§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has(a) on the annual cost of cleaning off graffiti from London Underground premises and (b) on the extra annual cost of policing relating to the prevention of graffiti in each of the last five years for which statistics are available;
(2) whether he will publish a table showing the cost of removing graffiti on each of the London Underground lines.
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§ Mr. PortilloThe cost to London Underground Ltd. of cleaning graffiti from trains and stations has increased substantially over the past five years to an estimated £2.5 million in 1989. Figures for individual Underground lines are not readily available since depot and cleaning facilities are often shared between lines. The cost to London Buses Ltd. of cleaning graffiti from buses and garages has increased from about £1.5 million in 1986 to over £2 million in 1989.
A special British Transport police graffiti squad has been set up to combat graffiti vandalism on the Underground. This is estimated to have cost about £250,000 in 1989. British Transport police officers are also expected to prevent graffiti vandalism as part of their normal duties. Crime on London Buses, including vandalism and graffiti, is dealt with by the Metropolitan police.