§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his plans for spending on rail improvements, including the Rail Passenger Partnership, in 2003–04 and beyond by the Strategic Rail Authority. [118105]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) revised Strategic Plan, published on 30 January 2003, contains a full analysis of the budgetary position, investment priorities for the short and medium-terms, as well as the SRA's long-term objectives for the rail network.
The SRA's Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) programme has been temporarily suspended because of current budgetary constraints. The Authority does not intend to terminate the RPP scheme, but for the present the focus will be on seeing through existing commitments and approvals. For the duration of the 2003–04 financial year, they will continue to allocate funds (£20 million) already set aside for RPP grants.
Copies of the Strategic Plan are available from the House Library.