§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the expenditure by the Exchequer is in the current financial year, expressed in terms of money per estimated passenger mile, on(a) motorways, (b) railways and (c) ferries. [28045]
§ Mr. McLeishIt is not possible to provide the information precisely in the form as requested. The table shows
expenditure by The Scottish Office on motorways and an estimate of expenditure per passenger mile in the current year based on vehicle miles travelled and estimated vehicle occupancy figures.the Franchise payment to ScotRail (who operate 96 per cent. of all passenger rail services in Scotland including the Anglo-Scottish Sleeper) and an estimate of expenditure per passenger mile for ScotRail services;expenditure by The Scottish Office on ferry services provided by Caledonian MacBrayne Co (Clyde and Hebrides) and P&O Scottish Ferries Ltd (Northern Isles), and estimated cost per passenger mile information. The subsidy provided by The Scottish Office supports, as well as passengers, the carriage of accompanied cars and, in the case of Caledonian Macbrayne, commercial vehicles, buses coaches, livestock and freight also. In producing this estimate, Revenue Deficit Grant, capital grants for vessels, piers and harbours grants, and National Loan Fund repayments have all been taken into account.
Mode 1997–98 (estimated outturn £m) Estimated cost per passenger mile 1997–98 (£) Motorways Railway Ferries 37.114 0.012 Railway 280.0 0.11 Ferries 32.218 0.45 The information on railways concerns only ScotRail. The same information for cross border services operated by Great North Eastern Railway and Virgin Rail cannot be apportioned separately for Scotland.
Similarly, information on ferries is confined to those directly funded by central government. Some local ferry services are also supported by certain local authorities in Scotland.