Lord Berkeleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Macdonald of Tradeston on 16 October (WA 64): (a) whether the budget for the Marco Polo programme which is likely to result in a budget for the United Kingdom of about euro 1 million per annum can contribute in any significant way to achieving meaningful and measurable modal shift of freight from road to rail or water transport; (b) what types of projects they envisage will be affordable within this budget; and (c) how the programme can achieve measurable environmental objectives. [HL6070]
§ Lord Macdonald of Tradeston:The total budget, as yet undetermined, will be available, without individual or annual allocations, to all member states. As such, any scheme which delivers meaningful and measurable modal shift within the United Kingdom will have national benefit.
The Government cannot foretell the types of project which UK industry might propose in seeking Marco Polo funding.
The United Kingdom, in common with other member states, awaits Commission proposals on detailed rules for the procedure for submission, selection, execution, dissemination and individual reporting arid verification requirements upon which the measurement of achievement will be based.
30WA
Lord Berkeleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they see any benefit in encouraging the European Commission's Marco Polo project with a United Kingdom budget of about euro 1 million per annum given that the budget for the ten year transport plan is £3.4 billion and has similar objectives of encouraging more rail freight; or whether this is part of a policy of reducing any proposed expenditure by the European Commission to a minimum. [HL6071]
§ Lord Macdonald of Tradeston:The European Commission's proposed Marco Polo programme is designed to encourage the modal shift of intra-Community freight from road to rail or water transport. As such, it complements the sustainable distribution objectives of the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport, funding under which currently stands at £181.9 billion. The Marco Polo budget, as yet undetermined, will be available to all member states, without individual or annual allocation.