It is unacceptable the way that some people are having to tolerate public transport at the moment and we have taken a very firm line with the operators. We’re also taking a firm line with Network Rail, who have, in recent years, hugely underfunded the Welsh route network. We also believe firmly that now is the time to devolve all responsibility for rail services, to make sure that we can get the investment where it is needed. In the longer term, once we have the new franchise in place, we will have a new and transformed rail service. But it’s important in the meantime that there is the capacity to be able to meet travellers’ needs. For that reason, the Welsh Government has and will continue to invest in services and we are exploring ways, as I outlined in my statement on 9 November, to increase rolling stock provision as well.

One of the major problems that we are finding right now is that there is simply too little money being spent removing trees from tracksides. This is a responsibility that is not ours. It’s non-devolved and it’s unacceptable, because what it’s led to are cancelled trains, particularly—I know that Mark Isherwood has raised this in the past—in the north, and also on the Valleys lines. It’s causing significant problems in terms of delays and cancelled services, and capacity problems. It’s down to one thing: underfunding of the rail network. I’ll be meeting with Network Rail tomorrow to outline, again, my disappointment at the lack of action. But it is absolutely right that, as we move forward, we get devolution of responsibilities for this and we invest where travellers expect us to invest.