§ Mr. WaltersTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to encourage greater use of the railways for the haulage of heavy goods to alleviate the environmental damage caused by heavy commercial lorries.
§ Mr. PortilloGrants are available under section 8 of the Railways Act 1974 to assist the transport of goods by rail if the environmental benefits of keeping lorries off sensitive roads can be secured at reasonable costs and if the correct commercial decision, in the absence of grant, would be to use road. Since 1974 the Government have awarded 189 such grants totalling £64 million and we estimate that, as a result, about 3 million lorry journeys are removed from unsuitable roads every year.