§ Mr. Ellisasked the Minister of Transport whether she will now announce details of the scheme of grants to encourage investment in modern port facilities proposed by her Department on 27th June, 1966; and how this affects Bristol.
§ Mrs. CastleYes. Details of the scheme are embodied in the application forms and notes which have now been printed and I have arranged for copies of these to be placed in the library. In addition, I have decided to make more money available to the ports from this source by arranging for payment to be speeded up. Initially grants will be paid 15 months after the end of the quarter in which the expenditure was incurred, but this interval will be progressively reduced to 9 months by April, 1969.
Bristol, in common with other large ports, will benefit substantially but the exact amount of grant will depend on the nature and extent of the capital investment which is undertaken in the port.