§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make an assessment of how his policy on investment in the railway infrastructure by Railtrack is affected by Railtrack's policy on dividend payments to shareholders. [71494]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonWhile recognising that Railtrack is a private sector company and must make a profit, the Government have made it clear that they are not convinced that enough of Railtrack's profits are being invested back into the network. Railtrack receives substantial public subsidy through the access charging regime. We need to be sure that the taxpayer is getting proper value for money.