§ 33. Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the operation of London Underground's current safety regime. [99043]
§ Mr. HillSafety is, and remains, the top priority for London Underground Ltd. (LUL). The Railway (Safety Case) Regulations 1994 require London Underground to prepare a safety case setting out its approach to safety management.
The most recent version of this safety case was accepted by HM railway inspectorate on 14 September 1999 and LUL's performance against it will be subject to HMRI monitoring and review.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what central Government support the Tube will continue to receive in 2000–01 and 2001–02; and what continuing support he estimates will be required in subsequent years. [99571]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 24 November 1999]: London Transport (LT) have been allocated Government support of £248.7 million for 2000–01. This figure does not include money earmarked for residual expenditure on the Jubilee Line Extension.
Some of this funding will be transferred to the Mayor in July next year, when Transport for London (TFL) assumes responsibility for LT activities other than the Underground.
Levels of Government support for the Underground in 2001–02 and thereafter have not yet been determined. They will depend on whether and on what terms Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts are let; decisions on the level of Government funding to be taken following the 2000 spending review; and decisions on funding and fares made by the Mayor for London.
§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets have been set arising from projected 131W expenditure of £1,190 million on the Piccadilly line and (b) £900 million on the Victoria line of the London Underground over the next 15 years; and if he will make a statement. [99638]
§ Mr. HillThe figures quoted were London Underground's indicative estimates of the likely cost of achieving the performance specification to be set out in the PPP contracts. In fact, it will be the responsibility of the Underground's private sector partners to determine the actual level of investment required to deliver the improved performance we want.
Details of the performance targets have yet to be finalised, but they will require improvements in capability, availability, ambience and asset condition. This will enable London Underground to provide passengers with faster, more reliable and more comfortable journeys.