To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Highways Agency on the reduction to 50 miles per hour of speed limits on single carriageway trunk roads under the Agency's control. (276296)

The Highways Agency has been represented on a Steering Group responsible for the development a new road safety strategy for Great Britain. Aside from the Highways Agency, the Group comprises officials from the relevant Whitehall Departments and from the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government.

The work of the Steering Group led to the consultation document on a new road safety strategy which we published on 21 April. This contains proposals to encourage highway authorities, including the Highways Agency, to reduce speed limits from 60 mph on those rural single carriageways roads where accident risks are high, on a carefully targeted basis.