Chunnel: just maybe
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But if the Anglo-French tudies into a fixed link, which re expected to be ready by the eginning of next month, favour bored tunnel, a hybrid Bill ould be presented in Paramen! by November of this ear, he said.
Mr Howell said that the tudies are being conducted by vil servants from Britain and rance, and said they are looking t three broad options: 0Build no link and develop xisting ferry links;
0 Make an early start on a bored Jnnel either with or without a )ad vehicle shuttle service; or I Opt for one of the more elaborte drive-through links such as is tunnel/bridge EuroRoute roposed by British Steel.
While he said that the Govern)(ant had not ruled out public inding for a project, Mr Howell 3id it had not departed from its iew that any project should be financed by the private sector.
He agreed that the French Government wanted its half of a fixed link to be financed by the public sector, but said he envisaged no difficulties arising as a result of this different joint approach.
Mr Howell told the committee that he was unaware of the attitude of other European governments to the project, as discussions so far have been with the French Government, But he said the absence of an obvious instrument for EEC loans still posed a problem in trying to involve the EEC in a project.
He assured Peter Fry (Conservative, Wellingborough) that the Government would not go ahead with a rail tunnel, simply because it is the easiest project to develop, and said that a final decision would be taken on the merits of all schemes under consideration.
Final decisions on the "no link" option would depend on the outcome of a final report from the Dover Harbour Board, which already has submitted detailed plans for the development of train ferries and ro-ro road freight facilities, and which believes that bigger and faster ships would satisfy future demands.
As with the Anglo/French studies, Mr Howell indicated that he was unwilling to make the results of the Dover report available to the public.