§ Lord Clinton-Davisasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they believe that road hauliers should be made to pay the full cost of their use of roads, including recompense for environmental damage.
The Earl of CaithnessThe Government's policy is that all categories of vehicle should, through a combination of vehicle excise duty and fuel duty, at least cover their share of roads expenditure. The figures for public expenditure on roads include the cost of measures taken to alleviate problems such as noise, and include measures such as the implementation of road traffic and traffic management schemes which separate traffic from people. In the absence of accurate assessments of other environmental costs, we seek to ensure that the excess of taxation over roads expenditure for large goods vehicles is allocated disproportionately to those considered the most environmentally damaging.