HC Deb 10 February 1997 vol 290 cc6-7
5. Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from London Transport on the potential consequences of the Government's reduction in funding for London Transport for the financial year 1997–98. [13349]

Mr. Bowis

There has been no reduction in planned Government funding for London Transport's core business or for the Jubilee line extension for the financial year 1997–98.

Mr. Hughes

If there is to be no reduction in funding, why is London Transport suddenly making it clear that at its meeting later this week it may well say, for example, that the east London line cannot open again for two years and that it will have to stop some of the major works programmes that are scheduled in its budget? Will the Minister give a direct answer to the question that the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) asked the Secretary of State? Why does he not listen to the one representation above all others made clear by the chairman of London Transport—that all London Transport wants is to be -allowed to borrow from the private sector? It does not want to be privatised and does not mind who owns London Underground, but wants to be able to have public and private money and to be allowed to get on with the job.

Mr. Bowis

That, of course, is precisely what it is getting. It is astonishing that all that the hon. Gentleman and the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith), who speaks for the Labour party, can do is criticise every time we invite and encourage private sector money to come into the underground system. The hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) ought to know better than to peddle rumours on what may or may not be decided at some future meeting, when he knows perfectly well that, if he starts to talk up the possibility of services being delayed, the people who will be worried are his constituents.

The hon. Gentleman knows that I walked the course of the tunnel to which he is referring on the east London line recently and saw the work that is going on. It is forging ahead, as indeed are the links to, and the Jubilee line extension through, his constituency. He has pleaded for those over the years. Is it not time that he said thank you and stopped whingeing?

Mr. Dykes

Is not the Minister right in saying that, instead of being criticised and knocked all the time, London Underground management should be strongly praised for their remarkable performance in providing the world's biggest underground network, despite the pressure on finances? Is my hon. Friend aware that the Jubilee line, which goes to my constituency, will have a service every two minutes once the modernisation and the link to docklands are achieved? Is not the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) right to say, however, that ownership is secondary to adequate investment?

Mr. Bowis

Ownership and investment may go hand in hand. My hon. Friend is right: enormous achievements are in progress for London Underground through investment. The biggest investment is the £2 billion-worth for the Jubilee line, which includes partnership with the private sector—it is the biggest construction project in Europe. He is also right to draw attention to other work, such as the Central line modernisation and the refurbishment of trains; more than half of London's rolling stock is being refurbished and, as we know, the Northern line is not only getting new trains but its structures are being refurbished. A tremendous amount is going on and it is down to the partnership that we have successfully introduced. We are now looking ahead to find out how we can extend that in the future.