§ Mr. FraserTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Government's policy on the use of suburban railway routes for the movement of freight.[44705]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe Government want to see more freight go by rail, in order to reduce pollution and congestion on the roads. We have doubled the money spent on freight grants, to £30 million for 1997–98, and have increased the budget for 1998£99 to £40 million. Our White Paper on Integrated Transport Policy will consider further measures to encourage rail freight.
Development of the rail network to accommodate freight traffic must be made in the light of its environmental impacts. Railtrack is committed, through its Environmental Policy Statement, to pursuing the "best practicable environmental option" in all its operations. It aims to achieve this through assessment of environmental impacts of proposals and minimising any adverse impacts which arise.