§ 25. Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Transport if, in connection with schemes of road or bridge construction financed either wholly or partly by his Ministry, the Department makes any recommendations respecting the nature of road surfacing; whether his engineers have any data as to the cost and durability of various types of road foundations and surfaces; and whether these data are utilised previous to consent being given by his Department or whether such matters are left to the discretion of the engineering firms carrying out the works or the local authority?
§ Mr. PYBUSNo proposals from any local authority involving grants from the Road Fund are approved until we are satisfied that they are technically sound. My Department possesses extensive information regarding the cost and durability of road foundations and surfaces.
§ Mr. GROVESWill the hon. Gentleman make all the information public?
§ Mr. PYBUSIt is of an extensive and technical character, and it would obviously be extremely costly to publish all the information that we have in the Department regarding road construction.
§ Mr. GROVESI do not want all the information, but will the hon. Gentleman supply the cost of the different materials, stone, asphalt, and so on?
§ Mr. MACQUISTENIn view of the extraordinary success of the instances where rubber has been put down in London, will the hon. Gentleman consider acquiring large quantities of surplus rubber for this purpose?