§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of losses sustained by British Rail due to the signalmen's strike to date;
(2) what estimates he has made of the effects on the economy of the signalmen's strike to date.
§ Mr. WattsBritish Rail estimates that it loses of the order of £9 million per day in revenue for each one day strike. The overall loss to British Rail will depend on the rebate to the access charge made by Railtrack.
It is impossible to estimate the damage to the overall economy, but continued strike action is clearly detrimental to passengers, the railway industry and the economy as a whole.