To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest accumulated debt on the Severn bridge.

The estimated accumulated debt at the end of the 1987–88 financial year was £95 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest available figures for traffic flows across the Severn bridge (a) on a daily basis and (b) in total.

The average daily traffic flow across the Severn bridge for the year up to the end of March 1988 was 44,263 vehicles. Since the opening of the crossing in 1966, nearly 230 million vehicles have used it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest figure for the overall operating deficit on the Severn bridge.

The estimated overall deficit, including interest and sinking fund contributions, was £11·5 million in 1987–88.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any proposals to increase tolls on the Severn bridge following the recent report from the Auditor General.

It was said in the foreword to the 1986–87 account, published on 6 April, that the question of a tolls increase is under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to write off the accumulated debt on the Severn bridge.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) on 8 December 1987, Official Report, columns 119–20.