HC Deb 14 January 1971 vol 809 cc111-7W
Mr. J. H. Osborn

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the renewal of unremunerative railway passenger service grants.

Mr. Peyton

Because I am still considering the whole question of grant for non-paying rail passenger services, I have decided to limit any undertakings to renew grant to two years at most. I must also make it clear that any undertaking is without prejudice to the withdrawal of the relevant service, within the period of the undertaking, if the due closure processes have been completed.

On this basis grants have been renewed on 76 services for two years, and on 21 services for one year as shown in the table.

On the London commuter network I have renewed grant for one year, but it will be reduced in amount to take account of the Government's intention that by 1973 these services should no longer depend on Exchequer help. The services, both paying and non-paying, which make up the network are shown in the table.

I have refused applications for grant for the six services, four of which were for renewals, the other two new applications. I do not consider that these cases satisfy all the statutory or administrative requirements for grant.

There was no application for the Glasgow-Aberdeen service. It now pays.

Following is the information:

GRANTS OUTSIDE THE LONDON COMMUTER AREA TWO-YEAR GRANTS
The Secretary of State has undertaken to pay grant in 1971 and 1972 for the following services:
Amount of Grant in 1971
£000
Eastern Region of British Railways:
York—Selby—Doncaster/Hull 148
Newcastle—Sunderland—Middlesbrough 308
Newcastle—Carlisle 403
North Tyneside 684
Newcastle—South Shields 216
Leeds—Goole 119
Leeds—York 178
Bradford—Manchester 358
Grantham—Nottingham 116
Lincoln—Nottingham 177
Norwich—Yarmouth 117
Norwich—Lowestoft 148
Norwich—Cambridge 207
Cambridge—Ipswich 202
Cambridge—King's Lynn 167
London Midland Region of British Railways
Birmingham—Derby 77
Stourbridge Junction—Stour bridge Town 37
Birmingham—Wolverhampton HL 146
Preston—Barrow 229
Preston—Windermere 122
Nottingham—Leicester 48
Kirkham—Blackpool South 207
Manchester—Blackpool North 647
Ormskirk—Preston 116
Manchester—Blackburn 337
Lancaster—Morecambe 68
Birmingham—Walsall (via Aston) 177
Birmingham—Walsall (via Soho) 105
Barrow—Whitehaven 115
Birmingham—Redditch 83
Birmingham—Stafford 88
Birmingham—Lichfield 336
Birmingham—Leicester 132
Whitehaven—Carlisle 250
Rugby—Coventry—Birmingham 248
Preston—Colne 408
Manchester—Stoke—Stafford 601
Manchester—Warrington—Liverpool 439
Manchester—Stockport—Crewe 355
Manchester—Buxton 399
Manchester—Bury 312
Manchester—Altrincham 266
Manchester—Styal—Crewe 262

Amount of Grant in 1971
£000
Manchester—Patricroft—Liverpool 165
Liverpool (Exchange)—Southport 329
Liverpool—Ormskirk 263
Liverpool—St. Helens—Wigan 321
Liverpool—Runcorn—Crewe 278
Liverpool—West Kirby 145
Liverpool—Rock Ferry 119
Liverpool—Stalybridge 121
Runcorn—Helsby—Chester 43
Scottish Region of British Railways
Darly—Large 316
Ayr—Stranraer 208
Glasgow—Lanark 366
Springburn—Cumbernauld 192
Glasgow Suburban Electrics—South 1,076
Glasgow Suburban Electrics—North 1,364
Glasgow—Hamilton— 374
Glasgow—Barrhead— 94
Glasgow—East Kilbride 223
Glasgow—Paisley—Kilmacolm 235
Glasgow—Edinburgh via Shotts 324
Glasgow—Gourock/Wemyss Bay 916
Glasgow—Carlisle via Dumfries (local) 26
Southern Region of British Railways
Brighton—Ore 734
Western Region of British Railways
Paddington—Oxford 314
Barr Island—Merthyr/Treherbert 764
Shrewsbury—Aberystwyth 335
Cardiff—Rhymney 307
Reading—Westbury 183
Cardiff—Gloucester 101
Cardiff—Penarth 63
Cardiff—Coryton 48
Maiden Newton—Bridport 36

