§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what subsidies have been paid to(a) Connex South Central, (b) Go Via/Goahead and (c) Thameslink to assist them with the purchase of new trains; when these payments were made; what each company is required to do as a consequence of accepting these payments; how many confirmed orders for new trains each company has informed his Department it has made; and how many trains each company has accepted. [16818]
§ Mr. Jamieson[holding answer 22 November 2001]: The following table provides details, for Connex South Central and Thameslink and for each year from franchise commencement to 2000–01, of net outturn payments (or receipts) in cash prices by the Franchising Director and, since 1 February 2001, by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA):
Cash prices £ million Year Connex South Central Thameslink 1996–97 76 1 1997–98 76 3 1998–99 58 (7) 1999–2000 50 (18) 2000–01 40 (28) Ownership of the South Central franchise was transferred from Connex to GoVia on 26 August 2001. Franchise support for South Central and Thameslink is the Franchising Director's and the SRA's contribution to funding all those companies' expenditure under their franchise agreements, including any expenditure on new trains.
Under its franchise agreement, Thameslink has no commitment to order new trains. The South Central franchise agreement included a commitment by Connex to replace its Mark I rolling stock by 1 January 2005, as required by Health and Safety Executive regulations. On 503W 26 August that commitment was passed to GoVia, which has subsequently ordered 240 new vehicles that are due to start entering service on its South Central franchise in 2002. Further orders are expected to be placed shortly.