§ Mr. Hilary BennTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funding has been made available to Railtrack to repair unsafe railway bridge structures in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [150107]
§ Mr. HillIn the past five years, the only grant paid direct to Railtrack was £34 million towards the cost of maintaining level crossings, paid in 1995–96 when the company was still in the public sector. Since its privatisation in 1996, the company has recovered that cost, and other costs including the cost of repairing unsafe railway bridge structures, through access charges paid by passenger train operating companies and freight operating companies. So, although no grant has been paid direct to222W the company since 1996, its profitability is contingent on public money. Some 90 per cent. of its income is paid to it in access charges, a substantial proportion of which are supported by public money.