§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of his decision to curtail public subsidy to Network SouthEast services on the quality of service offered to passengers.
§ Mr. PortilloThe latest objectives for British Rail are based on the board's forecasts in the 1989 corporate plan that the need for subsidy for Network SouthEast will be eliminated progressively over the next three years as a result of increased revenue and greater efficiency. The objectives also set tougher quality of service targets, which NSE will be expected to meet route by route. The investment programme of £1.2 billion over the next three years will make a major contribution to the achievement of these objectives, both through savings in energy and maintenance costs and through additional revenue from increases in capacity and improved service quality.