§ 19. Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Railways to discuss the future financing of the railways.
§ 20. Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will meet the chairman of British Railways to discuss investment programmes.
§ Mr. FowlerI meet the chairman regularly to discuss a wide range of topics. I expect to meet him again shortly.
§ Mr. CanavanIn view of the advantages of electrification in terms of running costs, speed, environment and energy conservation, will the Government ensure that British Rail gets enough investment for an early go-ahead for the programme of electrification of lines, including lines in Scotland as far north as Stirling, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen?
§ Mr. FowlerAs I have already said, we are currently examining the whole question of electrification, and we would expect to reach conclusions in the next two months.
§ Mr. BagierThe right hon. Gentleman will surely have had time since 2.45 this afternoon to examine the 922 document that British Rail has issued. Does he appreciate that the schemes outlined by British Rail make sense in terms of the public transport system? Can he hold out any hope that the bulk of the requirements set out in that document by BR will be met by the Government?
§ Mr. FowlerI think that I would like to be able to direct a little more concerted attention to the plan than that which I have been able to give it since 2.45 this afternoon. Clearly we shall examine it, but I hope that the ever bigger bids that BR makes do not obscure the immediate needs, which is what we should be concentrating upon. I hope that the message will also go out that this is a question not just for Government, but for the whole railway industry. The highest premium must be placed upon maximum efficiency and productivity.