§ Mr. LEESasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the amount of State money granted to the railway companies of Great Britain from the beginning of 1909 until the present time?
Mr. SNOWDENThe total amount paid from the Exchequer to railway com- 1277W panies by way of grants since 1st January, 1909, to the present date is £205,899, made up as follows:
£ Grants under the Light Rail ways Act, 1896 45,125 Grants to Light Railways under Section 17 of the Ministry of Transport Act, 1919 160,774 Total £205,899 Apart from the foregoing, payments amounting in the aggregate to approximately £308,000,000 have been made to the railway companies in Great Britain in respect of the period of Government control of the railways (1914–1921). During the period 4th August, 1914, to 31st March, 1920, no charges were raised by the companies against the Government for the conveyance of personnel and materials.
The foregoing statement takes no account of the assistance to be given to the railway companies under the Development (Loans Guarantees and Grants) Act, 1929. The recent repeal of the Railway Passenger Duty (£360,000 a year) was conditional on the expenditure by the companies of a capital sum equivalent to the duty.