§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy with regard to the level of toll charges on esturial crossings.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyGovernment policy is that toll revenue should be sufficient to recover the cost of each undertaking in accordance with its enabling legislation, but that account needs to be taken of local circumstances. Decisions on particular applications for the revision of tolls are taken in the light of all the evidence available at the time.
§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the debt of the Mersey road tunnels which can he recovered by tolls at a realistic level.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyOne of the objectives of current discussions with the Merseyside passenger transport authority is to arrive at a joint assessment of the proportion of debt which the undertaking can service and repay. That assessment has only just begun and I cannot anticipate the outcome.