Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of Penalty Charge Notice enforcement practices associated with toll bridges on low income motorists.

The operation of each toll bridge is the responsibility of the body that owns it, in this case Halton Borough Council. Furthermore, most toll bridges collect payments at toll-booths which minimises the risk of non-payment. Where free-flow charging is used, as at the Mersey Gateway crossings, operators offer numerous ways to pay to maximise compliance rates. National regulations specify the maximum penalty charge that may be imposed for non-payment at the Dartford Crossing and the Mersey Gateway bridges. If penalty charges go unpaid, enforcement agents may be used to collect the debt. The Enforcement

Conduct Board provides independent oversight of the enforcement industry to ensure that all those who are subject to enforcement action are treated fairly.