§ 27. Mr. KnapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures taken to encourage freight operators to use rail rather than road; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanSince 1975, grants have been available under section 8 of the Railways Act 1974 to assist companies to meet the capital cost of projects in cases where the goods would otherwise go by road and where there are readily quantifiable environmental benefits in removing lorry traffic. Some 200 schemes have been assisted at a cost of £78 million in cash terms. This has resulted in 3 million annual lorry journeys removed from the roads.
To further encourage a switch from road to rail, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport announced three important new measures during the Second Reading of the Railways Bill on 2 February 1993. These are set out in the Official Report, columns 164–65. These measures cannot be implemented prior to the passing of the legislation and until Railtrack is operational as a commercial entity.
Both the enhanced freight facilities grants scheme and the proposed track access charges grant will be monitored to ensure that payments continue to represent value for money.