§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he will be taking to develop British coastal and short sea shipping; and what discussions he has had with the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officer.
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 17 November 1992]: It is primarily for the industry to develop coastal and short sea freight services in response to market demands. However, the Government are keen to encourage the use of waterborne freight alternatives where this is both economically and geographically viable.
We meet with officials from NUMAST periodically when we discuss a whole range of issues.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what initiatives he is planning to assess the potential for shifting freight away from roads and on to coastal ships and other vessels.
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§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 17 November 1992]: I refer the hon. member to the answer that I gave on 3 November 1992, Official Report, c. 159–60.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made on the relative energy efficiency of coastal and short sea trips in terms of energy consumption per tonne per mile in comparison with freight-carrying road lorries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 17 November 1992]: The energy efficiency of ships and lorries is discussed in a report produced by the Department of Energy in 1989 on "Energy Use and Energy Efficiency in UK Transport up to the year 2010" and published by HMSO.
I have no current plans to carry out any further assessement of the comparative energy efficiency of roads and wateborne freight.