§ Mr. Heddleasked the Minister of Transport when he expects to receive the report of Sir Arthur Armitage's inquiry on lorries, people and the environment.
§ Mr. FowlerI received Sir Arthur's report yesterday and it has been published today. Copies are available in the Library at the House of Commons. I would like to thank Sir Arthur and his assessors for their work.
The remit I gave Sir Arthur was very broad and the recommendations reflect this. I recognise that the most controversial of these will be the proposed increases in lorry weights. It is important to recognise that this does not imply bigger lorries. Indeed, the report proposes that: new controls should be placed upon the size of lorries and that, because of the changes proposed, damage to the roads can be reduced. Nevertheless, these proposals will clearly need to be considered very carefully in the context of the whole report.
I repeat my assurances that the Government will not take any final decisions until there has been time for proper consideration of the report and parliamentary debate. In one respect, however, the Government can act now—that is, in restructuring vehicle excise duty on heavy lorries. The report shows that the heavier lorries do not pay their full track cost. The forthcoming Transport Bill will enable action to be taken here.