§ Mr. Amosasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his assessment of the role of the railway network in Northumberland in bringing employment and tourism to the county; if, when he next meets the Chairman of British Rail he will raise with him the implications for that role of the present standards of reliability on the London to Newcastle and Newcastle to Carlisle lines; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David MitchellI want to see the quality of BR's service improved over its network as a whole. That is why we have just agreed standards for punctuality, reliability and other aspects of service quality. I shall be monitoring the board's performance against them.