§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will instigate a review of the financial history of the Sheffield supertram project. [28235]
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§ Ms Glenda JacksonFinancial approval for Sheffield Supertram was given in December 1990. Government grant under Section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 was provided, together with borrowing approval for other approved costs. The scheme was built on time and to budget.
The High Court ruling on 19 January 1998 made it clear that the Government were not committed to funding outstanding Supertram debt. It will be for the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, who co-ordinate public transport in their area, to decide whether a financial review should be undertaken.