London’s Economy

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate, and, so far, I have enjoyed what he said. However, he touched a raw nerve when he mentioned overcrowding on public transport, and I am sure that he is right to bring that issue up early in his speech. There have been complaints about increasing overcrowding on journeys from Orpington, and the solution is not, as is sometimes said, more and more high-level investment. The Secretary of State for Transport recently promised another 1,000 carriages by 2014. That is an amazing promise, and went down like a lead balloon in Orpington. Short-term, relatively cost-free improvements can be made simply by running more carriages and having a licensing and franchise system that encourages licensees to do that. I would like the Government to pay attention to that short-term arrangement, rather than just to the long-term farragoes.