§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of road freight in the United Kingdom originated outside the United Kingdom, in the latest year for which figures are available. [82882]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 5 May 1999]: In 1997, an estimated 2.5 per cent. of all tonne-kilometres performed in Great Britain, for both domestic and international haulage, were performed by vehicles originating outside the United Kingdom. Virtually all of this foreign activity was accounted for by the British part of international journeys by foreign hauliers. Domestic journeys by foreign hauliers accounted for under 0.04 per cent. of the total Great Britain tonne-kilometres in 1997, which is the last year for which we have full figures. However, there is some anecdotal evidence that the foreign haulier activity within the UK has been increasing over the recent years. This is one of the issues we will be addressing through the Road Haulage Forum.