HC Deb 15 January 2002 vol 378 cc210-1W
Mrs. May

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will publish the grant payment deed for(a) NGCL and (b) Renewco; [22067]

(2) if the grant payment deed for NGCL formed part of the paper presented to the court on 8 October for consideration of his Department's petition to place Railtrack plc into administration; [22068]

(3) when the grant payment deed for NGCL was (a) drawn up and (b) passed to the Office for National Statistics. [22069]

Mr. Byers

[holding answer 10 December 2001]: The SRA prepared and negotiated a draft Deed of Payment of SRA grant for NGCL (ie Renewco) over the summer. A draft was sent to the ONS on 17 September. The draft was not relevant to the decision to take Railtrack into administration.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 494W, ref. 21483, on what date he expects a response to the application. [26562]

Mr. Spellar

A response to the Secretary of State's application is a matter for the European Commission.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will list the organisations with which he or his Department have held meetings to discuss the future structure of Railtrack since 7 October 2001; [26463]

(2) if he will list the external organisations with which he and his Department held discussions about Railtrack between 1 July and 7 October 2001. [26462]

Mr. Spellar

Ministers and departmental officials have held meetings with a wide range of organisations about Railtrack since July 2001, including Railtrack and its advisers, the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR), the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), trade unions, the administrator, potential bidders and groups representing passengers, shareholders and transport interests more widely.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress made to date in bringing Railtrack out of administration. [26293]

Mr. Spellar

This is a matter for the administrator. He shares the Government's objective that the process should be completed as quickly as possible.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 494W, ref 21483, if the amounts exceed the specific funding provisions encompassed in the commercial loan agreement. [26561]

Mr. Spellar

Yes.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assistance he has requested from the Railtrack administrator under section 8.1.3 of the commercial loan agreement. [26305]

Mr. Spellar

None.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the Railtrack administrator will be permitted to sell railway property assets to raise funding to repay the liabilities incurred under the commercial loan agreement. [26301]

Mr. Spellar

The Railtrack administrator is not permitted to sell Railtrack plc property assets to raise funding to repay the commercial loan agreement.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many relevant dates for repayment have been defined, as referred to in section 9.3 of the Railtrack commercial loan agreement. [26306]

Mr. Spellar

None.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 495W, Ref. 23211, for what purpose the funding is required. [26459]

Mr. Spellar

No funding has as yet been requested from this facility.