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1992. Basildon means business. Basildon will welcome any business people. They certainly should not be put off coming to the town through any traffic delays.

8.22 am

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Patrick McLoughlin) : I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess) on securing the debate on the Adjournment. He rightly referred to his long period of work in the Department of Transport. During that time he was not able to raise transport matters on the Floor of the House, but he used forums other than the House to raise them with assiduity and vigour. I am sure that his constituents know that. Indeed, he opened this debate at an early hour this morning and talked about the opportunities that come with certain infrastructures and Government investment. I shall try to deal with all the matters that he raised. If a shortage of time precludes me from taking up some of them, I shall write to my hon. Friend in due course about specific problems.

I realise that for Basildon and the rest of south Essex the Fenchurch Street line is an important link. Many commuters depend on it to get into and out of London in the morning and evening. For some time, the service on the line has not been as good as British Rail, the Government and the passengers on the line would like it to be. I was pleased, however, to hear about the improvements of recent months to which my hon. Friend referred.

Our joint commitment to achieving a modern, efficient service throughout the network is not in doubt. Over the past few years, there has been a prolific increase in the number of commuters using the railways. Since 1983, the number of peak-time arrivals in London has increased by 23 per cent. so that now almost half a million people arrive in London by train every weekday. The amount of money being invested in Network Southeast has also risen dramatically. Over the next three years, NSE will be spending £1.3 billion on new rolling stock and associated infrastructure improvements such as electrification and resignalling. This should bring about a significant improvement in the standard of rail services in the south-east.

As far as the Fenchurch Street line is concerned, peak punctuality and reliability is improving this year but is not yet at a satisfactory standard. On a more positive note, however, it is pleasing that, last year, the level of overcrowding fell considerably compared with 1988.

The existing resources that Network SouthEast has to operate the service on the Fenchurch Street line are out of date. The trains are some of the oldest on the network and it is also time for the signalling to be renovated. I can assure my hon. Friend that both British Rail and the Government are keen to see the complete upgrading of the line. At present NSE is working up plans completely to replace the rolling stock fleet and to resignal the entire route. Those new trains will be a version of the new generation networker trains which will be coming into service from the end of next year on lines through south London and north Kent to relieve overcrowding and improve service quality. In the short term, more modern stock is coming to the Fenchurch Street line from the West Anglia and Great Eastern lines to replace the unreliable rolling stock currently used for off-peak services.

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The news is not all bad on the Fenchurch Street line. One notable event this year was the community policing experiment. That provided additional British Transport police to give a high profile train and station presence. The results are extremely encouraging. Crime of all sorts has been reduced and travellers' perceptions of personal safety have been improved. NSE is now evaluating the experiment in more detail and considering how it might be extended to other parts of the network.

My hon. Friend has already mentioned penalty fares, which were authorised by Parliament last year. A pilot scheme came into operation on the Fenchurch Street line at the end of October. The line was chosen because it was considered to be best equipped to safeguard the honest customer with staffed booking offices and ticket machines at every station. The scheme has been very successful at catching and deterring fare dodgers. NSE tells me that it has been flexible in dealing with passengers who have left their season tickets at home. However, I am disturbed to hear of the case mentioned by my hon. Friend. The first time it happens--and for a limited period--NSE's penalty fares office has decided to waive the penalty. If the pilot scheme continues to be successful, it will be extended to other parts of the network in order to recoup the estimated £35 million that it loses each year from dishonest travellers. That £35 million is the equivalent of 18 new trains. My hon. Friend fairly said that people who dodge fares dodge others out of a better service. As I said, I am disturbed to hear about the case that he raised, and I shall investigate it.

My hon. Friend is no doubt aware that the specific road matters that he raised are for the local highway authority, Essex county council or the Commission for the New Towns, which he should approach for details of plans or timings for any works.

The flyover scheme close to the Fortune of War roundabout was promoted by Basildon new town, now the Commission for the New Towns. Once the commision has completed the connections to the local highway network at either end, the Department will publish the necessary orders to eliminate the roundabout. The Five Bells roundabout is part of an Essex county council scheme that

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has been accepted by the Dept for transport supplementary grant for 1991-92. Work at Roundacre in Basildon was promoted by the Commission for the New Towns. The Department has no details about it, but understands that the work, comprising roundabout improvement, is now largely complete, and that, I am sure, is welcome.

My hon. Friend raised the issue of road signalling, and especially his wish for "Welcome to Basildon" signs to be erected. I can certainly understand his wish if all that there is at the moment is a sign saying that Basildon is a nuclear-free zone--whatever that means. My hon. Friend no doubt wants a more positive approach to Basildon. He is noted for his positive approach to the town that he represents, which contrasts with the whingeing that we hear from local authorities when they run down their towns. My hon. Friend has been positive about the benefits of his constituency. When anyone mentions his name in the House, instantly the thought of Basildon leaps to mind. I assure him that should proposals for the signs that he wants be put forward the Department will certainly give sympathetic consideration to them. I am glad that the local highway authority is not under the control of those who run the local district council. I hope that, from what I have said this morning, my hon. Friend will accept that we have recognised some of the problems that he described and that the Department and British Rail are trying to bring about the necessary improvements.

On my hon. Friend's point about crash barriers on the A127, I hope that he will understand that I want to study that proposal, and the experience that he described, in more detail. If he thinks that crash barriers at other sites would be of considerable benefit, I shall also carefully consider that proposal. I shall write to my hon. Friend with full details once we have studied the matter. I would rather not comment on the question of taxis and hackney carriages. I am sure that my hon. Friend understands that, because there is a case outstanding in the courts which would be best settled by the courts, it would be wrong of me to comment.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at half-past Eight o'clock.

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