Major issues ready for Rifkind
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• New Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, who was promoted last week in Prime Minister John Major's first reshuffle, will have to settle a number of high-profile issues unresolved by his predecessor Cecil Parkinson. Raising the HGV maximum weight limit to 40 tonnes; Channel Tunnel links; and the privately funded toll road scheme are all key issues to be addressed.
Rifkind comes to the job with more transport experience than Parkinson. As Scottish Secretary he has dealt directly with road problems which include the cash-starved Al Newcastle-Edinburgh link and the congested M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A Scottish QC, 44-year-old Rifkind was brought up in Edinburgh and entered Parliament as MP for Edinburgh Pentlands in 1974.
Since then, he has held a number of Government posts and leans to the left of the Tory party. It remains to be seen whether he will try to move away from Margaret Thatcher's attempts to privatise transport, or move towards a more Continental-style integrated transport policy.
With four pieces of legislation to pilot through Parliament, Rifkind will have to devote much time to paperwork. Bryan Colley, directorgeneral of the Road Haulage Association, says he will be pressing Rifkind to legalise the impounding of unlicensed vehicles in the first bill.
The Freight Transport Asso ciation wants to see a firm commitment from Rifkind to the roads programme, to which Parkinson promised 22bn a year.
"Theoretically, the policies won't change because the man has changed," says FTA director-general Garry Turvey.