§ 53. Mr. MUIRasked the Prime Minister if he is aware that the promises he made in Glasgow on 23rd December last, in reply to a deputation on unemployment, that utility schemes of road-making, new roads, etc., involving an outlay of £885,000 would be put in hand immediately, have not yet been carried out; that one of the schemes, namely, the Annicsland-Duntocher road, will not be started for some weeks yet as tenders arc only now being received from contractors for the work; and will he say if he can do anything to hasten the placing of these contracts so that work may be found for some of the 85,000 Glasgow unemployed?
§ The PRIME MINISTERNo effort has been spared to further the preparations for these road works, and officers of the Ministry of Transport have been continuously engaged in assisting the engineers of the local authorities in the necessary surveys and other preliminaries connected with the working out of the schemes. The Director-General of Roads has himself repeatedly visited the area to attend conferences on the subject, and every possible step is being taken to expedite the placing of the contracts, but the hon. Member will appreciate that to start works of this magnitude without proper surveys and estimates might lead to great waste of public money.