70. Sir F. HALLasked the Minister of Transport whether the offer of assistance from the Road Fund to the London County Council of a sum of approximately £1,000,000 a year, in connection with the carrying out of the Waterloo 1881 Bridge and Charing Cross Bridge schemes, recommended by the Royal Commission on Cross-River Traffic, is inclusive of all street widening and improvement schemes which are being, or are proposed to be, carried out by the council in co-operation with the Minister of Transport; and if he will state what is the extent of the assistance already being rendered or promised in connection with street widening and bridge schemes other than those relating to the new Charing Cross Bridge and the reconstruction of Waterloo Bridge?
§ Colonel ASHLEYI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement made by the Prime Minister in answer to a question by the hon. Member for Greenwich, from which it will be seen that the offer of financial assistance: by the Government, limited to a sum which, upon the average of a series of years, will not exceed £1,000,000 a year, relates to the whole of the schemes recommended by the Royal Commission (including the Victoria Dock Road scheme) and not only to those for which the London County Council are or would be responsible. This does not preclude such additional moneys as the resources of the Road Fund permit from being made available for other street improvements as may be found to be practicable apart from Classification grants and the arterial road programme now being carried out. In reply to the last part of the question, grants have been indicated to various, schemes, such as the widening of Kensington High Street, but I am unable to give an exhaustive list at the present time as several schemes are the subject of negotiations which are not concluded.
Sir F. HALLWill there be an excess over and above the £400,000 granted at the present time, and has the right hon. Gentleman seen the statement of the Chairman of the Improvements Committee of the London County Council that if there is a considerable increase it will be impossible for the general improvements to be carried on for some years if the construction of Charing Cross Bridge is to be proceeded with, and that if there is an excess the county council will not be able to carry out the work contemplated by the Royal Commission?
§ Colonel ASHLEYIf the hon. and gallant Gentleman in his leisure will study the subject he will get the information in the second part of the answer.