§ 34. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why he has allocated only £290,000 in grant to the Middlesex County Council for major road improvements towards their programme of £1,984,700 for the year 1955–56.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe funds available do not permit me to authorise all the work which highway authorities would like to undertake, and I consider £290,000 a fair allocation to Middlesex, taking into account also the needs of other areas.
§ Mr. Gresham CookeIs my right hon. Friend aware that the average Exchequer grant to the Middlesex County Council before the war for roads was about £400,000, which today would be worth about £800,000? Does he hold out any hope of getting nearer to pre-war conditions next year?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI must not commit myself with respect to the grant to a particular county before I have considered all the applications, but I very much welcome the initiative which the Middlesex County Council is showing in getting ahead with road schemes.