§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has examined the need for an outer harbour at Great Yarmouth; and what plans he has to secure EU funding for such a harbour.
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 21 June 1994]: Last year, as part of the study by the European Commission of trans-European transport networks, my Department invited ports to submit proposals for projects which fulfilled certain criteria designed to identify projects of Community interest. The Great Yarmouth port authority put forward a proposal for an outer harbour which appeared to meet the criteria. My Department therefore forwarded this proposal to the Commission, along with more than 100 other port projects, but without prejudice to any European or United Kingdom approvals which might be required, whether for statutory, planning or financial purposes.
Although the Commission initially identified the Great Yarmouth proposal, with many other port projects, as potentially of common interest, the Commission's present position on financial support for ports projects generally, or for individual projects, is not resolved. Nor have I yet decided whether to support the project for EU funding.