Freight Transport Association (FTA) welcomes the publication of the Department for Transport's (DfT) Interim Ports Policy Review paper, and supports its contents. But points out that the most important issue facing the development of Britain's ports - inland connections - has yet to be dealt with. This has been held over until the full statement is released in the autumn so that the policy will fit with the Government's response to the Eddington Report on Britain's transport needs.

FTA's head of global supply chain policy, Christopher Snelling said: “Hopefully it is a good sign that the government has held back its decisions on inland connections, to co-ordinate with its response to Eddington. The Eddington Report was clear about the significance of international gateways to the future of the UK economy, and so we hope this will inform DfT's thinking in that area.”

FTA wants the government to use the statement in the autumn to set out its policy for funding the enhancement to publicly owned, open access transport infrastructure that is needed with port growth.

Snelling said: “We have already seen the introduction of a surcharge on imports at the Port of Felixstowe to raise the £85 million needed to fund rail enhancements as far away as Yorkshire. Unless the government sets out a clear policy on funding inland infrastructure we could see this happening at ports across the country in future. This would add costs to the supply chain into the UK, increasing the price of goods in the shops.”

FTA believes the Interim Ports Review document itself is a good set of proposals for the needs of the UK. The most significant statement in the review is the confirmation that government, as called for by FTA, will leave decisions over where and when to invest in port development to the market. This will ensure that the right facilities are built for the needs of British businesses and consumers.