§ 6. Mr. Colvinasked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on the size of the United Kingdom merchant fleet of building the Channel fixed link.
§ Mr. RidleyThis matter will be dealt with in the White Paper on the Channel fixed link which the government intend to issue as soon as possible after the decision.
§ 19. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest position in relation to a decision on the Channel fixed link.
§ Mr. David MitchellMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister plans to meet the French President on 20 January to take a decision on which scheme, if any, should go ahead.
§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) in his forthcoming White Paper on a Channel fixed link, what conditions he expects to seek to impose on any chosen operator in respect of differential tariff structures between through rail, ferry rail, and road traffic, respectively;
(2) if, in his forthcoming White Paper on all aspects of the Channel fixed link, he will indicate for each scheme a comparison with the general level of current charges on ferries for each main category of traffic on current and projected volumes of traffic, respectively;
(3) if, in his forthcoming White Paper on the Channel fixed link, he will indicate for each option the range of expected reduction in transport costs for road freight travelling by the proposed Channel fixed links between Birmingham and Frankfurt;
(4) if, in his forthcoming White Paper on the Channel fixed link, he will estimate for each option the range of expected saving in time occasioned by the construction of a Channel fixed link, over use of Hovercraft, for travellers by road from London to Paris;
(5) if, in his forthcoming White Paper on the Channel fixed link, he will indicate the approximate expected reduction, in per cent. of the cost of rail passenger travel between London and Brussels occasioned by each applicable option.
§ Mr. David MitchellMy right hon. Friend will bear these suggestions in mind for the content of the White Paper that the Government will issue if it is decided to proceed with a fixed link.
§ Mr. Tony Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about the Channel fixed link.
§ Mr. David MitchellI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) earlier today.
§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in his forthcoming White Paper on all aspects of a Channel fixed link, he will list the principal causes 476W of delay and hazard in the existing road traffic tunnels in the world and the Blackwall tunnel and summarise in that paper the plans for their avoidance in any proposed road tunnel.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe safe and efficient flow of traffic through a fixed link is of considerable concern to the Government and, if the project goes ahead, the Government will ensure that the concession agreement with the successful promoter imposes appropriate obligations upon the promoter in this regard, and enables the Government to approve and monitor the promoter's arrangements.
§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if, in his White Paper on the Channel fixed link, he will indicate the expected ratio of cost to freight forwarders, arising through rail facilities, of the rail cost per mile of all costs arising from the link, to the cost per mile by rail in the United Kingdom;
(2) if, in his White Paper on the Channel fixed link, he will examine the merits and demerits of a common tariff for through rail freight from the continental ports to any one of six or more centres in Scotland, the north-west, the north-east, south Wales, the midlands and the south-west, respectively.
§ Mr. David MitchellNo.