§ 32. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Transport if ha has any estimate of the amount of the cost already incurred for legal and similar charges and expenses in promoting and opposing the Humber Bridge Bill to date; and how and in what proportion these costs are to be met and by whom?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONI am not in a position to furnish an estimate of the costs for legal and similar charges and expenses incurred to date by the promoters of the Humber Bridge Bill, and I have no knowledge of the similar expenses incurred by the parties opposing the Bill. A grant of 75 percent. has been indicated from the Road Fund in respect of the total approved expenditure on the bridge scheme, including the legal, etc., costs incurred by the promoters. The remaining 25 per cent. will be defrayed partly by the contributions which certain local authorities have undertaken to make, and any balance remaining will be raised by means of tolls.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYIf the right hon. Gentleman is defraying 75 percent. of the legal charges, has he no check on the amount of those charges?
§ Mr. MORRISONOnce a Bill is before a Committee of Parliament the promoters cannot very well control the expenses to which they are put. The expenses must depend upon the amount of opposition. The Committee could, if they were so minded and if they were unanimously agreed, decide that, if the opponents were frivolous, the whole of the expenses of the promoters should be 431 charged against the opponents, but there are few precedents for that course.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYWould it be possible to obtain these figures for the edification of the public?
§ Mr. MORRISONI doubt it, but I agree that it would be an edification if they were secured.
§ Major HARVEYHow did this information get to the hon. and gallant Member, seeing that the Committee only gave their decision on this ease yesterday?
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYOn Monday.