§ Lord Gainfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the proposed creation of Railtrack in April 1994 and the introduction of a new track charging regime will not result in additional financial burdens falling on metropolitan local authorities.
The Earl of CaithnessWe have given a commitment to the metropolitan local authorities that, if the restructuring of the railway industry results in higher charges in 1994-95 for the service levels that they currently support, measures will be taken, including, if necessary, the payment of special grants, to ensure that these changes do not result in an additional financial burden falling on them in 1994-95. We will be discussing the position for future years with the metropolitan local authorities.