§ 24. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Transport whether, seeing that in the agreement between himself and the county council in October, 1924, it was agreed to bear the whole cost of the section of the Liverpool-Hull trunk road between Selby and Hull, including the road connecting with the new bridge to be built at Boothferry, and that his engineers and the trunk road engineers sketched out the route for this section of the road instead of the county surveyor, he can state when the road leading from the Boothferry bridge to link up with the new road to Hull will be commenced; whether he has now received the report of his chief road engineer, who recently examined the existing state of affairs and, if so, what is its nature; and if he is aware that the first span of the new bridge at Boothferry has been placed in position and that there is no time to he lost before commencing the necessary road leading from this bridge?
§ Colonel ASHLEYThe understanding between the county council and my Department was that a certain allocation should be made from the Road Fund towards the improvement of the Hull-Selby road. That allocation is being duly spent, and will not cover the cost of the Boothferry Bridge approach, only a small part of which can be said to lie on the Hull-Selby road. It is true that my staff have taken part in the preparation of plans for the bridge approach, but assistance of this nature which is not infrequently given to local authorities, does not, in any way, imply that the execution of the work will be undertaken by my Department. I am aware of the progress of the bridge construction, towards which I have made a 50 per cent. grant, and I am desirous of assisting the local authorities in the formation of the approach on the terms usually applicable to such schemes.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI am much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman, but may I ask him what steps the Corporation of Hull are to take in this matter, as until the county council and the right hon. Gentleman's Department come to some agreement the whole work on the road is held up and traffic is disorganised?
§ Colonel ASHLEYIf the local authorities will approach me, I shall be pleased to hear what they have to say.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYDoes that apply to the Corporation of Hull?
§ Colonel ASHLEYCertainly.