Michael Fabricant (MP for Lichfield, a keen narrow-boater, and Patron of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust) suggested in Parliament today that heavy goods could be moved off the roads and put onto canals. Michael Fabricant says: "I suggested to the Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Joan Ruddock, that non urgent freight could travel by inland waterways and this would be a far ‘greener’ solution than using road transport. She confirmed to me that the Department of Transport are investigating low carbon transportation solutions.

"With ever more financial pressure on British Waterways who are finding it ever more difficult to maintain our canal network, a move by freight onto our canals would help fund the restoration of decommissioned canals and maintenance of the existing network.

"I will continue to press this point with Government Ministers and with the Conservative Shadow Transport Ministers" adds Michael.

The exchange took place in the House of Commons during Parliamentary Questions to the new Department for Energy & Climate Change. The report is reproduced below.

Oral Answers to Questions

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Road Transport)

4. Mr. David Chaytor (Bury, North) (Lab): What his most recent estimate is of the proportion of UK greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the road transport sector. [235270]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Joan Ruddock): In 2006-the latest year for which finalised data are available-road transport accounted for approximately 126 million tonnes of C02 equivalent, which is roughly 19 per cent. of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): Would the Minister consider alternative forms of transport? Not every item transported on Britain’s roads needs to be delivered quickly. British Waterways is spending a fortune restoring our canals, and the narrow boat system is far more efficient in terms of greenhouse emissions at moving heavy goods from one part of the country to another. I ask her Department to speak to the Department for Transport and to investigate canals as an alternative way to move goods across the nation.

Joan Ruddock: With regard to the point about moving goods by water, that subject is always under consideration. I can tell him that the Department for Transport is working on a low-carbon transport strategy. I am quite sure that we will be able to consider the points that he has made, because he is right that there are issues about emissions that can be well dealt with by alternative modes of transport.