§ Mr. Peter Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the EC Transport Council meeting which he attended on 23 February.
§ Mr. David HowellThe Council held a wide-ranging discussion on inland transport policy and considered a communication from the Commission on how progress could be made. In setting out the United Kingdom's views, I emphasised the importance of balanced transport policies within which each mode could make its full contribution to meeting transport needs, on the basis of fair competition. I stressed the need for a new and sustained initiative towards liberalising road tranport, reducing transport costs and removing unnecessary barriers to trade. Ideally there should be complete abolition of quantitative restrictions on road haulage between member states, and at the very least substantial and frequent increases in the number of Community road haulage permits. Second, the Council should rapidly complete agreement on important proposals to improve the organisation at frontiers where inefficiencies are currently costing industry hundreds of millions of pounds a year. Third, higher priority needed to be given to the current review of EC drivers' hours legislation where the current over-rigidity of the rules hampered the efficiency and flexibility of our transporters.
The meeting was intended to discuss broad priorities, rather than reach specific conclusions. There was, however, considerable support from other member states for easing restrictions on international road transport, which I expect the Commission to take into account in putting forward proposals for revision of the current Community quota system.