§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the £183 million required to bring Northern Ireland Railways up to safety standards would be reduced by £70 million by the leasing of new rolling stock; and given that the £80 million required for track work would attract a 75 per cent European grant, what would be the actual cost to the Government per year over the next 10 years of funding the safety requirement. [HL2556]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonIf the cost of leasing trains were 10 per cent more than the cost of outright purchase, the annual cost of funding the new trains
126WA
Year Airman target Airman achievement Airman shortfall Officer £ airman aircrew target Officer £ airman aircrew achievement Officer £ airman aircrew shortfall 1995–96 2,284 2,114(92.5%) 170 530 487(91.9%) 43 1996–97 2,650 2,324 (87.7%) 326 633 533 (87.4%) 80 1997–98 3,630 3,232 (89.8%) 368 833 723 (86.8%) 110 1998–99 3,728 3,682 (98.8%) 46 894 778 (87.02%) 116 1999–2000* 3,617 3,568 (98.7%) 49 1,022 928 (90.8%) 94 * 1999–2000 still to be ratified. recommended in the Strategic Safety Review of Northern Ireland Railways would be about £8 million per annum for a 10-year lease period, discounting any residual value. This compares to a capital expenditure profile in the review of £6.5 million, £14.3 million, £20.9 million, £1.2 million and £5 million in the first five years and £24.4 million in total in the following five years. Negotiations are currently in progress with the European Commission about European funding for the period 2000–06. It is too early to say what funding would be available for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland.