§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in the decision to allocate £150 million of leasing funds to British Rail; and what were the reasons that the money was allocated to Network SouthEast.
§ Mr. FreemanThe purpose of the £150 million leasing concession was to encourage the development of a leasing market for passenger trains. The decision to lease trains for Network SouthEast was made by British Rail on the ground that the business case for doing so was superior to that for trains for the west coast main line.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has for any further financing or leasing deals for British Rail similar to that recently awarded to Network Southeast;
429W(2) if he will permit British Rail to seek private financing for the leasing of rolling stock for the west coast main line.
§ Mr. FreemanI will support further leasing proposals for the west coast main line, or any other route, provided they meet the Treasury's criteria for classification as an operating lease and they are good value for money.