Fines: Who benefits?
#1
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Joined: Mar 2010
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Fines: Who benefits?
Network Rail has been fined £4m over the Grayrigg crash in Cumbria in which an 84-year-old woman died and 88 people were injured.
Margaret Masson, of Glasgow, died after the Virgin train derailed on the West Coast Main Line in February 2007, after going over a "degraded" set of points.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd earlier admitted health and safety breaches.
Mrs Masson's family said they found it "offensive" that as taxpayers they would be contributing to the fine.
After sentencing on Wednesday, solicitor Soyab Patel, speaking on behalf of Mrs Masson's family, said: "The fine of £4m, together with costs, will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer.
"Mrs Langley [Mrs Masson's daughter] is a taxpayer.
"Her mother died in the crash. She and her husband suffered serious injuries.
"She finds it offensive she is contributing to the fine."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-17609369
So who gets the money? Straight into Government coffers?
I don't see the point--surely the right thing to do is to ensure that the causes have been properly identified, and then to ensure that Network Rail have put / are putting them right--that's where any money should go. And anyone in management who could reasonably be found culpable should a) suffer appropriate consequences, and b) if the appropriate consequences do not amount to sacking, then be directed to work on putting things right because s/he should, presumably, have excellent knowledge of what went wrong.
Margaret Masson, of Glasgow, died after the Virgin train derailed on the West Coast Main Line in February 2007, after going over a "degraded" set of points.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd earlier admitted health and safety breaches.
Mrs Masson's family said they found it "offensive" that as taxpayers they would be contributing to the fine.
After sentencing on Wednesday, solicitor Soyab Patel, speaking on behalf of Mrs Masson's family, said: "The fine of £4m, together with costs, will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer.
"Mrs Langley [Mrs Masson's daughter] is a taxpayer.
"Her mother died in the crash. She and her husband suffered serious injuries.
"She finds it offensive she is contributing to the fine."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-17609369
So who gets the money? Straight into Government coffers?
I don't see the point--surely the right thing to do is to ensure that the causes have been properly identified, and then to ensure that Network Rail have put / are putting them right--that's where any money should go. And anyone in management who could reasonably be found culpable should a) suffer appropriate consequences, and b) if the appropriate consequences do not amount to sacking, then be directed to work on putting things right because s/he should, presumably, have excellent knowledge of what went wrong.
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13,553
Re: Fines: Who benefits?
Network Rail has been fined £4m over the Grayrigg crash in Cumbria in which an 84-year-old woman died and 88 people were injured.
Margaret Masson, of Glasgow, died after the Virgin train derailed on the West Coast Main Line in February 2007, after going over a "degraded" set of points.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd earlier admitted health and safety breaches.
Mrs Masson's family said they found it "offensive" that as taxpayers they would be contributing to the fine.
After sentencing on Wednesday, solicitor Soyab Patel, speaking on behalf of Mrs Masson's family, said: "The fine of £4m, together with costs, will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer.
"Mrs Langley [Mrs Masson's daughter] is a taxpayer.
"Her mother died in the crash. She and her husband suffered serious injuries.
"She finds it offensive she is contributing to the fine."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-17609369
So who gets the money? Straight into Government coffers?
I don't see the point--surely the right thing to do is to ensure that the causes have been properly identified, and then to ensure that Network Rail have put / are putting them right--that's where any money should go. And anyone in management who could reasonably be found culpable should a) suffer appropriate consequences, and b) if the appropriate consequences do not amount to sacking, then be directed to work on putting things right because s/he should, presumably, have excellent knowledge of what went wrong.
Margaret Masson, of Glasgow, died after the Virgin train derailed on the West Coast Main Line in February 2007, after going over a "degraded" set of points.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd earlier admitted health and safety breaches.
Mrs Masson's family said they found it "offensive" that as taxpayers they would be contributing to the fine.
After sentencing on Wednesday, solicitor Soyab Patel, speaking on behalf of Mrs Masson's family, said: "The fine of £4m, together with costs, will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer.
"Mrs Langley [Mrs Masson's daughter] is a taxpayer.
"Her mother died in the crash. She and her husband suffered serious injuries.
"She finds it offensive she is contributing to the fine."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-17609369
So who gets the money? Straight into Government coffers?
I don't see the point--surely the right thing to do is to ensure that the causes have been properly identified, and then to ensure that Network Rail have put / are putting them right--that's where any money should go. And anyone in management who could reasonably be found culpable should a) suffer appropriate consequences, and b) if the appropriate consequences do not amount to sacking, then be directed to work on putting things right because s/he should, presumably, have excellent knowledge of what went wrong.
And pardon my cynicism - but were the lady's family hoping THEY would get some money out of this?
Last edited by The Dean; Apr 5th 2012 at 2:55 am. Reason: .
#3
You read these things?
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,261
Re: Fines: Who benefits?
And it's not really a fine per-se. It's more they've had £4m taken out of next year's budget as a punishment. Which is ironic when most of the problems on the rail lines are due to underinvestment.