Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Monday, 2 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 4 February 2026. It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Ports: Costs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential costs to port developers of setting target modal shares for rail or coastal shipping, as referenced in the draft National Policy Statement for Ports; and what further assessment she has made of how such targets would be designed to ensure that developers are not required to fund measures beyond those that are cost-effective and directly attributable to the development.

Answer: The costs of requirements and obligations for rail and/or coastal shipping can only be determined in the specific circumstances of individual applications for development consent. The draft National Policy Statement for Ports makes clear that such requirements should be directly related to the prospective impacts of the developments, and that while target modal shares may sometimes be appropriate, they are not automatically mandatory. The final text of the National Policy Statement for Ports will be published in due course.

Secondary information