Severn crossing toll inquiry launched

The Committee will look at the Severn crossing toll.

Call for evidence

The Severn Crossings are a vital link between South Wales and England. Concerns have been raised about the effect of the tolls on the economy of Wales and its impact on users of the bridge. There are also concerns over the future of the bridges once they revert to public ownership. The Committee has agreed to undertake an inquiry into the Severn Crossing Toll, which will examine:

• The impact of the tolls on the Welsh economy including businesses, local residents and tourists;
• The current level of toll prices and the available methods of payment;
• The current condition of the bridges and the costs associated with ongoing maintenance; and
• The future of the bridges after the crossings have reverted to public ownership.

The Committee asks for written submissions on these issues in accordance with the guidelines stated below.

The deadline for written submissions is Friday 3 September 2010.

Public oral evidence sessions are expected to take place in October and November 2010.

Please note

Each submission should:

• begin with a short summary in bullet point form;
• have numbered paragraphs; and
• be in Word format or a rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible.

Please do not send your submission as a PDF document.

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to welshcom@parliament.uk and marked “Severn Crossing Toll”.

An additional paper copy should be sent to:

Welsh Affairs Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA.

It would be helpful, for Data Protection purposes, if individuals submitting written evidence send their contact details separately in a covering letter. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please supply a postal address so a copy of the Committee’s report can be sent to you upon publication.

• A guide for written submissions to Select Committees 

Please also note that:

Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within a proposed memorandum, in which case a hard copy of the published work should be included.

• Memoranda submitted must be kept confidential until published by the Committee, unless publication by the person or organisation submitting it is specifically authorised.
• Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
• Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.