HC Deb 23 April 1993 vol 223 cc209-10W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the chairman of British Rail to discuss the level of spending on maintenance of BR track.

Mr. Freeman

The Secretary of State regularly meets the BR chairman and board members to discuss a wide range of matters relating to the railways. It is for the board to decide on its expenditure on track maintenance within the overall external financing limit.

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 31 March,Official Report, column 301, what estimate he has made about the number of miles of British Rail track which are, or are likely to be, subject to speed restrictions caused by reduced maintenance resulting from reductions in the planned level of public service obligation grant in 1993–94.

Mr. Freeman

Speed restrictions, for maintenance and other reasons, are constantly changing. It is therefore not possible to give any estimate of such restrictions for 1993–94.