Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many grants his Department awarded to projects for which the range of values in the Department’s benefit-cost ratio assessment included negative values in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Major transport schemes which are subject to ministerial approval include a value for money assessment in which benefits and costs are assessed. Since 2011 – the first year for which data is readily available – the Department has given final funding approval and awarded a grant to one major transport schemes whose costs exceeded its benefits:

– Sheffield Tram Train Pilot. Approval of this scheme was granted on the basis that it is a pilot designed to test the range of issues, costs and opportunities involved in introducing the tram train concept to the UK.