Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to implement increases to agricultural tractor and trailer weights.

Following my Hon Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Hon Member for Devizes’, announcement on 17 October, we intend for initial changes to weights and speed limits of agricultural tractors and trailers to be introduced by March 2015. The change in weight limits is to increase the maximum weight for tractor and trailer combinations from 24.39 tonnes to 31 tonnes.

A further phase, planned for introduction before harvest 2016, will include the consideration of further increases in weights and speeds, including maximum laden trailer weight limits and a roadworthiness test.