ONE-YEAR GRANTS
The Secretary of State has undertaken to pay grant in 1971 for the following services:
Eastern Region of British Railways
Leeds—Barnesley—Sheffield 325
Leeds—Bradford 239
Leeds—Doncaster 91
York—Sheffield 83
Cambridge—Peterborough 230
Colchester—Clacton/Walton 376
London Midland Region of British Railways
Manchester—Northwich—Chester 316
Manchester—Warrington—Chester 125
Rock Ferry—Helsby—Chester 244
Wrexham—New Brighton 271
Chester—Llandudno—Holyhead 443
Amount of Grand in 1971
£000
Leamington Spa—Stratford upon Avon 97
Birmingham—Lapworth—Stratford 61
Birmingham—Stourbridge—Kidderminster 146
Birmingham—Kidderminster—Worcester 172
Birmingham—Leamington Spa 380
Llandudno—Blaenau Ffestiniog 99
Western Region of British Railways
Plymounth—Gunnislake 95
Plymounth—Liskeard 83
Souther Region of British Railways
Brighton—Portsmouth 1,084
Ashford—Hastings 170

LONDON COMMUTER NETWORK

The following are the services in the London commuter network which arc being grant-aided as a whole by the Secretary of State:

Eastern Region King's Cross/Broad Street/Moorgate—Hertford/Hitchin; Welwyn Garden City. King's Cross—Royston; Cambridge. Liverpool Street—Enfield T; Chingford; Broxbourne and Hertford East; Bishop's Stortford; Gidea Park and Shenfield; Chelmsford and Witham; Cambridge via Bishop's Stortford; Clacton/Walton; Southend (Victoria); Colchester. Fenchurch Street—Shoeburyness via Upminster/Purfleet and Tilbury. Tottenham—North Woolwich. Barking—Kentish Town. Upminster—Grays/Tilbury. Wickford—Southminster. Witham—Braintree.

London Midland Region Euston/Broad Street—Watford. Euston—Bletchley. Marylebone—Harrow—Aylesbury. London—High Wycombe—Aylesbury. Watford—St. Albans. St. Pancras/Moorgate—Bedford. Broad Street—Richmond. Watford—Croxley Green.

Western Region Paddington—Slough; Reading. Ealing—Greenford. Slough—Windsor. Maidenhead—Marlow. Twyford—Henley-on-Thames.

Southern Region

South West Division—Suburban Waterloo—Hounslow Loop via Richmond or via Brentford; Kingston Roundabout via Richmond or via Wimbledon; Windsor/Weybridge via Richmond/Staines/Hounslow; Shepperton via Kingston; Shepperton via Richmond; Reading or

Southern Region (continued) Guildford via Staines or Aldershot; Chessington South; Guildford via Cobham; Effingham Junction via Epsom; Hampton Court; Horsham via Wimbledon and Epsom. Waterloo and City. Clapham Junction—Kensington Olympia.

Central Division—Suburban Victoria—East Croydon via Selhurst; Epsom via Balham and Mitcham Junction; Sutton via Balham and Mitcham Junction or via Selhurst; London Bridge via Denmark Hill (South London Line); Coulsdon North via Selhurst; Epsom Downs via Selhurst, Crystal Palace and West Croydon; Beckenham Junction via Clapham Junction and Crystal Palace; Holborn Viaduct via Crystal Palace, Sutton, Wimbledon and Herne Hill; West Croydon via Crystal Palace. Victoria/London Bridge—Dorking North or Horsham via Mitcham Junction and Leatherhead; Effingham Junction via Mitcham Junction. Victoria/Charing Cross/London Bridge-Caterham and Tattenham Corner. London Bridge—Epsom, via New Cross Gate; Coulsdon North via New Cross Gate; Epsom Downs via New Cross Gate and West Croydon; Holborn Viaduct/Blackfriars via New Cross Gate, Sutton and Wimbledon; London Bridge via Selhurst or Crystal Palace and Tulse Hill. West Croydon—Wimbledon via Mitcham.

