The Government recognises that fuel costs remain a significant part of business and household costs, and in order to support people and businesses, fuel duty has been frozen for a seventh successive year. In total this saves the average car driver £130 a year compared to pre-2010 fuel duty escalator plans, and the average van driver £350. This is a tax cut worth £1 billion in 2017-18, and means the current fuel duty freeze is the longest for 40 years.
 
The Competition and Markets Authority, the body charged with monitoring competition within UK markets, investigated the fuel retail market in 2013 in order to determine whether there was anti-competitive behaviour by market participants. It found no evidence that retailers are colluding to fix pump prices. 
 
Reduced duty rates are offered on alternative fuels as an incentive for drivers to move to cleaner fuels. Liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biomethane and aqua-methanol all benefit from reduced duty rates and go some way to protecting our environment.
 
In relation to the request for more investment in new roads and road improvements across the whole of the UK, you may be aware that the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport recently announced that an extra £100m will go towards 33 new road scheme in the North, and I am pleased that most of these are located in the North West.