HC Deb 09 December 1994 vol 251 cc404-5W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the surveyed values, book values and location of the properties and houses purchased by British Rail along the lines of putative, but now rejected, channel tunnel rail links, together with the total price at which they were transferred to Railtrack.

Mr. Watts

Information about properties purchased for previous rail link proposals should be sought from the British Rail Property Board whose responsibility they are. No such properties have been transferred to Railtrack.

Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the text of the agreement between himself and the consortia bidding to build the channel tunnel rail link especially as it relates to obligatory confidentiality.

Mr. Watts

The confidentiality agreements with consortia bidding in the channel tunnel rail link competition are strictly private and confidential documents and are not appropriate for publication.

Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his best estimate of the revenues to be derived from the European passenger services due to be transferred to the consortium chosen to build the channel rail link.

Mr. Watts

This information is commercially confidential.

Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the value of the financial assistance likely to be available from the European Union towards the cost of building the channel tunnel rail link.

Mr. Watts

The value of any assistance from the European Union for the channel tunnel rail link has yet to be determined. Potential sources of support are the trans-European networks programme, the European investment bank and the European investment fund.

Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the latest estimate of the value of the assets intended to be transferred to the successful consortium in the competition to build the channel tunnel rail link.

Mr. Watts

The value of the assets to be transferred will be determined by the present competition to select the rail link promoter.