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<p> </p><p>The Government's policy, as confirmed in the National Policy Statement
for Ports, is that the ports industry in England and Wales is generally successful
in funding investment, including in capital dredging, on a commercial basis without
need for support from public funds. Consequently there is a general presumption against
such grants, which can displace and deter private sector investment and distort competition,
whether for single or multiple beneficiaries. There may, however, be occasional exceptions,
as in the case of the Regional Growth Fund grant awarded for dredging in Liverpool
Bay and the Mersey Estuary. This was based on an exceptional regional economic regeneration
justification. In any such case, the prospective impact on competition with other
ports would be taken into account during consideration of the application.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dredging costs, along with other port costs, could potentially
be eligible for grants from European funding schemes such as the Connecting Europe
Facility and Trans-European Networks - Transport (CEF/TEN-T). The Government would
normally expect any grant application for UK or EU funds to show disaggregated costings,
including clear identification of any dredging element that may be present.</p><p>
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