§ 21. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Technology what study he has made of the use of hovertrains to link urban centres such as London to potential off-shore airport sites; and if he will now consider making more money available for hovertrain research and development.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuMy right hon. Friend has recently approved additional expenditure of £1½ million by Tracked Hovercraft Limited to produce an experimental manned vehicle on a track several miles long.
The Department and the Ministry of Transport are jointly undertaking studies of the applications of novel systems of high-speed transport, including tracked hovercraft. At present these are necessarily general and not related to particular routes.
§ Mr. RobertsDoes my hon. Friend at least accept the implication of the possibility of airports being sited on the coast and that Government resources should be devoted to the problems of the design of such airports and the development of fast links to urban centres?
§ Mr. MallalieuOf course, it would be very nice to have all airports sited in the middle of the Atlantic, but there is the problem of reasonable access to where people want ultimately to go. The question cf fast transport to and from airports is being seriously considered.
§ Sir H. Legge-BourkeAs this hover-train experimental track runs through my constituency, is the reason for the shortening of the original track by about 4½ miles, announced a short time ago, due to the Chancellor's recent package?
§ Mr. MallalieuNot that I know of.