David has welcomed the news as "the way forward". Similar to the London Oyster card, users will be able to use a single card for travel on the Metro, buses and trains across the region in about two years.

David said,

"It’s certainly the way forward. The system works in London, where it is very popular and very useful. It brings people back on to public transport and is definitely the way to get commuters to travel."

Let Rock Lend

The bank is ahead of schedule in repaying its debts, and David says that it should now be allowed to offer credit once more.

David said,

"Given the changed circumstances and the fact that Northern Rock seems to have stabilised, yes, the Government should look at revising the business plan."