HC Deb 16 March 1979 vol 964 cc386-7W
Mr. Skeet

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the volume of traffic moving through East Coast ports in each of the past 10 years; and what is his estimate of its value annually.

Mr. Horam

The available figures for the volume of traffic through East Coast ports are attached.

on matters for which he is responsible; and, in particular, if he will give a detailed breakdown of each topic under discussion, with special reference to EEC proposals, actual or envisaged, and their status in the Community's legislative machinery.

Mr. William Rodgers

I have fairly frequent personal contacts with the Commissioners but I am not at present discussing any current proposals with them. My Department is of course in regular contact with their officials over a wide range of transport issues.

The following proposals are now under consideration in Council working groups, or COREPER, and may therefore be expected at some stage to be discussed at a Council:

  1. (1) Amendments to the framework directive for motor vehicle type approval; amendment to the fuel tank directive and draft directives on those components for which provision still has to be made before whole vehicle type approval for cars can be fully achieved—viz., safety glass, tyres and weights and dimensions;
  2. (2) Draft directives for wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors, on lighting and light signalling devices, reverse gear and extension of the scope of all tractor directives to include those with design speed up to 32 kph;
  3. (3) Draft framework directives on moped and motor cycle type approval;
  4. (4) Proposed regulations on international rail freight rates and on normalisation of railway accounts;
  5. (5) A draft directive on the weight and certain other characteristics of road vehicles used for the carriage of goods;
  6. (6) A draft directive on the harmonisation of laws relating to motor vehicle driving licences;
  7. (7) The possibility of an amending regulation to change the definition of the working week for the purposes of the drivers' hours Regulation 543/69;
  8. (8) Proposed regulations on short-term Community authorisations, and on the adjustment of capacity, for the carriage of goods by road for hire or reward between member States;
  9. (9) A proposed regulation on liberalisation of own-account haulage by road;
  10. (10) A proposed decision concerning acceptance by the Community of ECE Resolution 119 on standardisation of road haulage permits;
  11. (11) A draft directive on the duty-free entry of fuel in tanks of commercial vehicles;
  12. (12) A draft directive for adjustment of national taxation systems for commercial road vehicles;
  13. (13) A proposed regulation on Community financial aid to transport infrastructure projects which are of Community interest;
  14. (14) Proposals for further regulations on the accounting system for transport infrastructure expenditure;
  15. (15) A draft regulation, on the observation of the freight market, in abeyance for three years pending an experiment with the voluntary collection of statistics about road haulage;
  16. (16) An additional protocol (which awaits finalisation with Switzerland) to the Revised Convention for the Navigation of the Rhine.