Queen’s Speech

My Lords, I will mention transport, the constitution and wood fuel. I had anticipated no mention of transport in the gracious Speech. However, Her Majesty did say the following, of which I approve: ""My Government will respond to proposals for high-speed rail services between London and Scotland"." Of course, it depends on how they will respond. It could be negatively, but I do not expect that of this Secretary of State, whose enthusiasm for railway development is well known. No matter what outcome there is to political autonomy for Scotland, there will be a strong need for high-speed rail services to the south, England and Europe. Co-operative working on the Dublin to Belfast main line establishes that political independence is not an issue in transport planning unless someone wants to be awkward. Her Majesty did not mention IEP, the express passenger project, but I will do so. I am concerned that the proposed super-express for use on the east coast main line, among others, will not be an improvement on the existing HST and Class 91 225 sets. In particular, the bi-mode version—electric engine at one end and diesel at the other—seems to be underpowered in both electric and diesel modes. This will lead to the diesel engine being required even under the wires, let alone north of Edinburgh. I have read that the diesel MTU engine does not perform until it is fully warmed up. This suggests that it will be necessary to have the diesel engine ticking over throughout the journey, awaiting those parts of the electrified route where additional power is required. In a power station, this is called being "in spinning reserve". At present, there are high-speed trains and Voyagers running on routes wholly under the wires. It is right to avoid using diesel where electrification has been installed. It would be a mistake to perpetuate this error. Should not the bi-mode super-express have sufficient power to run on electricity alone, and to use the diesel engine only where there is no electrification? Will the Government confirm that they will review plans for the bi-mode super-express, as it would be stupid if the new train were unable to romp over the hard road up to the east coast to Aberdeen, or through the Pass of Drumochter and over the Slochd summit? Perhaps they will revisit the concept of using a diesel loco to haul an electric set on the non-electrified lines. Modern auto-couplers should allow this to happen speedily. At present, only four east coast trains go north of Edinburgh—three to Aberdeen and one to Inverness. It would be a relatively rare daily operation to adopt this mode. My noble friend Lord Bradshaw referred to the complaint of Yorkshire about being left out of High Speed Two. I understand the benefit of High Speed Two following the existing west coast main line into Scotland—a natural route. However, I hope that the Government will consider upgrading the east coast main line with not too many realignments, so that the 225 sets can run at 140 miles per hour, as they were constructed to do. A conventional east coast upgrade could bring sufficient improvement to Yorkshire quite quickly, as opposed to a wait of many years for what may have to be High Speed 2A or High Speed 3. My penultimate point is my ritual swipe at the Government for not encouraging the people of Scotland to become a democracy and to cease being an unnecessary British backwater. What is on offer in the Calman report would increase government in Scotland from, say, 55 per cent to 60 per cent in favour of the Scottish Parliament, but with no chance of re-establishing an international identity. Why do the people of Scotland have to live under arrangements made by my predecessor as Earl of Mar in 1706? Surely they should determine their future in a referendum as a free people. Finally, I return to the normality of this debate’s scope to mention sustainable energy and forestry. I declare an interest as being involved in woodland management in Scotland and having a practical interest in firewood coppicing. This green fuel source is utterly sustainable, giving a harvest every nine to 15 years: that is, six to 11 harvests per coupe per 100 years. Do the Government recognise that this traditional management system, requiring no fertilisers but only the sun and rain, delivers renewable wood fuel with minimal machinery and inherent benefits for wildlife and the landscape? I hope that the Government will agree with me on this matter at least.