§ 47. Sir Waldron Smithersasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Treasury consent has been sought to provide moneys for dealing with the 5,000 miles of trunk roads and for preliminary works for 50 major schemes each costing £100,000; and will he, in pursuance of his policy that new internal projects are not possible in present circumstances, postpone Treasury consent until such time as the present necessary expenditure on the Defence services can be reduced?
§ Sir J. SimonBy the Trunk Roads Act, 1936, the Minister of Transport was made responsible for the trunk roads of the country, and Parliament is asked each year to vote a grant-in-aid to the Road Fund to enable him to carry out these duties. The 50 major schemes referred to by my hon. Friend are, I understand, those described in Part II of Appendix III of the Roads, etc., Vote. Each of these schemes has in the ordinary course to receive specific approval of the Treasury before it is put in hand, and due regard to the general financial position will, of course, be paid before such approval is forthcoming.