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TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
THE REGIONS
Railtrack
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the occasions on which guidance has been given to Railtrack by Ministers or statutory bodies at national level since May 1997, indicating in each case the body concerned. [8949]
Mr. Jamieson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Rail Regulator have not given formal guidance specifically to Railtrack.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he had meetings with the Chairman of Railtrack between 25 July and 5 October. [9834]
Mr. Spellar: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met John Robinson, the Chairman of Railtrack, on 25 July, on 27 July at the Rail Delivery Group and on 5 October. As agreed by the Secretary of State and Mr. Robinson, officials held a number of meetings with Railtrack and their advisers during this period.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the level of reserves the successor to Railtrack will require to support a BBB credit rating. [10437]
Mr. Jamieson: The appropriate level of reserves would be determined once the railway administrator has been able to assess Railtrack Plc's true financial position on the basis of a better understanding of its assets, liabilities and cost base.
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Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total amounts paid by Railtrack to (a) directors and (b) shareholders were in each year since privatisation. [10399]
Mr. Jamieson: (a) The Directors of Railtrack Group Plc received total remuneration of over £10.4 million for the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 inclusive. The annual breakdown is shown in the table.
| Year | £000 |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 1,386 |
| 1997–98 | 2,167 |
| 1998–99 | 2,046 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,153 |
| 2000–01 | 2,669 |
(b) Since its flotation on 20 May 1996, Railtrack Group Plc have paid over £700 million to shareholders in cash, or equivalent, dividends. The annual breakdown is shown in the table.
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1996–97(1) | 180 |
| 1997–98 | 121 |
| 1998–99 | 133 |
| 1999–2000 | 137 |
| 2000–01 | 138 |
(1) The 1996–97 payment includes £69 million of dividends relating to performance in 1995–96, when Railtrack was in the public sector, but not paid until after privatisation.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) Moodys, (b) S & P, and (c) other credit rating agencies concerning Railtrack and its successor; and if he will make a statement. [11128]
Mr. Jamieson: Officials have met with credit rating agencies as part of their overall objective of ensuring that the rail network continues to receive sufficient funding to operate on a normal basis during the administration of Railtrack Plc and, separately, to develop further the Government's proposals for a Company Limited by Guarantee.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he plans to seek parliamentary approval for a voted loan to Railtrack plc in administration. [11219]
Mr. Spellar: Parliamentary approval will be sought during the forthcoming Winter Supplementary estimates.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will ensure the separation of the safety regulation from the ownership of the rail network following the creation of the successor to Railtrack. [10474]
Mr. Spellar: The regulator for railway safety is the Health and Safety Executive. There are no plans to change this.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what meetings his Department has held with financial institutions since the Railtrack administration announcement. [10764]
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Mr. Jamieson: The Government have had meetings with their financial advisers, bondholders and with credit rating agencies to ensure that the rail network continues to receive sufficient funding to operate on a normal basis during the administration of Railtrack plc and, to discuss the Government's proposals for a Company Limited by a Guarantee.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions with which institutions holding Railtrack bonds his Department has held discussions since the administration order; and if he will make a statement. [10761]
Mr. Jamieson: Officials of my Department were present at meetings organised by representatives of bondholders. A number of institutions would have been present at these meetings.
Rail Freight
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the most recent guidance he has given to the Strategic Rail Authority on the 10 year plan target for rail freight; and what the original target was. [10441]
Mr. Jamieson: A key target of the Government's 10-Year Plan is for rail to achieve a significant increase in its share of the freight market by 2010.
In pursuance of this and other targets for the railway, the Secretary of State published on 13 July this year draft directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority. This requires the authority, among other things, to secure increases in capacity to accommodate the expected growth in freight traffic.
Rail Infrastructure
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he informed the Strategic Rail Authority of his Department's discussions with (a) passenger rail franchisees and (b) train operating companies to take over responsibility for operating and maintaining railway infrastructure in the areas where they run train services. [9831]
Mr. Spellar: Officials have had meetings on such matters with train operators' representatives or their advisers at their request. These have not resulted in any changes in policy about which the Strategic Rail Authority needed to be informed.
Rail Investment
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the first special purpose vehicle for investment in the rail infrastructure will be in operation. [10438]
Mr. Jamieson: Plans exist for special purpose vehicles to be created to undertake works in connection with the replacement of the South West and South Central passenger franchises and the development of the East London Line. Other opportunities also exist but are generally less well advanced at present. It is not possible at this stage to be specific about timing which is a matter for commercial negotiation among the parties involved.
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Rail Safety (Vehicle Access)
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what safety improvements have been suggested by Railtrack and the Highways Agency following the incidences of vehicles on the track at (a) Selby on 28 February, (b) Bletchley in Buckinghamshire on 24 August and (c) Wilsford in Lincolnshire on 30 August; what action has been taken as a result; and if he will make a statement on the funding of the improvements; [10904]
- (2) what arrangements exist between Railtrack and the Highways Agency to co-ordinate provisions to prevent road vehicles getting on to railway tracks; [10910]
(3) if the vulnerability of the sites of the incidences of vehicles on the track at (a) Selby on 28 February, (b) Bletchley in Buckinghamshire on 24 August and (c) Wilsford in Lincolnshire on 30 August (i) had been identified by Railtrack prior to the accident and (ii) had been subjected to a risk assessment; [10905]
(4) how (a) the Highways Agency and (b) Railtrack establish the vulnerability of locations from which vehicles might accidentally gain access to railway tracks; [10903]
(5) if the vulnerability of the sites of the incidences of vehicles on the track at (a) Selby on 28 February, (b) Bletchley in Buckinghamshire on 24 August and (c) Wilsford in Lincolnshire on 30 August (i) had been identified by the Highways Agency prior to the accident and (ii) had been subjected to a risk assessment; [10906]
Mr. Jamieson: The assessment of roads is an operational matter for the relevant highway authority, in consultation with the relevant rail authorities if a road crosses a railway.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions is the highway authority for the site at Great Heck, near Selby, where a vehicle left the road on 28 February 2001. I can confirm that the barrier provision at this site met all the relevant standards. On Monday 12 March this year the then Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Local Government and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill), announced in a PQ that the Deputy Prime Minister had asked the Highways Agency to review its standards for nearside safety barriers. He also announced that the DPM has asked the Health and Safety Commission to convene a working group that will look at the circumstances of incidents where vehicles have blocked rail lines and whether there are features in common that might have been prevented. When I have the reports from the Highways Agency and from the Health and Safety Commission, I will be able to consider what action needs to be taken by those responsible for the road and the rail infrastructure.
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