---

Roads: Fees and Charges

Answer

The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Lady in response to this question.Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 1 March 2007:"You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what plans he has to (a) pilot and (b) introduce a road pricing scheme in Northern Ireland; and what research his Department has undertaken in relation to the feasibility of such a scheme in Northern Ireland. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.""The Secretary of State has made it clear that he wants Northern Ireland to be fully engaged in the road pricing agenda.""In Great Britain, officials in the Department for Transport are considering legislative proposals to be taken forward in a draft Road Transport Bill. The Bill would reform the existing powers of local authorities in England and Wales to introduce pilot road pricing schemes. It would give greater freedom to local authorities to implement schemes whilst ensuring that schemes in different places are consistent and interoperable. Pilot schemes could tackle congestion where it is already a problem, or predicted to be, and could support the Government's work to explore the potential for a national system of road pricing.""Northern Ireland roads legislation does not at present contain any powers enabling the introduction of road pricing or road pricing pilot schemes. However, Roads Service officials are currently liaising with their counterparts in the Department for Transport to determine whether it would be appropriate to introduce similar legislative provision to Northern Ireland either through the proposed Road Transport Bill or by a separate Order in Council.""Turning to the matter of research, Roads Service officials have been actively involved in the development of the Department for Transport's Road Pricing Feasibility Study and in the outworkings of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs’ Lorry User Charging proposals. We continue to monitor developments in road user charging in England and Wales."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

457 c1475-6W;457 c1461-2W; 123494

Session

2006-07

Subjects

Northern Ireland Tolls

Link

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