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Road Tolls

Answer

The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.Letter from Dr. Maclcolm McKibbin, dated 28 February 2006:"You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about whether there are plans to implement toll payments for road usage in Northern Ireland.""As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.""You may be aware that the Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) for NI 2002–12, whose strategic direction and underlying principles were endorsed by the Assembly in July 2002, contains no proposals to introduce road tolling in Northern Ireland. This position remains, however, the RTS did contain a commitment to monitor the impacts of fiscal demand management measures, such as congestion charging. This is reflected in both the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan and the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan, launched by the Minister in November 2004 and March 2005 respectively, where commitments are given to review this position, in the light of experience in other parts of the UK, during the period of the Plans.""Roads Service is continuing to monitor developments in the use of road user charging in Great Britain. In the last two years, for example, officials have been actively involved in the development of the Department for Transport's (DfT) Road Pricing Feasibility Study and in the out workings of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' Lorry Road User Charging proposals.""The DfT Road Pricing Feasibility Study recommended that a series of pilot local, or regional, road pricing schemes as the best way to test the various approaches to congestion charging. The DfT's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) will be the basis for pump priming such schemes in England. We will wait with interest to see what sort of schemes may evolve from the TIF.""You may be aware that the Secretary of State, in his speech to the Fabian Society on 31 January 2006, stated""““I will . . . be ensuring that Northern Ireland is fully signed up to the work being done in other parts of the UK on congestion charging and road pricing to help tackle congestion and reduce traffic pollution.””""Roads Service is continuing to engage with the Department for Transport and the County Surveyors' Society to ensure this commitment is addressed.""I hope this information is helpful"

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

52992; 443 c781-2W;443 c781-2W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Northern Ireland Roads Tolls

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk