Written question asked by Theresa Villiers (Conservative) on Friday, 19 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 October 2007. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 October 2007 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Tolls

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken by her Department in relation to (a) research into, (b) development of and (c) preparation for a national road pricing scheme.

Answer: Sir Rod Eddington has said that, without action, there will be a 30 per cent. increase in congestion on our roads by 2025, increasing costs to business by over £10 billion a year, so it is important that we explore road pricing seriously. Congestion charging, backed by investment in public transport, has a role in tackling urban congestion. While it is possible that road pricing could have the potential to be extended to include parts of our national networks, that is a decision for the future, informed by the development of local schemes, including London. We need to find clear answers to the technological and system challenges. The Department is working with industry to explore the role that more advanced technologies and systems could play in supporting schemes. Any road pricing system would need to be robust and trusted by road users. It is important that we demonstrate, for example, how we would deliver safeguards on privacy and against fraud before taking any decisions in the future. The Demonstrations Project was announced by the then Secretary of State on 10 May 2006.

Secondary information