Water-borne Freight (Hansard, 27 January 1999)

§ Ms Glenda Jackson

[holding answer 25 January 1999]: The Government are keen to encourage increased movement of freight by water where that is a practical and economic option. The Department currently gives Freight Facilities Grants for inland waterways schemes where freight would otherwise have gone by road. The Department will be re-examining the rules of the scheme to encourage more applications for inland waterways projects; and as announced in the White Paper on the Future of Integrated Transport, we intend to bring forward legislation to extend the application of the freight grant scheme to include coastal and short-sea shipping. The scheme is demand-led and the Department aims, as far as possible, to meet all eligible demand from within its budget. Since May 1997 there have been 5 inland waterway grants made totalling almost £1.65m, which represents a maximum of 770,000 tonnes. In addition the total 1998–99 budget for both rail and inland waterway schemes has been increased from the previous year by one-third to £40 million.

In addition, the Department is working to update planning guidance on transport which will encourage more freight to be carried by water. Local authorities in their development plans will be expected to consider opportunities for new development which are served by waterways; and to give better protection to sites and routes, both existing and potential, which could be critical in developing infrastructure to widen transport choices, including water transport.