"A Minister incapable of organising a consultation must resign"

21.3.02

Tube consultation will have to be repeated, claims MP

In the Commons last week, Liberal Democrat London Spokesman and Kingston and Surbiton MP, Edward Davey, called for the resignation of Stephen Byers, the Transport Minister, in a debate on the controversial consultation on the PPP for London's tube. Mr Davey argued the consultation revealed gross incompetence by Ministers.

Edward Davey described the current PPP consultation as "incomplete and inadequate" and revealed that the consultation process would have to be repeated because of its shortcomings. Edward Davey believes this is due to the Transport Secretary's mistake in trying to "bounce" the consultation too early, against advice of London Underground's boss, Sir Malcolm Bates.

Mr. Davey's Commons debate follows a visit he and fellow Liberal Democrat MP, Tom Brake, paid to the "bid room" at London Underground last Thursday (14th March). The "bid room" is where all the documentation for Tube PPP is held. The Liberal Democrat London MPs were able to consult some key documents and quiz both the Transport for London team and London Underground's key staff. They saw the full copy of the letter from Sir Malcolm Bates to Stephen Byers, which warned the Minister that his actions "will damage the public sector's interests during the remainder of the competition [for the PPP contracts]."

Commenting after the debate Edward Davey said:

"Stephen Byers' mishandling of the PPP for London's tube now looks even more incompetent than his Railtrack failures.

"Byers totally ignored the letter from London Underground's boss on 6th February, warning him not to publish commercially sensitive information. The Transport Secretary has been negligent with taxpayers' money and undermined London Underground's negotiating position, and should go.

"It was Mr Byers who forced the pace on the PPP consultation process, when London Underground clearly was not ready. Now it's clear the consultation process will have to happen all over again.

"If the Transport Secretary can't even organise a consultation process competently, it must be time for him to resign or face the sack.

"The Minister replying to the debate, Nick Raynsford, showed how sensitive and vulnerable the Government is on the tube privatisation. He failed to answer my central charges. This tube deal is in chaos."