§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each of the vehicles listed in Schedule I, paragraphs 3, 5, 6 and 8 of the 1999 Finance Bill the costs in each European Union Country, of(a) any taxes paid, and the rate of such tax on (i) a new vehicle, (ii) a second-hand vehicle, (b) the vehicle excise duty or the equivalent tax, (c) the total tax on a litre of fuel, (d) tax paid on 548W lubricants, (e) running commercial vehicles, on average, (f) running commercial vehicles per mile, (g) running a commercial vehicle for a year, (h) running a commercial vehicle for 100,000 miles, (i) running a commercial vehicle over the average life of such a vehicle, the estimates of (e) (f) (g) (h) and (i) all to be exclusive of salaries and wages, and where the vehicle descriptions are not the same in each country all figures and sums to relate to the nearest equivalent vehicle in each country and all sums to be shown in Sterling. [81155]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 16 April 1999]: The information requested by the hon. Member is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department estimates that the cost of running a fleet of 50 38 tonne trucks will be about £425,000 higher in France than in the UK; about £600,000 more in the Netherlands; and about £800,000 more in Belgium.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the amount of subsidy paid to the road haulage industry in each European Union country in the last financial year; and if he will indicate the basis on which such help is determined. [81158]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 16 April 1999]: Explicit subsidy to the road haulage industry in EU Member States is generally prohibited by European Community State Aid rules, but assistance can be provided to promote research or the development of more economical transport systems and technologies, to eliminate excess capacity which causes serious structural problems, to facilitate the development of combined transport or to compensate for public service obligations. Information is not available about the extent to which such payments are made in other Member States.
However, there is considerable variance in the extent to which the road haulage industries in Member States meet their full costs—to the economy, environment and infrastructure. This depends on the levels of taxation and haulage industry-related expenditure in each country.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the tonnage of goods transported by the UK road haulage industry in each of the last three years (i) within the UK, (ii) from the UK and (iii) into the UK; and what was the tonnage of goods moved by vehicles(a) owned by and (b) operated from other EU countries in each of those years. [81157]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 16 April 1999]: The tonnage of goods transported by UK-registered goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross weight in 1995, 1996 and 1997 (the last three years for which figures are available) was:
Within the UK million tonnes From the UK thousand tonnes Into the UK thousand tonnes 1995 1,655 6,607 6,977 1996 1,683 7,279 7,802 1997 1,693 7,539 7,984 Statistics are unavailable about vehicles owned by or operated from other EU countries. However, figures suggest that the amount of local cabotage carried out 549W by foreign registered trucks was significantly less than l per cent. This is an issue which may be addressed by the Road Haulage Forum.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the extent of over-capacity of the road haulage industry in the United Kingdom; what proportion of the road haulage vehicles operating in the UK are (i) UK owned, (ii) UK registered and (iii) from other EU countries. [81154]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 16 April 1999]: No reliable comprehensive estimate of the over-capacity in the haulage industry in the UK exists at present but we believe it to be significant. A comprehensive assessment of over-capacity is an issue which may be addressed as part of the work of the Haulage Industry Forum.
Information on the nationality of ownership of vehicles is not held by my Department. The proportion of international freight journeys to and from the UK undertaken by UK hauliers in the 12 months ending September 1998—the latest period for which statistics are available—was 44 per cent., which is little different from the long-term average. In 1997—the latest date for which we have information—we understand that the overall level of cabotage by EU hauliers within the UK accounted for substantially less than l per cent. of total freight moved.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the items he took into account when estimating the running costs of a goods vehicle in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) each of the other EU countries. [81153]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 16 April 1999]: The estimates of relative running costs between the UK and certain other EU member states issued by my Department concerned the relative costs of setting up a fleet of 50 vehicles involved in international transport. Items taken into account included labour costs and taxes, corporation tax and annual circulation taxes (i.e. vehicle excise duty or its equivalent). For international operations, the estimates assumed the same levels of fuel costs, because those operating internationally—whether UK or foreign owned—can take advantage of the lowest fuel costs on their route.