§ 25. Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in the last three months on the painting of the Forth rail bridge. [34708]
§ Mr. WattsMaintenance of the Forth bridge is now an operational matter for Railtrack. Railtrack has accepted all the recommendations in the Health and Safety Executive's assessment of the bridge, published earlier this year, and is already in the process of prioritising repair and restoration work as part of the written maintenance plan that will be submitted to the House by 30 November this year. As part of this work, Railtrack has invited tenders to undertake 35,000 sq m of painting in 1996–97—a significant increase on the 13,000 sq m painted in 1995–96.