To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the public subsidy to the British Rail provincial network in the west midlands sector in 1979 and 1989.

The public service obligation grant payable to British Rail is a block grant, and cannot be attributed to any individual area of service. Services in the area covered by the west midlands passenger transport authority are subsidised by them under section 20 of the Transport Act 1968. In 1989–90 this subsidy totalled more than £12 million.