HC Deb 05 June 1957 vol 571 cc1243-4
49. Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, with a view to expediting new highway construction, he will review the possibility of carrying out some of the preliminary legal, designing, planning and contract-drawing processes in parallel rather than in series.

Mr. Watkinson

Wherever possible, this is already being done. I cannot do more unless I over-ride the rights of individuals, which I am not prepared to do.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Is my right hon. Friend aware that there is a good deal of dissatisfaction about the time which elapses between the announcement of a major road scheme here in the House and the time when the first bulldozer gets to work? Would it not be possible to adopt the technique of industry, that is, to put the lawyers, contract planners, designers, etc., all to work at the same time, so that, instead of working one after the other, they would all work in parallel?

Mr. Watkinson

Because I thought that it might be of interest to hon. Members, I have placed in the Library of the House a record of all the various stages which have to be gone through by my Department and the other interests involved, including local authorities, before we cover the gap between the announcement of a very large scheme and putting it out to contract. I think that, if any hon. Member who is interested cares to study that, he will see that what I have said is true, that one cannot do more to cut down the time unless one is prepared to over-ride the rights of individuals.