HC Deb 18 March 1931 vol 249 cc2013-5
33. Lieut.-Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALL

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange for a White Paper to be circulated to Members giving particulars of the five-years' programme of road and bridge building to which his Department is committed and which involves an expenditure of £27,500,000; if he will include in such returns the contributions which will be made by the local authorities concerned towards the cost of the improvements; if he will state whether the Treasury have concurred in the carrying out of this programme; and whether he proposes to submit this scheme of expenditure to the House for approval or whether their control will be limited to the annual discussion during the five years over which this building programme is to be spread of the Estimates relating to his Department?

Mr. HERBERT MORRISON

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to page 7 of the White Paper (Cmd. 3746) published in December last. The position at 13th March, 1931, was that the £27,500,000 of the five years' programme had been dealt with as follows:

  1. (a) Schemes which had been submitted in detail and approved for commencement amounted to nearly £11,500,000.
  2. (b) Schemes submitted in outline and approved in principle accounted for another £14,750,000.
  3. (c) The balance represented schemes under negotiation.
The estimated Road Fund liability in respect of the schemes approved, whether in detail or in principle, was £18,500,000, leaving £7,750,000 to be borne by the local authorities.

The White Paper already laid has apprised the House of the approval by His Majesty's Government of the five years' programme of Road Fund expenditure, which does not require an Annual Vote.

Sir F. HALL

Did not the right; hon. Gentleman, in a speech which he made at Derby last week, draw attention to the increase from £9,500,000 to £11,500,300 in the cost of the work proposed to be carried out, and, owing to this enormous increase, will he issue another White Paper?

Mr. MORRISON

I think that, the hon. and gallant Gentleman is under a misapprehension. That increase was sanctioned some time before the issue of the last White Paper.

Mr. D. G. SOMERVILLE

Has any of the work involved in this increase been started?

Mr. MORRISON

Yes, certainly.

Sir F. HALL

Will the House have an opportunity of discussing these things as they come up to be carried out, or are we only to have an opportunity once a year of going into the matter?

Mr. MORRISON

It depends on whether the Opposition ask for the Ministry of Transport Vote to be put down; that would give an opportunity to discuss the general policy of the Department, but we want to go forward with these unemployment schemes.