§ Mr. Alec Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total public service obligation grant paid to British Railways in 1980–81 for the United Kingdom; and how much of this was spent in Wales.
§ Mr. FowlerThe total public service obligation grant paid to British Railways by the central Government in 1980–81 was £594 million. An additional payment, estimated £58.2 million was made by the passenger transport executives for the services British Rail provided according to agreements under section 20 of the Transport Act 1968. PSO grant is paid towards the passenger railway as a whole. It is not, therefore, possible to say how much was spent on services in particular areas.