Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to maintain existing contracts between Northern Rail and subcontractors in the event that Northern Rail is taken into Government control.

In the event that any franchise were to be taken into Government control, the standard practice would be for a Transfer Scheme to be put in place between the existing and new operator to transfer those existing contracts and assets that would be required for the continued running of the railway.