Examination of Witnesses (Questions 8635
- 8639)
8635. CHAIRMAN: Lord Berkeley, as I understand
it, you have a witness who has to get away by lunchtime. I do
not think Mr Elvin is going to need to tell us a great deal about
the access option and that sort of thing on which we have had
a good deal of discussion already. If you can get this introduced
fairly quickly so that your witness can tell us what he has to
say, then I think it would suit everybody and we will not necessarily
stop on the dot of one, if that is not convenient, but it is important
that he should be heard.
The Petitions of the Freight Transport
Association Ltd; The Rail Freight Group; Freightliner Group Ltd;
Mendip Rail Ltd; Quarry Products Association Ltd; Hutchison Ports
(UK) Ltd; The Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company; Harwich International
Port Ltd; and Maritime Transport Services Ltd
8636. MR ELVIN: My Lord, I was in fact
going to open at some length and I have had, I hope, distributed
to the members of the Committee copies of a written version of
what I am going to say. There are some complex issues coming up
and I am slightly concerned that the Committee is going to start
hearing evidence without a proper explanation of those issues.
I appreciate the issues and Lord Berkeley and I have been talking
about them already. It may well be that the simplest thing to
do is for me actually to deliver this after lunch and for Lord
Berkeley to make his case with regards to this witness.
8637. CHAIRMAN: It might help to know
what the witness is going to be tell us about.
8638. LORD BERKELEY: My Lord Chairman,
the first two witnesses I was going to call from the Freight Transport
Association and the Rail Freight Group will be talking about things
that have little to do with the access option, honestly. They
are going to give a background to rail freight and freight generally
in this country which I think is very important to develop as
part of our case, but I do not think it really will be affected
by anything Mr Elvin is going to say, so his suggestion, if I
could introduce the first two witnesses from the FTA and the Rail
Freight Group before lunch, I am sure there will be time for adequate
cross-examination then and maybe Mr Elvin could deliver his introduction
after lunch.
8639. MR ELVIN: My introduction is dealing
with how to deal with infrastructure issues and capacity issues,
it is dealing with blocking rights and it is dealing with certain
other issues that are going to arise. The access option is touched
upon clearly because the role of the ORR, we say, is an important
one when you are considering the remaining issues on the Petitions,
but I quite understand that Lord Berkeley needs to call his witnesses
and, if your Lordships would allow me to present my opening slightly
later after lunch, then—
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