§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of the loan granted by the European Investment Bank for the construction of high-speed diesel trains; whether any loans from the European Investment Bank were granted in 1976 and 1977; and for what transport purposes.
§ Mr. William Rodgers:The European Investment Bank—EIB—is making a loan of £36.9 million to the British Railways Board for the construction of highspeed trains, to be taken up by the end of the year. The loan is repayable in half yearly instalments over 15 years and bears an interest rate of 9.9 per cent.
Four loans were made by EIB to British Rail in 1976 and 1977 for invest-
Revenue Cost of Collection Crossing 1976–77 1977–78 1976–77 1977–78 £ £ £ £ Dartford Tunnel … … 2,310,235 2,840,753 168,938 173,866 Mersey Tunnels … … 4,328,141 5,300,000* 521,586 Severn Bridge … … 1,254,380 1,242,306 223,513 244,436 Tamar Bridge … … 1,003,378 1,097,000* 120,908 Tyne Tunnel … … … 1,241,563 1,400,000* 210,572 10,137,697 11,880,059 1,245,517 *The figures for 1977–78 for these crossings, which are the responsibility of local authorities, are estimated.