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>At the 'open forum' event at the London Boat Show, Barry Gardiner claimed that 
>the only 
>effect of the grant cuts on BW was deferred maintenance. I asked Robin Evans 
>(who was 
>sitting alongside the Minister) to confirm this: "Robin, could you confirm 
>that the 180 
>redundancies would have happened regardless of the grant cuts?"
>
>He answered: "You know those efficiencies have _always_ been our plan." (I 
>didn't.) He 
>went on to explain that the DEFRA cuts have just made it happen a little 
>sooner than would 
>otherwise have been the case.
>
>So when David Miliband answered that a retreat from freight was BW's decision, 
>not his, 
>BW would back him up. BW wanted to abolish the freight department, "retire" 
>the 
>restoration director, and close the Birmingham office anyway.
>
>Richard

Regarding maintenance, some isn't being done because the "tickets" that the 
staff need to operate equipment are not being renewed. 
Sue nb Nackered Navvy 

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