§ Not amended {in the Standing Committee), considered.
§ Clause 6.
§ (TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OR REDUCTION OF TOLLS.)
§ 7.24 p.m
§ Mr. Gordon Campbell (Moray and Nairn)I beg to move, in page 6, line 33, to leave out "twenty-one" and insert "fourteen".
Clause 6 deals with the question of a reduction or Suspension of tolls on the bridge. The Clause as at present written provides that there shall not be fewer than 21 days' notice of an order for Suspension or the reduction of tolls. If the Clause we are dealing with increased tolls I and my hon. Friends would perfectly well understand the need for a considerable notice of a change so that users of the bridge would have a chance to learn beforehand that extra money would be required of them when they reached the bridge, but I submit that no 1004 user of the bridge is likely to complain about getting rather short notice if the toll is to be reduced or suspended—that is to say, no payment is required at all.
For this reason, in Committee, we pro-posed an Amendment suggesting that the 21 days should be reduced to seven. In advising us not to press that Amendment the Minister said that it would cause some administrative difficulties if the period were as short as that. At the same time, he did indicate—he gave a broad indication, perhaps I should say—that an Amendment suggesting 14 days would be acceptable and would cause less administrative difficulty.
In the Bill we are dealing with the whole machinery for setting up a toll System for this bridge, but nothing as yet has been divulged by the Government of their views or intentions concerning the amount of the toll, or about whether there will be larger tolls for some vehicles and lesser tolls for others. This has still to be decided in the future. We certainly tried in Committee to find this out from the hon. Gentleman, but the Government, clearly, are not going to say at this stage what their own ideas are, or what intentions they have.
For this reason we feel all the more that if there are to be reductions or suspensions of whatever tolls are to be imposed on the bridge nobody using the bridge will object to having shorter notice of that than that which is provided in the Bill. Everybody will say, the sooner the Suspension or reduction the better. I move the Amendment in the confident hope that the Minister will be able to accept it.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Dr. J. Dickson Mabon)I am very happy, on behalf of the Government, to advise the House that we would like to see this Amendment made. I have had plenty of time since the Committee to go into the administrative difficulties which there are. I quite agree that it is a very good Amendment—in the sense which I hinted at in broad terms, that it would be a more reasonable one then, and to be preferred, to the other, which suggested seven days; and the House will understand why I support it.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Motion made, That the Bill be now read the Third time (Queen's Consent, on 1005 behalf of the Crown, signified):— Question put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 55 (Third Reading), and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.