DARTFORD-PURFLEET TUNNEL (Hansard, 22 December 1954)

§ Mr. Norman Dodds (Dartford)
My task this afternoon has been made comparatively easy, because official recognition has been given to the tremendous importance to South-East England of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel. The Minister made an announcement on 9th December, 1953, that work might recommence on the tunnel in the financial year 1955.
It was not anticipated, in December, 1953, that any date could be given for the start of the work. But on 19th May, 1954, I put a Question to the former Minister of Transport. I quote: Mr. Dodds asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date work will recommence on the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel. THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND CIVIL AVIATION (MR. ALAN LENNOX-BOYD): As the hon. Member knows, it is proposed to recommence work on this tunnel next year. I cannot at present be more precise than this as to dates."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 19th May, 1954; Vol. 527, c. 2072.] Since then other people have been trying to ascertain when the work will recommence.
There is an influential organisation of industrialists and representatives of local governments that meets under the name of the South-East England Development Board. The Honorary Secretary is Mr. J. A. Crompton who is Town Clerk of Erith. Mr. Crompton recently prepared a statement for members of the board 2848 and Members of Parliament in the area affected. I quote from it: On the 9th December, 1953, the then Minister announced that the Government would enter into a commitment for the Dartford tunnel in the year 1955–56. In view of this, we have not asked the Minister to see the deputation. That was a deputation which had been formed to ask that the Minister might meet them to clarify the situation. Discussions with the Ministry's officers have, however, proceeded, from which it has emerged that before the main tunnelling work can be resumed, it will be necessary to spend about£40,000 on rehabilitation of the plant, some of which was damaged by the floods. Efforts have been made, with the Ministry's officers, to get this work of rehabilitation proceeded with and also to obtain a definite date from the Ministry for the recommencement of the tunnelling work. These efforts have met with no success.… There is some concern among those who recognise the importance, not only of recommencing the work on the tunnel, but of having it completed, so that many of the troubles in the South-East can be solved.
I come back, in this chronicle of events, to a Question which I put to the new Minister of Transport as late as 17th November last. It was: Mr. DODDS asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what consideration has been given to deciding on what date in 1955 work will recommence on the construction of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel. The Minister's reply was: I am in touch both with the promoters and the consulting engineers about this. In a supplementary question, I asked: Since 1955 is only five or six weeks away, can he say on what date in 1955 this work can commence? The Minister replied: As the hon. Gentleman, who knows a great deal about this subject, will be aware, before the constructional work to which his Question refers can be started, it will be necessary to put in order the existing plant and equipment, which has been standing idle for a considerable time. That was the first time, as far as I know, that the information was given about putting the equipment and plant into order, and so I asked: On what date will that commence? The Minister replied: Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put down that Question. 2849 I gave notice that I would raise the matter on the Adjournment, and I gave it in this way: As I think that I shall make greater progress with a friendly Joint Parliamentary Secretary, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th November, 1954; Vol. 533, c. 367–8.] I must say that from that date until now I have had the greatest confidence in the Joint Parliamentary Secretary, and I am sure that if it is possible to put all our minds at rest he will be very happy to do so, not as a Christmas gift but because he is that type of person.
In the meantime, as my name was being thrown out every time in the Ballot, and I was not successful, I took the opportunity—I hope that it was not against the rules—of putting down one or two Questions to get clarification. On 24th November, I put down a Question in the following terms: MR. DODDS asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date work will commence to put in order the existing plant and equipment connected with the proposed Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel; and when is it expected to complete this so as to enable a resumption to be made on the construction of the tunnel. The Minister replied: I have nothing to add at present to my previous answers on this subject."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 24th November, 1954; Vol. 187, c. 142.] I did what the Minister suggested, and I still drew a blank.
There are many hon. Members, both on this side of the House and on the other, who would welcome a return to the days when the Joint Parliamentary Secretaries to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation were allowed to answer some Questions from the Dispatch Box during Question Time. I know that is not a matter for the Joint Parliamentary Secretary now, but we hope that a new leaf will be turned in the New Year, and that we shall hear Joint Parliamentary Secretaries answering some Questions from that Box.
On 8th December, I put down another Question which I consider to be relevant to what we are discussing. It was as follows: MR. DODDS asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give the date, or dates, on which he contacted the consulting engineers concerning putting in order the plant 2850 and equipment to enable progress to be made on the construction of the Dartford—Purfleet Tunnel; and if he can yet name the date when work will commence. MR. BOYD-CARPENTER: The answer to the first part of the Question is early May, and to the second, 'No'."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 8th December, 1954; Vol. 535, c. 50.] If it is a fact that the Ministry was discussing this in May with the constructional engineers, it is only to be expected that now, in December, there is some information about when this work will commence, as we are now within a few days of 1955.
There are many people who feel that a square deal has not been given in this important matter. We ask the Ministry to take us a little more into its confidence, because it must be realised that this matter is important. There is every indication that long before this tunnel is completed, and even with the best will in the world, conditions will be chaotic.
More and more vehicles are coming on to the roads, and as an illustration of what is now happening. I will quote an extract from the "Star." Traffic jam in tunnel. Heavy traffic caused congestion in Black-wall Tunnel and Woolwich Ferry today. Extra police were drafted to direct the traffic when long tines of cars and lorries were held up passing through the tunnel. I am informed by people using the tunnel and the ferry that the state of affairs is becoming intolerable, and now extra police are asked for to look after this matter. Surely the police have plenty of work to do already without this extra job.
We are asking for the date when work on the tunnel will be recommenced, not at what date it will be completed—important as that is. In view of the fact that this project has been accepted as a matter of vital importance; that the Minister has said that the work will commence in 1955; that the South-East England Development Board has been discussing the matter with Ministry officials; that the Minister has given an answer to a Question that the tunnel engineers had been discussing this matter as long ago as May, I hope that today we shall get some answer which will placate us, at least for the Christmas holidays, and will give us full confidence that everything is going according to the plan visualised when the statement was made.
2851 I do not need to take up any more time on this matter, because all we are asking for is that the date shall be named. If no date can be given today I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to convey to the Minister the intimation that immediately the House resumes a request will, in all probability, be made that the Minister should meet a deputation, so that we may ask that and other questions. We hope that that will be unnecessary.

