asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proposals they have on the use of British highways free of charge by lorries registered overseas. [HL1879]

The Department for Transport (DfT) has carried out a study of options for compiling a database of foreign haulage operators and their vehicles to assist in the targeting of enforcement activity, including a “vignette” scheme whereby lorries would pay a charge for use of the roads for a given period of time. DfT published a progress report alongside the 2007 Pre-Budget Report. The study has raised a number of legal, technical and practical issues and DfT is considering the way forward.