Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the eligibility criteria for future funding packages to protect ferry freight routes; what assessment he has made of the potential merits of basing that eligibility on (a) projections of profitability, (b) financial losses and (c) planned redundancies.

As well as safeguarding vital lifeline services to the Isle of Wright and the Isles of Scilly, we announced a package for critical Roll On, Roll Off (RoRo) freight routes between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and mainland Europe, on 24 April. We will shortly publish information about which of the eligible 31 routes will receive funding.