Member of Parliament for Hertsmere, Oliver Dowden, has welcomed plans for a new Government led compensation scheme for rail users. Mr Dowden was informed of Government plans following a letter he sent to the Transport Secretary. The Government plans follow a consultation that took place last summer into the existing compensation schemes available to rail users. The Government have announced that from 1 October 2016 all chapters of the Consumer Rights Act will apply to all transport sectors (including rail and bus). Government statement: "Following a consultation last summer, the Government has concluded that consumers in the transport sector should enjoy a similar level of protection as they have under the Consumer Rights Act generally. "We are therefore not seeking a permanent exemption for the rail, aviation and maritime passenger sectors from the provisions in the Consumer Rights Act and passengers will be able to claim compensation under the Act for disrupted journeys." Mr Dowden said: "Over the past year I have pointed out on numerous occasions that a more robust compensation process needs to be in place for rail users. There is no reason why consumers in the transport sector shouldn't have the same rights to compensation as other consumers. "I am glad that the Government have listened to responses submitted during the consultation process and have decided to extend the provisions in the Consumer Rights Act so that they apply to rail users." As it stands, the Thameslink compensation scheme only pays out compensation to rail users for delays over 30 minutes, and only fully compensates rail users if the delay is over two hours. There have also been criticisms that when compensation has been paid out it has been in vouchers rather than cash and that the process has been overly complicated and poorly publicised. The Government have announced that it plans to work with the industry to make Delay Repay compensation after only 15 minutes a reality. Other new rights available from October will include a requirement that rail users be compensated with cash rather than vouchers and that rail users are able to claim for loss caused by delays leading to a missed train connection. The Government have also announced that they will be seeking a temporary exemption for the passenger rail sector until October 2017 relating to the operators' ability to limit compensation to less than the full ticket price. From October 2017, rail passengers will be able to claim for up to the full value of the fare. Mr Dowden added: "As a rail user myself I am fully aware of how many of my constituents experience delays and cancellations on the Thameslink line on a daily basis. It is about time that there was a fairer compensation scheme in place that better reflects the significant inconvenience that rail users have experienced over the past year on the Thameslink service. "This announcement is a step in the right direction and will enable hard pressed commuters to better hold rail companies and Network Rail to account for the services they provide."