Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Mr. Amess
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans the Government has made for the sale of the Dartford-Thurrock crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Khan
The Prime Minister announced on 12 October that the Government are planning to raise £3 billion from the sale of assets over the next period. The Dartford Crossing was cited as an example of an asset that could be sold. The Department for Transport is working with HM Treasury and the Shareholder Executive to consider the commercial options for realising value for the taxpayer from the Dartford Crossing. This work is influenced by decisions to be made on the requirement for future capacity.

The Department is planning to provide initial views from the analysis on future capacity options in early 2010. This will provide a basis for deciding which commercialisation option to pursue.

Mr. Amess
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much the operator of the Dartford-Thurrock crossing has received under its contract with the Department since April 2008; and how much revenue has accrued to the Department from the operation of the crossing since April 2008.

Mr. Khan
The Road User Charging Order Accounts for the financial year 2008-09 will set out the revenue collected and the amount paid to Le Crossing Company Limited, previous operators of the Dartford Crossing. This data will not be available until early next year. When published, these Accounts will be placed in the Libraries of the House and on the Highways Agency’s website.