§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will estimate the current losses of revenue on the Chelmsford/Liverpool Street line since the introduction of the penalty fare system;
(2) what assessments are being made of the effectiveness of the new policy of inspecting tickets on the Chelmsford/Liverpool Street line in terms of revenue losses to Network SouthEast;
(3) how many people have been (a) apprehended, (b) prosecuted and (c) cautioned on the Liverpool Street/Chelmsford line since the introduction of the penalty fare system;
(4) if he will introduce into the BR passengers charter measures compelling Network SouthEast to provide ticket collectors at stations;
(5) if he will estimate how much revenue was lost on the Chelmsford/Liverpool Street line in the year prior to the introduction of penalty fares.
§ Mr. FreemanThe estimated revenue loss through fare evasion on the Chelmsford to Liverpool Street line for the year prior to the introduction of the penalty fares scheme in October 1992 was £1.9 million. BR estimates that for the first full year after introduction this figure will fall to £0.36 million.
Regular checks are carried out to ensure that the scheme is being implemented as effectively as possible. A new monitoring system is currently being tested.
Penalty fares is a civil matter; prosecution is used only as a last resort. A total of 16,089 penalty fare notices have been issued on the Great Eastern division of Network SouthEast which includes the Chelmsford to Liverpool Street line. A total of 777 of these were referred for civil action to secure payment. Around half of the referrals led to a summons being issued.
The deployment of staff is for British Rail to determine. However, the success of the penalty fares scheme in reducing ticketless travel would tend to suggest that the deterrent effect of penalty fares is more efficient in reducing fare evasion than traditional ticket inspection at stations.