§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (Mr. Hugh Molson)
The hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dodds) is a skilful and persuasive Parliamentarian. He has tried all the blandishments which could well be mentioned in an effort to elicit from me information which he has been vainly endeavouring to obtain during the last many months from my two right hon. Friends. I very much appreciate the kind things that he has said about me, but I am sure that he would not expect me to be seduced from my duty, even by the most kindly and flattering remarks that he may make.
This project for the recommencement of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel was the most costly and important, in size, of all the schemes announced last year by my right hon. Friend who is now the Colonial Secretary. It will involve an expenditure of at least£10 million. If it had not been for our recognition of the urgent need for better communications between East Anglia and the South of England we should not have included it in that area programme. The hon. Member and his friends can be assured that we fully recognise the importance and the urgency of improving those communications.
The cost of£10 million made a very substantial hole in the programme which was announced last year. The hon. Member can derive some measure of encouragement from the fact that, this year, the Government have been able to announce a very great expansion of the programme that was announced last year. It was then the intention that expenditure upon roads should rise to a plateau of approximately£15 million a year. The Foreign Secretary, in a speech which the hon. Member probably heard, told the House that it was the Government's intention to increase that expenditure to two or three times that level.
2852 The hon. Member can, therefore, rest assured that if we were prepared to find room for this very costly scheme last year, some steps to ensure the carrying out of a project of this kind, in order to improve connections across the lower reaches of the Thames, will certainly not be excluded and will not be unjustifiably or unnecessarily postponed.

§ Mr. Dodds
The hon. Member used the word "postponed." Can we know if there is any reason why it should be postponed? Has anything arisen since the announcement of December, 1953?

§ Mr. Molson
I cannot at present say exactly when works to improve communications between East Anglia and Southern England will be undertaken.
I was saying—and I repeat—that if we were prepared to find room for a scheme of this sort last year the hon. Member need not be under any apprehension that it will be excluded from our calculations this year. With so much more money at our disposal there can be no question of overlooking the urgent and pressing need for an improvement in communications, but I am not yet in a position to say exactly when the work will be authorised.
I think the hon. Member was a little misled by the reference to 1955. That reference was to the financial year 1955–56 and not to the calendar year 1955. As the hon. Member is aware, the financial year does not begin until 1st April, and it will be another three months before there is any question of undertaking even the rehabilitation of the plant. Therefore, I hope that he will not think it unreasonable that I am not yet in a position to say quite definitely when we shall authorise the commencement of that work. That decision is not at all likely to be taken before 1st April. We have only undertaken that the work shall be begun early in the next financial year.
The fact that we are now embarking upon a very greatly expanded scheme does mean that all those in the Department, whether engineers or administrators, who are concerned with our road and bridge programme are at the present time working overtime. Without making any binding promise, I can say that we hope that my right hon. Friend will be able to make a statement upon the whole 2853 road and bridge programme soon after the House resumes in the New Year. It may well be that that will be before the end of January.
When we are engaged upon this great expansion of the existing programme, it is difficult for us to prepare the calculations and make the necessary arrangements for fixing the date of the commencement of any particular scheme among all those to which we are committed. I am very sorry indeed that I have to disappoint the hon. Gentleman, and that, even though he has been able to raise this matter upon the Adjournment, I am not in a position to add anything to what my two right hon. Friends have already said. I am not standing mute of malice, to use a legal expression, but a decision has not yet been reached; and, therefore, lacking the gift of prophecy, I fear that there is nothing more I can say.

§ Mr. Dodds
May I rid the hon. Gentleman of one illusion which is in his mind? He said that. I had probably been misled about the calendar or the 2854 financial year. I ask him to look at all the Questions, and he will find that there is a good deal of clarity on that point. I would refer him to the OFFICIAL REPORT of 19th May, when the then Minister of Transport said: As the hon. Member knows, it is proposed to recommence work on this tunnel next year." —[OFFICIAL REPORT, 19th May, 1954; Vol. 527, c. 2072.] Next year is 1955—not 1956—which means the calendar year. The hon. Gentleman says that his right hon. Friend is likely to make an announcement about roads and bridges, and, I take it, tunnels, in January. Is it likely that he will then name the date for the starting of the tunnel in 1955?

§ Mr. Molson
I am quite sure that my right hon. Friend will make an announcement as soon as he is able to do so.