HC Deb 03 May 1988 vol 132 cc408-9W
Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest accumulated debt on the Severn bridge.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The estimated accumulated debt at the end of the 1987–88 financial year was £95 million.

Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest available figures for traffic flows across the Severn bridge(a) on a daily basis and (b) in total.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The average daily traffic flow across the Severn bridge for the year up to the end of March 1988 was 44,263 vehicles. Since the opening of the crossing in 1966, nearly 230 million vehicles have used it.

Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest figure for the overall operating deficit on the Severn bridge.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The estimated overall deficit, including interest and sinking fund contributions, was £11.5 million in 1987–88.

Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any proposals to increase tolls on the Severn bridge following the recent report from the Auditor General.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

It was said in the foreword to the 1986–87 account, published on 6 April, that the question of a tolls increase is under review.

Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to write off the accumulated debt on the Severn bridge.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) on 8 December 1987,Official Report, columns 119–20.