Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effects on British Rail timetables of(a) the reductions to the railway maintenance programme recently announced and (b) the citizens charter.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government have provided BR with an extra £239 million external finance over the next two years. Allocation to specific programmes, including maintenance, is for BR, although I understand no final decisions have been made. It will doubtless take due account of any implications its decisions might have for its timetable.
The standards and compensation provisions set out in the charter give BR a greater incentive to deliver the published service.