Department for Transport written question – answered at on 16 March 2017.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the reasons for the reduction in the Modal Shift Revenue Support grant for rail freight.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their forecasts for the change in the number of heavy goods vehicles using the roads as a result of the reduction in the Modal Shift Revenue Support grant for rail freight.
The reduction in funding for Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) and the parallel Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) scheme is as a result of 2015 Spending Review decisions to improve efficiency in the use of public expenditure. Since implementation of these reductions was due to begin in 2016/17, but delayed by a year to give industry time to adjust, they include the planned reductions for that year also.
Following the final bid round of 2016/17, the maximum number of lorry journeys that MSRS support would help to remove from Britain’s roads and on to rail is 983,162 for that year. However, awards may not be delivered in full and the current year end forecast is for about 70,000 below that maximum.
While there are some further bid rounds to come, which may increase the figures or alter what is covered by the two schemes, funding allocated at the first bid round for 2017/18 and 2018/19 will help to remove up to 796,854 and 776,497 lorry journeys respectively.
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