§ Mr. TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of British Rail about its finance and the running of trains without WC facilities; and what provisions of the passengers charter apply to these facilities.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 30 November 1993]: The provision and cleaning of toilet facilities on trains is an operational matter for the board. Although the passengers charter does not refer specifically to this aspect of service, the provision of clean toilets on longer distance services is an important aspect of BR's commitment to provide a high quality of service. For this reason, BR regularly monitors customer satisfaction with this aspect of its service.