§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reach firm conclusions on the report of the role of investment appraisal in road and rail transport; and if he is satisfied that each mode of transport is given comparable assessment within that report.
§ Mr. FreemanThis paper described the technical procedures, and their background, at present used or required by the Department of Transport in appraising proposed investments in road and rail transport. The paper attracted helpful comments from many sources. I am quite satisfied with the present rules for providing grants to public transport. However, I also accept that there may be scope for the wider use of full cost-benefit analysis in the appraisal of public transport infrastructure investments. The Department is therefore now developing further guidance on the use of cost-benefit analysis for the appraisal of, in particular, urban public transport infrastructure.