RAILWAY VIOLENCE

Early day motion 1636, tabled 13 February 2006 by Lord Grayling (Conservative). Signed by 63 members.

That this House expresses its very great concern about the sharply rising incidence of violence on and around the UK's railway stations; notes the work done by the London Evening Standard to highlight the problem of unmanned stations late at night; further notes that total Government spending on railways has risen from £1.4 billion in 2001 to £5.8 billion in the coming financial year and that passengers this year faced fare increases of well above the rate of inflation; reminds the Government that one of the key goals of its 10 year plan was for `people to travel safely and feel secure'; further notes that the Department for Transport now controls the detail of the service to be provided by rail companies under the terms of their franchise agreements; and expresses concern that the Government is failing to spend its transport budget wisely or effectively and that passengers remain at risk despite the levels of funding that the railways are receiving.

Signatures by party: Conservative 52, Liberal Democrat 5, DUP 3, Labour 2, Respect 1.