§ 44. Mr. Crouchasked the Minister of Transport on what grounds he permitted the sum of over £900 to be spent on cultivating and planting the land of the new roundabout on a trunk road at Roundhouse, Sturminster Marshall; and what has been the total expenditure to date, on making this roundabout.
§ Mr. BarnesThe central island of this roundabout was planted so as to obviate dazzle which is a frequent cause of accidents. The total expenditure has been £444 for land and £11,536 for works of which the estimated cost of the planting operations was about £1,000.
§ Mr. CrouchIs the Minister aware that quite a number of local authorities have the planting of the trees and shrubs done by local nurserymen, who use these sites for advertising? There is no cost whatever to the local authorities. Why does his Department spend such a large sum of money in this way?
§ Mr. BarnesI am not aware that the local nurserymen were not consulted. That appears to me to be a different point.
§ Mr. CrouchThe Minister has said that he is not aware that nurserymen were not consulted, but is he aware that in the adjoining local authority area he could drive round a large roundabout and see the name of the nurserymen posted there?
§ Mr. BarnesIt is the normal practice for my Department to work through the local authorities as our agents.
Mr. VaneCan the right hon. Gentleman tell us the acreage of this forest because, according to Forestry Commission costs, it must be at least 50 acres?