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Outstanding Payments
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what values of payments were outstanding within his Department on 5 March, which were beyond the date on the invoice and, where no date was specified, older than 28 days. [20481]
Mr. Howard [holding answer 12 March 1996]: Information about the values of payments outstanding is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
TRANSPORT
Rail Track (Speed Restrictions)
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of rail track are currently subject to speed restrictions on each major line throughout the rail network. [19859]
Mr. Watts: The current number of miles subject to speed restrictions on each of the major lines are:
West coast main line: 11
Midland main line: 2.5
14 Mar 1996 : Column: 717
- East coast main line: 3
Great western: 50.5
Car Ferries
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those ferries currently operating to and from United Kingdom ports which (a) meet and (b) do not meet the requirements of the proposed regional agreement relating to car deck bulkheads, indicating in each case in (b) when he expects the standards to be reached. [19871]
Mr. Norris: The Government, in their response to the Transport Committee's report on cross-channel safety, had already undertaken to publish such a list, and subsequent updated lists, once agreement was reached on the implementation of a higher ferry survivability standard. Such an agreement has now been reached and a list indicating in each case when we expect the standard to be reached will be published after detailed calculations have been completed.
Trunk Road Network
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department received the local authority associations' submission on the case for the transfer of responsibility for much of the trunk road network to local authorities; and when he intends to respond to it. [19770]
Mr. Watts: The local authority associations tabled a paper setting out their proposals for transferring a significant proportion of the all-purpose trunk road network to local authorities for discussion at the national annual consultative meeting on 18 July 1995, when we discussed a possible way forward based on a case study approach. The associations' proposals are currently being considered in the context of the national transport debate; they were discussed further with the associations at the local transport liaison group meeting on 30 January.
Rail Privatisation
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what uniform business rate income the Exchequer will derive from Railtrack when the company has been privatised; how this income will be shared among local authorities; and if the payment of uniform business rate by Railtrack has been included in the calculation of track access charges. [19862]
Mr. Watts: Rateable values for Railtrack's operational property are prescribed by orders by the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland and for Wales. The sum raised from this in 1994-95 was £91.7 million. Other properties are assessed in the normal way by the Valuation Office agency and the moneys collected by the relevant local authorities. The figure for this is not held centrally. These arrangements will be unaffected by privatisation. All non-domestic rates, whether collected by the Secretaries of State or by local authorities, are paid into the non-domestic rating pools for the respective countries and redistributed to local authorities on a per capita basis. The payment of rates is included in Railtrack's costs which were taken into account by the Rail Regulator in setting the level of access charges.
14 Mar 1996 : Column: 718
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when each remaining part of the former British Rail is due to be privatised. [19863]
Mr. Watts: The timetable for franchising and future sales is set down in the following table. This gives indications only of when sales are expected to be completed or franchises awarded.
(a) Franchises
The Franchising Director is responsible for awarding franchising contracts.
Bidders were shortlisted for InterCity East Coast, Midland Main Line, Network SouthCentral and Gatwick Express on 16 January. The Franchising Director received final bids on 1 March for InterCity East Coast, Midland Main Line and Gatwick Express. Final bids for Network SouthCentral were required by 11 March 1996.
The Franchising Director is inviting the shortlisted bidders (with the exception of Enterprise Rail) to re-tender for LTS Rail.
Invitations to tender for South Eastern were issued on 19 December 1995 and for Chiltern on 30 January. Indicative bids for both are required by 22 March.
Invitations to pre-qualify for Cardiff and South Wales and West were issued on 23 January. 19 applications have been received for pre-qualification, the majority of companies being interested in pre-qualifying for both franchises.
Invitations to pre-qualify for Anglia and Thames Trains were issued on 22 February. Applications must be received by 22 March.
Invitations to tender for the remaining franchises will be issued in due course.
(b) Freight Businesses
Final bids for Freightliner were invited on 22 December 1995. BR aims to complete the sale in the coming months.
The Government and British Rail are examining the options for privatisation of Railfreight Distribution.
