Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

David Mowat Excerpts
Thursday 17th January 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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The current fare regime and price increases are exactly the same as those under the last Government, and I do not remember him complaining about them then.

David Mowat Portrait David Mowat (Warrington South) (Con)
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T4. The new Mersey Gateway bridge will be tolled, with the risk of significant extra traffic through Warrington. The inspector at the planning inquiry stated the toll should be set no higher than that of the nearby Birkenhead tunnel. Will the Secretary of State confirm that in any evaluation of a change to the tunnel toll, he will also look at the situation of the bridge and of Warrington?

Stephen Hammond Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond)
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The Government have no plans to fund the reduction or abolition of tolls on the Mersey tunnels. Tolls on the new Mersey gateway bridge will be set by the Mersey gateway crossings board, an independent subsidiary of Halton borough council set up to manage the scheme. My hon. Friend knows that the indicative and maximum toll levels were agreed as part of the public inquiry, and were set out under the Transport and Works Act 1992.