CLAUSE 35.—(Expenses of Part II.) (Hansard, 8 July 1946)

Mr. Ivor Thomas

I beg to move, in page 25, line 43, after "shall," to insert: to such extent as the Treasury may direct. The object of this Amendment is to deal with cases where the Minister of Transport, when stopping up or diverting a road under Clause 28, for which he has now been given the powers, takes the opportunity of providing an alternative road which affords better facilities for the road-using public than the original road. Under Clause 28, Subsection (2) (a), the Ministry of Transport may provide or improve any highway in place of any highway which is stopped up or diverted. As the Clause stands, the expenses of that improvement would fall on the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is obviously fair that the Ministry of Transport should pay for such share as is due to the improvement, and the purpose of this Amendment is to enable the Treasury to make fair allocation between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Transport in respect of the improved roads.

Mr. Ivor Thomas

I beg to move, in page 25, line 44, at the end, to insert: or by the Minister of Supply. (2) Any expenses incurred by the Minister of Supply by reason of any such direction as aforesaid shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament. (3) Except in so far as any expenses incurred by the Minister of Transport in consequence of the passing of this Part of this Act fall, by virtue of any such direction as aforesaid, to be defrayed by the Minister of Civil Aviation or the Minister of Supply, or fall to be defrayed out of the Road Fund under any other Act, they shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament. (4) There shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament any such increase in the sums payable into the Road Fund out of moneys so provided as is attributable to the passing of this Part of this Act. This is a similar Amendment. Under Clause 28, as now amended, the Ministry of Transport is to be enabled to provide or divert highways for the benefit of the Ministry of Supply with regard to the testing of aircraft. It is only fair therefore that the cost of such works should be borne not by the Ministry of Civil Aviation but by the Ministry of Supply. That is the first part of this Amendment. Subsection (3) of the Amendment provides that that part of the expenses of the Ministry of Transport which is not 62 passed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation or the Ministry of Supply shall be defrayed out of the Road Fund, so far as it can properly be paid out of that fund. We have however, to make provision that where it cannot be paid out of the Road Fund, it may be paid by the Ministry of Transport out of its own funds; that may arise, for example, under Clause 32 which we have just been discussing. There the Ministry of Transport is required to provide alternative housing accommodation where it takes land for the purpose of alternative highways. It would not be proper for such expenditure to he borne by the Road Fund, and the main object of this Amendment is to secure a proper apportionment of expenses between the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Supply and the Ministry of Transport. It is also provided that there should be paid into the Road Fund any increased sums due to this Bill.