asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards authorising further main line electrification by British Railways.

As I told my hon. Friend, the Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 24 May last year, a study of the case for a programme of main line electrification is being carried out by a joint steering group of my Department and the British Railways Board.—[Vol. 950, c. 590] While the review is in progress I shall consider any specific schemes which the Railways Board puts to me in the normal way.