§ MR. J.M. MACLEAN (Cardiff)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the state of the existing law whereby railway companies are required to provide in Bills promoted by them for the height and width of bridges over roads in urban districts; and whether he will introduce a Bill amending the Railway Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845, so as to provide that, in the construction of new railways through any urban district, the height of any bridge throughout shall be not less than 16 feet, and that the span of any such bridge shall be of the width provided in the byelaws of the urban sanitary authority for the construction of new streets within such district, and so as to provide also for the erection of proper screens hiding from view the traffic over such bridge, the prevention of the dripping of water therefrom, and the user thereof for advertising purposes?
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLAS (for Mr. RITCHIE)The President of the Board of Trade is aware, of the provisions of the law and of the Standing Orders of this House. It is open to local authorities to press upon promoters and Parliamentary Committees their views upon the points referred to in the hon. Member's Question. At present there is nothing to show that this procedure fails to afford them adequate protection; consequently, there do not appear to be any grounds for proposing amendment of the law.