HL Deb 22 June 1999 vol 602 cc71-2WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Williams of Mostyn on 27 May (WA 105) that the Welsh Office and Welsh Development Agency had contributed £5 million out of the £15 million capital cost of the new rail freight terminal at Wentloog, Cardiff, what agencies have the powers to provide such funding in respect of rail freight terminal developments and the budget available in—

  1. (a) England; and
  2. (b) Scotland.
[HL2953]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Scottish Office in Scotland administer freight facilities grants which are designed to assist with the additional capital costs associated with transferring freight from road to rail. For 1999–2000 there is a budget of up to £50 million for freight grants in England and £6 million in Scotland.

Aside from freight grants, funding for rail freight terminals could be provided from a number of sources. These include government departments, the European Commission and Regional Development Agencies (or in Scotland, Local Enterprise Companies). Regional Development Agencies would have the powers to provide such funding, but have no budgets specifically for this purpose.