§ Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Minister of Transport to what extent the recent bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and Italy will restrict the movement of United Kingdom foreign trade carried by international road vehicles.
§ Mr. MurrayThe agreement provides for 2,400 journeys per annum for British hauliers and a similar number for Italian hauliers. The quota is well below the needs of our hauliers, and Anglo/Italian trade will suffer to the extent that traffic cannot satisfactorily be transferred to Italian vehicles or other means of transport. We have made strong representations to the Italian authorities about the inadequacy of the quota, and negotiations on this subject are at present in progress.