§ 54. Lieut.-Colonel WINDSOR - CLIVEasked the Minister of Transport whether, when giving grants to local authorities in respect of roads, he makes any conditions with regard to the use of British road-stone; and, if so, what are the conditions?
§ The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Colonel Ashley)As I have already explained in answer to previous questions on this subject, it is my practice in the case of works expedited for the relief of unemployment to attach a condition to the grant that all contracts for, or incidental to, the work shall be placed in this country unless the express approval of my Department has been obtained to the contrary. This condition applies to works forming part of the special trunk road programme now in progress. As regards ordinary maintenance and improvement works carried out by local authorities, while it is my practice to encourage the use of British materials, no definite condition is attached to grants made towards such works, as I am unwilling to fetter unnecessarily the discretion of public bodies.