§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he is giving to private funding for a new motorway between Newcastle and the Scottish border; and what is the Government's policy concerning the imposition of toll charges on any part of the national road network.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Department is not considering motorway proposals between Newcastle and the Scottish border. We are keen to encourage the private funding of infrastructure and would willingly consider proposals from the private sector. Promoters of privately funded schemes would need to recoup their costs and this would probably involve tolls. There are no plans to impose tolls on existing routes.