§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport which estuarial crossings have received central Government assistance in the form of grant, loan or debt-write-off or suspension; and how much assistance he has been given, and in what form, in each case.
§ Mr. KeyCentral Government grants were given towards the first Mersey crossing which opened in 1934 (£2.5 million) the first Dartford-Thurrock tunnel which opened in 1963 (£2.6 million) and the Tyne tunnel which opened in 1967 (£3 million). Since then central Government finance for estuarial crossings has been in the form of loans. In 1992 the debts outstanding were £359 million on the Humber bridge, £112 million on the Mersey 341W tunnels, £13 million on the Tyne tunnels and £4 million on the Severn bridge. The most recent estuarial crossing, at Dartford-Thurrock and Severn, were or are being built with private finance. The Government have accepted that loans to the Humber bridge cannot be serviced and repaid from toll revenue alone and, to date, grants totalling £72 million have been paid.
§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport which estuarial crossings are the responsibility of(a) central Government, (b) local authorities and (c) private owners; and which of these are (i) subject to tolls and (ii) not subject to tolls.
§ Mr. KeyApart from the bridge carrying the M2 over the Medway and the Avonmouth bridge carrying the M5, both of which are the responsibility of the Department of Transport, tolls are charged at all estuarial crossings in England. Central Government are responsible for the Dartford-Thurrock crossings and the Severn bridge, though operational responsibility rests with private concessionaries. Local authorities are responsible for the Tyne and Mersey tunnels and the Tamar and Humber bridges. No estuarial crossings are privately owned.