asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of the road fund licence when it was first introduced; and what was the date and the average earnings at that time.

It was introduced on 1st January 1921. For cars the annual rate was £1 per horsepower with a minimum of £6. A flat rate vehicle licence for cars was introduced on 1st January 1947 at an annual rate of £10. The average weekly earnings of male manual workers aged 21 years and over in October 1946 were £6·04. Similar information for 1921 is not available.