§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what discussions he has had with(a) Portsmouth City Council and (b) Portsmouth Ferry Port concerning the development of a freight rail-head in Portsmouth; [69673]
(2) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the development of a freight rail-head in Portsmouth since 1990. [69848]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI understand that a feasibility study for a sea-rail link at Portsmouth is benefiting from a grant of 18,000 ecu from the European Commission under the Trans-European Network ("TENS") scheme. I met a delegation representing Portsmouth Commercial Port and Portsmouth City Council on 11 January to East Hampshire discuss general investment in the Port. However, the issue of rail links was not raised.