Local Transport Bill [HL]

My understanding from reading various articles about the technical standards and interoperability coming out of the Commission is that it is very keen on having one system that can be used anywhere in Europe. In other words, you do not need to have six different bits of equipment in your car; you simply have one bit of equipment that can be used everywhere. Europe is scarred with this common system of railway signalling—the RTMS—where there are 20 versions of the same thing. Perhaps the Minister will confirm that there will be one system with which all schemes will have to comply so that you have only one box in your car. The noble Earl is absolutely right about the different methods of paying for the scheme. There must be different variations for the different types of users, which presumably could be different in different areas, towns or cities. The key is that people know what they are getting and know, as I think the noble Earl also said, how much discount they might be able to get by paying by one means rather than by another. I am sure that each area charging zone will want to charge different rates for different times and different types of car. That is why we are discussing this on a local or regional basis rather than on a national one. For me, the key is to have one family of systems of payment that can be used not only in this country but anywhere across Europe. I hope that the Minister can put my mind to rest.