§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the policy of his Department on the provision of future fixed-link improvements in communications infrastructure from(a) public funds and (b) the private sector.
§ Mr. PortilloIn deciding what public funds are to be spent on transport infrastructure, the Government take account of the demands of other areas of Government expenditure; but will increase capital investment where this is justified. The amount of public expenditure provided for investment in rail and national road schemes over the next three years is over 60 per cent. higher in real terms than in the three years up to the end of 1989–90.
365WAlthough the public sector will for the foreseeable future account for the majority of infrastructure funding, as indicated in "New Roads by New Means", I am always looking to secure the benefits which the private sector can bring in terms of innovation, enterprise and management efficiency. Road infrastructure measures are judged on their individual merits. For example, the M25 Dartford-Thurrock crossing and the Channel tunnel are projects at the construction stage which show how the private sector can make a valuable contribution towards the provision of transport infrastructure.