§ Mr. DunnTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made with the proposed privatisation of Freightliner.
§ Mr. MacgregorI have today announced that the railways board will shortly be advertising the availability of a memorandum describing the business, with a view to soliciting formal expressions of interest and commencing discussion with short-listed bidders. Our objective is to transfer Freightliner to the private sector as a going concern. We encourage bidders to come forward with proposals to develop the rail intermodal freight network. Purchasers will wish to develop plans to reduce costs and improve efficiency, to manage the transition to the private sector. The Government have also introduced specific measures of support, including the new rail freight facilities and track access grants and the 44–tonne lorry weight concession for intermodal transport.