"Lorries, People and the Environment" (Hansard, 10 February 1982)

§ 13. Mr. Robert Hughes
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consult local authorities on aspects of his White Paper on "Lorries, People and the Environment" other than the draft construction and use regulations.

§ Mr. David Howell
My Department is consulting the local authority associations on a number of aspects of the White Paper. These include lorry controls, the effects of lorry weights on bridges, techniques for assessing the environmental effect of lorries, and the improvement of enforcement procedures.

§ Mr. Hughes
Is it not true that the consultations that the Minister is having with local authorities on the construction and use regulations are under a time limit? Es it not true also that local authorities believe that that is all that the Government are concerned about before they bring these proposals back? Will the Minister make it clear that the right consultations with local authorities on all aspects of the Government's White Paper will be completed before he brings the draft construction and use regulations back to the House for approval or otherwise?

§ Mr. Howell
The situation is not quite as the hon. Gentleman says. I have already had discussions—for instance with the ACC—on a wide range of issues, as well as on the construction and use aspects. These are all matters on which I am consulting, and on which the Government intend to bring forward and develop constructive policies on the lines set out in the White Paper.

Several Hon. Members
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I shall call one hon. Member from the Government Benches to hold the balance.

§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton
Although I wish to associate myself with the earlier remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Cadbury), does my right hon. Friend agree that the Government proposals 969 contained in the White Paper would be much more acceptable to the overwhelming majority of people who are concerned about the environment if the proposals went along with an increase in and speeding up of the designation of commercial routes for heavy vehicles so that rural and country routes and lanes, which at present are used by the existing weight of vehicle and for which the loads were not designed, would be protected and that the Government would therefore get much more support for what is good for British—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Howell
I agree with the general thrust of my hon. Friend's question and statement. It is clear that designating routes so that lorries do not go on roads for which they were never designed or built must be part of a better environmental future. We are discussing with local authorities as a matter of urgency how to carry out the designation of lorry routes, but my hon. Friend should realise that passing lorries down one route inevitably creates problems for the people who live there. One person's problem is another person's gain. That is the difficulty.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Questions and answers have been inordinately long this afternoon. That cuts out people who have the right to expect their questions to be called. I shall allow two minutes extra at 3.30 pm