§ Mr. Bagierasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway sidings, excluding British Rail's own terminals and marshalling yards, were opened in each year since 1974 to date (a) in total and (b) with the assistance of section 8 grants; and what was the expenditure in each year on section 8 grants in current prices.
§ Mr. HoramThe information is as follows:
1. NEW PRIVATE SIDINGS OPENED All With s. 8 assistance* Total s. 8 approvals 1974 56 — — 1975 22 3 3 1976 26 2 15 1977 28 5 19 1978 17 1 25 * Excludes schemes under construction.
2. SECTION 8 GRANT EXPENDITURE (ALL SCHEMES) Financial Year Expenditure (£) 1975–76 483,562 1976–77 1,003,399 1977–78 2,011,674 1978–79 (to date) 1,473,176
§ Mr. Bagierasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications for section 8 grants for the installation of private sidings were received in 1978; how many were refused; and for what reasons.
§ Mr. Horam28 applications were received in 1978 in England, Scotland and Wales. There were no refusals, but in one case—Nypro Limited of Flix-borough—a reduced grant was offered because the environmental benefits were not considered to be commensurate with the amount of grant sought, and a better solution to the general problem of lorries in the Flixborough area is available.