Dr. Tony WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to use his powers to regulate relative tolling levels in respect of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. [85037]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThere are no plans to do so. A statutory decision has been reached to change the basis on which the Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR) has been promoted and authorised. The Decision Letter of 23 July 1997 followed a lengthy statutory process. In it the Secretary of State decided against modifying the BNRR toll order to prescribe a relationship between the tolling levels of different classes of vehicle. The Court of Appeal judgment of 23 March concluded that there was no requirement for the Secretary of State to impose restrictions on the relative level of tolls and, although he did have a power to do so, his statutory decision was perfectly valid.