Treatment Of Disabled Passengers By East Midlands Trains

EDM number 1934 in 2010-12, proposed by Tony Lloyd on 15/06/2011.
Categorised under the topics of Equality and Railways.

That this House condemns the appalling treatment of a disabled passenger, Harry Heaney, by East Midlands Trains; notes that Mr Heaney had reserved two seats from Manchester to Sheffield for himself, as a disabled passenger, and his carer; regrets that the train arrived full with his coach missing and that he was therefore forced to stand for the entirety of his journey with his portable oxygen equipment; regards the offer by East Midlands Trains of 11 pounds in compensation, the price of his ticket, as derisory; considers unacceptable the reply from Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of that company, which stated that `This problem is not within my gift to resolve, we comply fully with our obligations under the Franchise agreement'; understands that the Office of Rail Regulation does not have powers to investigate the mistreatment of disabled passengers; and therefore calls on the Government to introduce such powers and to introduce EC Regulation 1371/2007/EC which would force railway companies to have a more acceptable and sympathetic attitude to people with disabilities than that shown by East Midlands Trains.

This motion has been signed by a total of 15 MPs.