§ Mr. HeddleTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an interim statement of the discussions taking place between the local authority associations and his Department on the impact which an increase in the maximum permitted weight of heavy goods vehicles to 40 tonnes will have on highway and bridge structures and in particular the funding of any enhancement to take account of heavier vehicles.
§ Mr. Robert AtkinsIrrespective of the increase in weight limits to apply from 1 January 1999, a substantial amount of work is needed to ensure that road bridges can continue to carry modern heavy lorries. My Department is having discussions with representatives of the local authority associations and other bodies on various aspects of this work, including the effects of the weight increase and funding arrangements.
From the start of the current year we increased the local authority highway maintenance baseline by £27 million, specifically to enable local authorities to start their programmes of assessment and strengthening of older bridges. We are considering the local authority associations' request to reclassify this expenditure as capital and to make it eligible for transport supplementary grant.