HC Deb 23 January 2002 vol 378 cc863-4W
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether his Department's statements and the SRA plan have taken into account the delays in establishing the first special purpose vehicles in estimating completion dates for infrastructure investments. [28567]

Mr. Spellar

To avoid possible delays the Strategic Rail Authority has set aside funds within its strategic plan to help reduce commercial risk in projects before competitions to build them are held.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which new recommendations from multi-modal studies have been included in the SRA plan. [28565]

Mr. Spellar

The Strategic Rail Authority is working with my Department on the processes by which the study outcomes will be taken forward in the short, medium and long terms. The authority is currently undertaking further work on the access to hastings study.

Mr. Luff

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what impact the Strategic Rail Authority's new strategic plan will have on plans for the proposed Worcester Parkway station at Norton; and if he will make a statement. [28597]

Mr. Spellar

The Strategic Rail Authority's strategic plan makes it clear that £430 million will be available over the next 10 years for the Rail Passenger Partnership Scheme which is designed to provide partnership funding for local schemes which support local and integrated transport objectives. The scheme was recently relaunched by the authority and the bidding criteria were not affected or altered by the strategic plan.

Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what mechanism the £7.5 billion public sector funding will be used to lever in the new commitments that will deliver the(a) short and (b) medium term priorities set out in the SRA strategic plan. [29232]

Mr. Jamieson

The private sector investment will be levered in through the franchising process, Special Purpose Vehicles and specific funding schemes such as the Rail Passenger Partnership fund.