(c) Infrastructure companies
Final bids for the following businesses were involved on 5 October 1995 and the sales are expected in the coming months:
Western Track Renewals Co. Ltd.
Northern Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd.
Northern Track Renewals Co. Ltd.
Eastern Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd.
Eastern Track Renewals Co. Ltd.
Southern Track Renewals Co. Ltd.
South West Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd.
South East Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd.
(d) Other BR Businesses
Final bids for the following units were invited:
The engineering link: 15 December 1995
Interfleet Technology: 15 December 1995
Network Train Engineering Services: 15 December 1995
College of Railway Technology: 26 January 1996.
Bids are currently being considered for the above units and for BR Projects Ltd.
Indicative bids will be invited for about 10 other Central Services units. BR expects to dispose of all the above units over the coming months.
(e) Railtrack
The Government intend to sell Railtrack by stock market flotation in May 1996.
14 Mar 1996 : Column: 719
he will list each part of the former British Rail which has been privatised since the passage of the Railways Act 1993, indicating the income generated by each sale. [19864]
Mr. Watts: The tables list those parts of British Rail which have either been sold or franchised.
The first two franchises were awarded as contracts to run services in return for the payment of grant and will not generate receipts for the Government.
| Awarded | |
|---|---|
| Great Western Holdings Ltd. | 20 December 1995 |
| Stagecoach Holdings plc Ltd. | 19 December 1995 |
Both commenced operations on 4 February 1996.
| Companies sold | As at 14 March 1996 |
|---|---|
| Freight and Parcels | |
| Red Star | Sold 5 September 1995 |
| Rail express systems Ltd. | Sold 9 December 1995 |
| Trainload Freight businesses | Sold 4 February 1996 |
| Loadhaul Freight Ltd. | |
| Mainline Freight Ltd. | |
| Transrail Freight Ltd. | |
| Rolling stock leasing companies | |
| Porterbrook Leasing Ltd. | Sale completed 8 January 1996 |
| Angel Train Contracts Ltd. | Sale completed 17 January 1996 |
| Eversholt Leasing Ltd. | Sale completed 2 February 1996 |
| Other Businesses | |
| Special Trains Unit | Sale completed 31 March 1995 |
| BRIS Design Offices | |
| DCU Birmingham | Sold 25 July 1995 |
| Mainline Swindon | Sold 18 August 1995 |
| IDG Glasgow | Sold 18 August 1995 |
| BPE Mechanical and Engineering Consultancy, Doncaster | Sold 15 September 1995 |
| Civil Engineering Design Group, York | Sold 15 September 1995 |
| Powertrack Engineering Company | |
| Limited | Sold 15 December |
| CEDAC London Limited | |
| BR Maintenance Ltd. | |
| Swindon Electronic Service Centre | Sold 11 April 1995 |
| Chart Leacon (Ashford) | Sold 5 June 1995 |
| Ilford and Doncaster Depots | |
| Wolverton, and Springburn (Glasgow) Depots | Sold 6 June 1995 |
| Eastleigh Depot | Sold 7 June 1995 |
| BR Telecommunications Ltd. | Sale completed 21 December 1995 |
| BR Central Services | |
| Meldon Quarry Ltd. | Sold February 1994 |
| Baileyfield Switches and Crossings Works | Sold 7 July 1995 |
| Ditton Timber Treatment Works | Sold 1 September 1995 |
| Quality and Safety Services Ltd. | Sold 10 November 1995 |
| Railways Occupational Health Ltd. | Sold 30 November 1995 |
| Signalling Control (UK) Ltd. | Sold 1 December 1995 |
| Interlogic Control Engineering Ltd. | Sold 4 January 1996 |
| Castleton Long Welded Rail and Track Works | Sold 14 March 1996 |
| OBS Services Ltd. | Sold 3 October 1995 |
| BR Infrastructure Companies | |
| Scotland Track Renewals Co. Ltd. | Sold 8 February 1996 |
| Scotland Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. | Sold 14 February 1996 |
| Western Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. | Contracts exchanged 7 March 1996 |
| Central Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. | Contracts exchanged 7 March 1996 |
14 Mar 1996 : Column: 720
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