asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average time to issue a driving licence, a road fund licence, and to have a new car registered and an old car re-registered at Swansea on 3rd November 1977; and how this compares with a similar date for the longest stated period of time for which records are currently available.

The average times taken to issue documents in November 1977 compared with November 1976 were as follows:toll increases, the first for 10 years, are necessary to comply with the Severn Bridge legislation. In 1976–77 alone deficits on the bridge operating account were over £1·4 million and accumulated deficits now amount to almost £6 million.