To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money the government collected from bridge tolls in each year from 1996 until the last year for which records are available.

The tolls at bridges for which the Secretary of State for Transport is the responsible highway authority, such as those at the Severn River Crossing, and until 2003, those at the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, are part of specific concession agreements used to finance the construction of new crossings.

The concessionaire is permitted to levy tolls to recover the costs of construction and to fund ongoing maintenance and operation of the crossing during the concession period. Therefore the Government do not directly receive revenues from these tolls.

The Highways Agency produce an annual account for the Dartford Crossing Road user charge introduced in 2003, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library or through the Highways Agency website at: www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4068.aspx.