§ 23. Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received supporting measures to attract more freight on to the railways. [4027]
§ Mr. WattsThe Department receives a wide variety of representations on this subject, to which we attach high priority.
The key to improving rail's share of the freight market is privatisation. The private sector is bringing new ideas and practices to rail freight in Britain, and is already attracting new traffic to the railway.
We continue to make available grants to encourage the shift of freight from road to rail. We have recently modified the grant regime to encourage long-distance rail freight and we are working to streamline the grant procedures.