TRANSPORT questions in the Commons was an opportunity to opine on the advent of very heavy articulated lorries.

I have had letters from people concerned for their safety as pedestrians or cyclists on rural roads and I felt it necessary to underscore the impact of walloping great trucks on minor highways.

There is some debate around the relative safety of lots of small lorries versus a smaller number of big ones but I’m not sure that the impact of monster vehicles on quality of life, the integrity of minor roads and our council tax has been sufficiently explored.

* Appointing 2,000 more tax inspectors to cut down on evasion by very wealthy people is good news.

Let us hope the initiative yields the anticipated dividends.

Doing the maths, you’ll have to catch a lot of tax dodgers to cover the costs although, additionally, money spent should deter crime and white collar criminals.

* Much interest in the 50p rate of income tax, especially during this Lib Dem conference week. Unfortunately, it raises little and some argue that it actually costs the revenue. The minor partner in the coalition is not, I think, primarily attracted to its capacity to raise money but rather to its appropriative properties.

That is, support for the 50p rate is principally political, but I tend to agree that, with the economy in a mess and people hurting, scrapping it would risk offending those of us on more modest incomes.

However, the government is right to be saying the high rate should not be seen as permanent.

* I have much sympathy with Palestine and can understand the frustration that has led to its call for recognition at the UN.