The British government is considering a tax on free company parking spaces as a key tactic in persuading drivers to leave their cars at home and make greater use of public transport, according to reports yesterday. Charging companies which provide parking spaces for their employees is said to be one of the main ways the Blair administration believes it could reduce city centre congestion and pollution.

Earlier this month, Britain's deputy prime minister John Prescott told a parliamentary committee that a White Paper he is planning would include far-reaching measures saying: "The public are in the mood for fundamental change, and I'm in the mood to give it to them."

A similar measure is mentioned for consideration in the Dublin Transportation Initiative.