§ Mr. Snapeasked the Minister of Transport, sursuant to the reply given by Lord Mowbray and Stourton on 7 February in another place, if it is the policy of his Department that it is totally impossible for the railways to take more than just a token amount off the roads.
§ Mr. FowlerGovernment policy is that there should be fair competition between different modes of transport, to ensure that each mode carries the traffic for which it is best suited. Much freight traffic is in quantities and over distances that make it more suitable for road transport. But with other types of traffic there are certainly opportunities for successful rail competition with road. Indeed, the section 8 grant scheme exists to help industry take advantage of such opportunities.