§ Mr. Ron Brownasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received recent representation from trades unions about the introduction of cabotage in 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyOn two occasions in the last six months my right hon. Friend has received written representations on road haulage cabotage from members of the Transport and General Workers Union. I met a deputation from the union on 22 October.
My right hon. Friend reiterated the Government's policy on road haulage cabotage in his speech to the Freight Transport Association on 14 September. We are aiming for a European Community in which United Kingdom hauliers can trade as freely as they now trade within the United Kingdom. To achieve this we must ensure that the conditions of competition under which hauliers operate are brought much closer together. Internal restrictions on road freight and compulsory tariff regimes are incompatible with a truly liberalised system. This policy was endorsed in a debate in the Standing Committee on EC documents on 18 March.