§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce his conclusions on the Serpell report.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe Serpell committee identified possible improvements in BR in several important areas, which the Railways Board is already pursuing. In particular, the committee identified potential cost savings of more than £200 million a year by 1986. We are giving the board our full backing in achieving these important improvements as soon as possible.
The committee's work also provides a contribution to the debate on longer-term issues. However, our objective is a high quality and efficient railway service for the benefit of the travelling public. In our view this can be achieved without embarking on a programme of major route closures.