Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 39784, what the timescale is for the release of Government funding to support key freight routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Freight is currently flowing effectively into and across the UK, and the measures we have announced will support this to continue. Starting from 11 May, sixteen routes have been designated as Public Service Obligation routes for a period of up to nine weeks.

Three of those routes – Cairnryan-Larne, Cairnryan-Belfast and Heysham-Warrenpoint – are between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. These routes will receive an estimated £5.5 million. The Northern Ireland Executive will contribute 40% of the funding on these routes.