Appendix I
Letter from the Financial Secretary to
the Treasury
As you are no doubt aware I have taken over responsibility
at the Treasury from Patricia Hewitt for road fuel taxation matters.
Consequently it falls to me to respond to your report about the
impact in Northern Ireland of cross-border road fuel price differentials.
Can I say that coming fresh to this subject I was
struck by the thoroughness of your enquiry and the balanced nature
of your conclusions and recommendations. It is obviously a difficult
area with no easy answers so I appreciate all the more the positive
way you have approached the issues. These were brought home to
me on 7 October when I met the Petrol Retailers Association including
the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of their Northern Ireland Committee,
both of whom have filling stations near the border.
I attach a Memorandum that responds to each of the
conclusions and recommendations summarised in paragraph 69 of
the report. Not all of these were addressed to the Treasury but
a combined response has been prepared picking up as far as possible
those addressed to others, mainly the Department of Economic Development.
The Memorandum has therefore been agreed with the Northern Ireland
Economic Minister, John McFall.
I hope you will find this
satisfactory.
I am copying this letter and Memorandum to Margaret
Beckett, Leader of the House.
12 October 1999
Stephen
Timms MP
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