Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Transport on the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle.

I have remained in close contact with Ministers in both the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government since the closure of the West Coast main line between Glasgow and Carlisle. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, the hon Member for Devizes, visited the repair works at Lamington Viaduct with the Scottish Government Transport Minister on 8 January, and she and her officials continue to be in close contact with the Scottish Government and myself.