JOBS AND BUSINESSES IN THE UK LOGISTICS SECTOR (No. 2)

That this House notes that the British logistics sector directly employs some 2.3 million people and indirectly supports the work of many millions of others; recognises that the current economic downturn has had a seriously damaging impact on the logistics sector, causing insolvencies in the sector to double from fourth quarter 2007 to fourth quarter 2008; notes that the number of goods vehicles registered overseas entering Britain has reached an all-time high of over 1.7 million; further notes that these vehicles are not subject to UK road charges paid by UK based hauliers; and calls for the Government to reduce vehicle excise duty for UK lorries to the EU minimum and to introduce a per mile charge on road haulage to apply equally to overseas and domestic hauliers that will require foreign hauliers to contribute for the first time to the upkeep of the British road infrastructure.