§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the results of his review of section 8 grants.
§ Mr. FreemanI refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's speech during the Second Reading of the Railways Bill on 2 FebruaryOfficial Report, columns 164–65.
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the section 8 grant budget.
§ Mr. FreemanThis will depend on demand and other calls on public expenditure. The budget is kept under review and to date no schemes have been turned down through lack of funds. The need for additional funding will be considered in the light of the proposals put forward by my right hon. Friend on 2 February,Official Report, columns 164–65.
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list what information he has of individual items of traffic transferred from rail freight distribution and train load freight to roads since July 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanThis is a commercial matter between British Rail and its customers.
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the operational and infrastructure cost savings he expects for the rail freight sector following privatisation.
§ Mr. FreemanPrivatisation and open access to the network will transform rail freight from a public sector monopoly into a competitive privately owned industry. Operators will need to improve constantly to stay ahead of their competitors. They will be free from public sector constraints on finance and will be able to benefit directly from the cost and service improvements they make.
414W
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the report by Mercer Management Consultants into the future of the rail freight industry.
§ Mr. FreemanNo. The report will contain commercially confidential information. We will be publishing proposals on the future of British Rail's freight businesses after we have studied Mercer's report.