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Attempt to breach 'quantity' licensing plan
Page 65
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from our Political correspondent • The Conservative front bench has mounted its first big attack on the new licensing proposals in Mrs. Castle's Transport Bill. Amendments laid before Parliament last week seek to raise the distance limits for freedom from "quantity" licensing from 100 to 200 miles.
In addition, Tories want to remove entirely the other heavy goods restriction—on prescribed loads of over 10 tons moving for any distance without a quantity licence.
The Tory transport team is also seeking to exempt all journeys to, from and within development areas from any kind of quantity licensing. And it wants all journeys to, from or within Scotland left out as well.
Taken together, these Tory proposals would drive a monster breach in the quantity licensing concept, with its loaded system of objections to road haulage operations.
The proposals for development areas alone would remove vast parts of the country from the scheme. With Scotland added, the acceptance of these amendments by the Government would mean that Mrs. Castle would be abandoning her plan to divert heavy and long-distance loads onto the railways— something that is not likely to occur. The Tories also want to raise from 30cwt to two tons the weight of "dual-purpose" vehicles exempt from all forms of licensing. They also propose complete exemption for tractors and other machines registered at the agricultural or "farmers' goods" rates of duty.
In addition, they will campaign to extend from 94 to 14ft the width of "large or heavy" loads which will attract punitive extra taxes when they move on the roads. They also want "crawler mounted units" to be exempt, together with journeys which could not be made other than by road, journeys to and from, or within Scotland, and journeys by vehicles or machines registered at the agricultural rate of duty.
The Liberals want timber-carrying vehicles exempt from both the new road wear and tear taxes, the big load taxes, and from quantity licensing completely.
They also want the Freight Integration Council to contain one or two members who represent the users of freight transport, and the Council to be under a legal duty to consider matters referred to it by "such representatives of freight transport users as the Minister shall prescribe".