§ 56. Mr. TRAINasked the Minister of Transport what was the original estimate for the Glasgow-Edinburgh road at present under construction; and what has been the total expenditure to date?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONThe original estimate for the Glasgow-Edinburgh road was £2,115,000, and the total expenditure to date is £1,377,000. Further expenditure of a substantial amount will shortly be incurred as a result of works now in progress or about to be undertaken.
§ 57. Mr. TRAINasked the Minister of Transport how many unemployed men have been engaged from the Labour Exchanges in Glasgow and Lanarkshire for the construction of the Glasgow-Edinburgh road since the work was begun; and what was the approximate average duration of their employment?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONInformation in the precise form asked for by the hon. Member is not available. I may say, however, that since October, 1924, up to the end of September, 1929, the average number of workmen employed per day on the construction of the Glasgow-Edinburgh road has been 837.
§ Mr. TRAINIs the Minister aware that there are miles of this road standing in a semi-finished condition, with no men working there; that there is a number of bridges to be built which would employ a lot of unemployed men this winter; that the people of Glasgow and Lanarkshire are very dissatisfied about it, seeing that they are subscribing £350,000 of the money; and will he take steps to see that the road is gone on with, so as to take up these unemployed people?
§ Mr. MORRISONI think the hon. Member's supplementary question is not quite right in relation to the last question that I answered. He may be perfectly certain that the Government are doing everything that is possible to push forward the execution of the work.