§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when it first became apparent to him that the timetable he set in March 1994 for concluding the development agreement with the successful bidder for the construction of the channel tunnel rail link was likely to slip beyond mid-1995. [33534]
§ Mr. WattsThe then Secretary of State announced on 31 August 1994 that he hoped to conclude the process of evaluation and negotiation by mid to late 1995.
§ Mr. PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport benefits he took into account when selecting the successful first stage bidders for the channel tunnel rail link construction contract. [33532]
§ Mr. WattsAs the Secretary of State announced on 3 July—Official Report, columns 61–62, the ranking of bids in the first stage of the competition was based mainly on an evaluation of the level and timing of the Government contribution and the approach taken by the bidders to risk, together with a qualitative assessment of their financial proposals. Transport benefits were also taken into account, particularly non-financial benefits to international and domestic passengers on the rail link and existing network.