§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirement is made on Railtrack to contract out its functions; what is the number of such arrangements extant and how many of these were made when its activities were the responsibility of the British Railways Board; and if he will list those functions newly contracted out since its creation which are related to operational safety. [37359]
§ Mr. WattsUnder the objectives set by the Government for the Railtrack board for 1995–96, the company is expected to procure services from the private sector where appropriate.
Full data on the number of functions contracted out and the number of these made when Railtrack's activities were the responsibility of the British Railways Board are not held centrally, but in 1994–95, Railtrack contracted out approximately £1.8 billion of work.
Almost all of Railtrack's functions, including those newly contracted out since Railtrack's creation, relate in some way to operational safety, and are subject to the rigorous safety regime which applies to all Railtrack's activities.