Is he telling us that previous franchises have been awarded purely on price ... ?
If you go to the
DfT» looking for the announcement, you find a press release.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-raft-of-schemes-to-improve-ticketingThis starts off:
Rail passengers are set to benefit from a raft of initiatives that will improve ticketing and help them get a better deal on travel, Rail Minister Norman Baker announced today (19 September 2013).
These include:
and in the list of items there is:
- a stronger and more focused approach to customer service as part of the government^s new rail franchising schedule. Under the new bidding criteria, franchisees will not only be scored on the financial strength of their bids but on their commitment to improve passenger services, including plans for retail and ticketing systems
Further down are two paragraphs given as direct quotes, suggesting that the item above is not in his words.
I wondered whether there was a full text of the announcement somewhere, though there is no link to one (as sometimes happens). So I rang DfT - on their public enquiry number. I was put through to the press office, where a guy tried very hard not to answer as I was not press. However, as I kept asking, he did tell me there is no full text of this "announcement" - the press release is all you get. And he half agreed that the flurry of "announcements" from Baker and the Lib Dem conference happening this week might not be a coincidence.
He ducked the question as to whether the item on franchising misrepresents DfT policy up to now. However, that does seem to be the case. Surely that kind of sloppy wording would not have been issued even a few years ago? You have a choice of explanations - such as a general lowering of standards in the civil service, press officers becoming more influential and so no longer subject to departmental discipline, or how this coalition is being managed.
In short - you are reading too much into the way it is worded.
