§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Transport what plans she has to avoid an increase in taxation on goods vehicles in areas where there are no railway communications.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe recent White Paper on the Transport of Freight proposes a new charge on heavier goods vehicles which would reflect the additional costs they impose on the community in terms of higher standards of road construction or more frequent maintenance. This proposed charge is not designed to divert traffic from road to rail, and there is therefore no case for varying its incidence to take account of the availability of railway services.