HC Deb 02 February 1998 vol 305 c454W
Dr. Marek

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to take an equity stake in the rail industry in return for Government subsidy. [26564]

Ms Glenda Jackson

Renationalisation of the railways would be extremely costly and cannot be a priority given the other pressures on public expenditure. We therefore have no such plans. Our main task is to improve the railways as we found them, not as we would have wished them to be.