§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has had from the north of England regional consortium about the channel tunnel rail link; what reply he is sending; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently received a letter from the North of England regional consortium to which he has replied. My right hon. Friend and I have no objection to the contents of the reply being made public but any inquiries about the correspondence should be directed to the consortium to whom the letter was sent.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources will be made available to local community groups in Islington for them to make representations on the channel tunnel route to St. Pancras.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government have asked Union Railways to take the lead in the public consultation on the rail link. They will be devoting engineering and environmental resources to examining worthwhile suggestions put forward for any improvements to the proposals.
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Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if customs, immigration and security checks for international rail services will be handled on board international train services using the channel tunnel line.
§ Mr. FreemanImmigration controls will be carried out on board channel tunnel day passenger services using Waterloo. Customs and security checks will be carried out in the station. All three controls on night trains using Waterloo will be carried out at the station. All three controls for channel tunnel passenger services running beyond London will be carried out on board the trains.