§ (1) There shall be charged on and paid out of the Consolidated Fund or the growing produce thereof in every financial year a sum (in this Act referred to as the road improvement grant) equal to the net proceeds in each year of the duties on motor spirit and the net proceeds in each year of the duties on licences for motor cars which are affected by this Act.
§ (2) The road improvement grant shall be carried to a separate account to be established under regulations made by the Treasury for the purpose, and, subject to 903 such regulations as may be made by the Treasury with respect to accounts, audit, and accumulation of moneys standing to the account, be appropriated in such manner as Parliament may determine towards the development of roads in the United Kingdom.
§ (3) The expression "the net proceeds of the duties" means the amount of those duties paid into the Exchequer, after deducting such sums as are certified by the Commissioners to be the cost of collecting the duties, and after deducting in the case of duties payable on licences for motor cars any sum which is payable to any local taxation account in respect of the proceeds of those duties, or to any council in respect of any deficiency in the proceeds of those duties.
§ The Earl of RONALDSHAY moved, in Sub-section (2), after the word "development" ["towards the development of roads"], to insert the words "and maintenance."
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEThose words are not at all necessary. This is purely a general allocation without any specific distribution, which is the purpose of the Development Bill.
§ Mr. HARMOOD-BANNERWas there not a strong expression of opinion yesterday that the words "and maintenance" ought to be inserted?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEIt is not a question to be decided here, but really on the Development Bill.
§ Mr. HARMOOD-BANNERI appreciate that. I take it when the Development Bill comes up on Report we shall be able to discuss it. If you make the roads, you ought to maintain them.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.