Written question asked by Vera Baird (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 June 2005. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Thursday, 23 June 2005 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Container Ports

Question: (2) what assessment he has made of the change in volume of container traffic which is likely to arise from the current applications for port expansion in the south of England.

Answer: The forthcoming review of ports policy, due to be launched once preliminary work has been completed, will address the key questions around existing and future port capacity and demand.To that end, my Department has commissioned consultants to produce national port traffic forecasts by region. These forecasts will include demand for container traffic through to 2030 in southern England as well as nationally, and will be published as part of the review.

Secondary information