§ 70. Sir William Davisonasked the Minister of Transport under what circumstances and by what authority he has agreed to make a grant from public funds to the London County Council towards the cost of rebuilding Waterloo Bridge, seeing that Parliament has refused to make any grant for this purpose?
§ Mr. BurginI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by me on 22nd December last to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for South Hackney (Mr. H. Morrison), when I explained the circumstances in which the Government proposed to approve a contribution from the Road Fund towards the cost of building the new Waterloo Bridge.
§ Sir W. DavisonIs my right hon. Friend aware that the answer to which he refers me dealt with neither of the two questions which I am asking, namely, in what circumstances and by what authority the Minister of Transport took upon himself to override the decision of Parliament, expressed on more than one occasion, that no grant should be given?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is exactly the same question as the one on the Paper.
§ Sir W. DavisonMay I call your attention to the fact that the Minister referred me to a reply which he gave on 22nd December and which dealt with neither of the two points I am now raising?
§ Mr. BurginMy hon. Friend suggests that Parliament came to a decision not to make a contribution to Waterloo Bridge. The fact is that the Government came to the conclusion not to make a grant to Waterloo Bridge. Circumstances have changed and, in the interests of highway facilities in London in general and cross-river facilities at the site of Waterloo Bridge, I am convinced that it is necessary in the interests of traffic that Waterloo Bridge should be constructed, and constructed on certain lines. To retain the control of that construction and to contribute to highway improvement generally, I advised, and take the responsibility for advising, that there should be a grant, and the Government have so decided.
§ Sir W. DavisonAre we to understand that there was no object in Parliament expressing an opinion on three occasions that no grant should be made because the London County Council had decided to pull down the bridge and not to recondition it as Parliament desired?
§ Mr. ThorneThis Parliament has more common sense.
§ Mr. BurginIt is not proposed to make any grant towards the cost of pulling down the old bridge. That was done in defiance of Parliamentary opinion. What we are now dealing with is a River Thames over which there is no Waterloo Bridge, and London traffic demands that there should be a bridge.