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will correspond with the chairman of British Rail, Sir Bob Reid, and send him the letter to make absolutely certain that all the points made by the works committee are understood and taken into account in BR's decisions.

I understand that the depot will probably close later this year. The exact date will be set by BR after consultation with the work force and BR's freight customers in Scotland. About 120 staff will be affected by the closure. BR has said that it will do its best to avoid compulsory redundancies and will make every effort to provide alternative jobs, retraining within the railway industry and relocation assistance if required. Advice and counselling are, I understand, now being made available.

It is the intention of British Rail to keep as much work as possible in Scotland--at the depots at Motherwell, Ayr, Grangemouth and Inverness, for instance. Some heavy maintenance will have to go to Immingham on south Humberside and Thornaby on Teesside. In addition to ensuring that the chairman of British Rail sees the letter from the works committee, I will take a personal interest in events as they unfold to ascertain what British Rail is doing to avoid compulsory redundancies, to institute retraining, and to help with relocation, including financial assistance when appropriate. I will take a personal interest and I will ask the chairman of British Rail to inform me of progress so that Ministers are aware of what is happening.

Mr. Michael J. Martin : I am heartened by the Minister's assurances, which I am sure will be appreciated by the work force. There is also a worry about what will happen to the land. The Minister may not be able to give me an answer now, but perhaps he could write to me.

Mr. Freeman : I was aware of that concern. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman about that.

It may be helpful if I comment briefly on the two points that the hon. Gentleman raised--the consequences for freight business in Scotland and rail safety. I do not believe that the closure of Eastfield will affect the ability of British Rail's freight business to move new freight traffic in Scotland. The closure of Eastfield will reduce the cost of providing a freight service to Scotland and so make British Rail's freight operations more efficient. The Government believe firmly that the rail freight industry should operate without subsidy. In order to attract more business away from the road and on to the rail, it must operate in an efficient a manner as possible. The managers of rail freight distribution and bulk train load freight must make sure that the maintenance facilities that they have are not only commensurate with the business that they are doing but are run as efficiently as possible.

Nor do we believe that closure will affect the establishment of the intermodal channel tunnel terminal at Mossend, which will enable business throughout Scotland to take full advantage of the rail freight services that will be available between Scotland and the continent. The situation at Eastfield needs to be seen against the wider background of British Rail's investments in Scotland. The channel tunnel terminal at Mossend is a joint venture between BR, AMEC Regeneration Ltd. and the Lanarkshire development agency. Total investment in the fully developed site, including the construction and equipping of the terminal, will be in excess of £250 million.

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This new development will have the potential capacity to generate up to 8,000 jobs, and is expected to handle 400,000 tonnes of intermodal freight traffic annually.

There has been some speculation that the decision to close Eastfield depot was taken so as to utilise the land for other developments. I must emphasise that the closure of the depot results solely from an excess of maintenance capacity. This must be cut if the freight businesses are to remain competitive. It is too early to say what subsequent use will be made of the land. It is intended that some accommodation on the site, outside the depot buildings, will be used by BR administrative and technical staff to support the remaining engineering activities in Scotland. However, I will make further inquiries, write to the hon. Gentleman and keep him abreast of the developments on the land.

I am well aware of the concern felt by hon. Members about single-lead junctions at Bellgrove and Newton. An inquiry on Newton is under way and the inspector has not yet concluded and prepared a detailed report for the Secretary of State. I can give the House an assurance that any recommendations from the inquiry will be acted upon. The Department of Transport does not believe that British Rail has neglected its responsibilities for running a safe

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railway. This year, it will spend £200 million on safety--a substantial increase on last year and the year before. I share the hon. Gentleman's view that a safe railway, which means safely maintained rolling stock, is essential for the good operation of the railway.

Although closure of the depot is a matter for British Rail and not Ministers, it is related to the capacity of maintenance facilities, not just in Scotland but throughout the country. I give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that I will draw the letter prepared by the convenor or chairman of the works committee to the chairman of British Rail, so that it is aware of all the various factors that have been cited. I will take a personal interest in how the staff at the works are treated--there is a difference between the salaried and works grades. There may not be many opportunities for those on salaries at some of the other sites in Scotland. They might have to look further afield within British Rail. There may well be opportunities, however, for those on wages. I hope that compulsory redundancies will be avoided. I know that British Rail will try very hard to ensure that that is the case.

I also gave the hon. Gentleman an assurance about the land. There is concern about what might happen to the facility, if it is closed, as is the intention. I shall keep the hon. Gentleman informed. Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at one minute to Three o'clock.

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