FUEL DUTY INCREASE

That this House notes that a record number of Britons signed up for jobless benefits last month and that two million Britons are now unemployed; regrets that 85 small and medium-sized enterprises are closing every day; recognises the importance of cars to small businesses especially in rural areas such as the Ribble Valley; understands that the public transport network is poor in rural areas and as such families rely on their cars; fully appreciates that this is a time of economic hardship for all families in the UK; fully supports the Automobile Association in its call to have fuel duty frozen to support drivers during the recession; and calls on the Government to abandon its plans for a two pence increase in fuel duty in April 2009.