South East Division—Suburban Charing Cross/Cannon Street—Gillingham via Bexleyheath; Gravesend via Bexley-heath; Dartford via Bexleyheath; Dartford via Sidcup, fast to New Eltham/Mottingham; Dartford via Sidcup; Dartford via Blackheath and Woolwich; Dartford via Greenwich; Bromley North; Sevenoaks/Orpington via Chislehurst; Hayes; Addiscombe; Sanderstead or Selsdon. Charing Cross—Hayes via Lewisham. Victoria—Orpington via Beckenham Junction. Holborn Viaduct/Blackfriars—Crayford/Dartford via Nunhead and Sidcup; Barnehurst/Slade Green/Dartford via Nunhead and Bexleyheath; Orpington via Penge East. Holborn Viaduct—Sevenoaks via Catford and Swanley. Elmers End—Addiscombe.

Waterloo—Main Lines Waterloo—Portsmouth (fast, semi-fast and stopping); Alton. Waterloo—Bournemouth (fast, semi-fast and stopping); Basingstoke; Salisbury. Brockenhurst—Lymington Pier.

Victoria/London Bridge—South Coast Victoria—East Grinstead; Uckfield via Oxted and Ashurst; Bognor/Portsmouth via Dorking, Horsham and Arundelsemi-fast; Bognor via Redhill, Horsham, Arundel and Littlehampton—stopping; Horsham via Redhill—stopping; Littlehampton via Sutton; Gatwick Airport; Brighton (non stop, semi-fast and stopping); Ore via Haywards Heath, Lewes and Eastbourne; Littlehampton via Hay-wards Heath, Hove and Worthing—fast; Seaford/Ore; Eastbourne/Brighton. London Bridge/Victoria—Reigate. London Bridge—East Grinstead; Uckfield via Ashurst; Portsmouth/Bognor via Honey; Brighton—stopping; Eastbourne/Seaford; Brighton/Ore; Littlehampton via Hove. Tonbridge—Eridge via Tunbridge Wells. Arundel—Littlehampton. Redhill—Reigate.

Kent Coast Main Lines Charing Cross/Cannon Street—Ramsgate via Ashford/Dover/Deal/Canterbury W. (fast and stopping); Gillingham via Strood. Charing Cross—Ramsgate via Woolwich, Strood and Herne Bay—semi fast/stopping. Victoria—Margate via Maidstone E, Ashford and Canterbury West—stopping; Sheerness/Maidstone East via Swanleystopping; Dover/Ramsgate via Bromley South, Faversham, Canterbury East/Herne Bay—fast. Victoria/Holborn Viaduct—Gillingham via Penge East. Holborn Viaduct—Maidstone East via Swanley. London—Hastings via Tonbridge. Paddock Wood—Maidstone West. Sittingboume—Sheerness-on-Sea. Strood—Maidstone West.

REFUSALS OF GRANT

Undertakings to pay grant are not being renewed for the following services: Leeds—Rotherham—Sheffield. Liverpool (Lime Street)—Southport. Crewe—Chester. Bristol—Worcester. Undertakings are not being given for the following services, not previously grant-aided, for which application for grants were received: Sheffield—Nottingham. Leicester—Bedford extension of. Nottingham—Leicester service.

Mr. Leslie Huckfield

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the amount of grant payable to the Nuneaton-Birmingham and Coventry- Birmingham railway service in 1971; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Peyton

Separate figures are not available for the services specified, but grant-aid is payable in 1971 for the following services:

£
Birmingham-Leicester (incorporating Nuneaton-Birmingham) 132,000
Euston-Northampton-Birmingham (incorporating Coventry-Birmingham. 214,000
Rugby-Coventry-Birmingham 248,000

Mr. Leslie Huckfield

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the future of grants to unremunerative railway services outside London.

Mr. Peyton

I have made an announcement today about the renewal of grant undertakings which expired on 31st December, 1970. I am still engaged on a general review of grants for all unremunerative rail passenger services.