§ 55. Mr. Jannerasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction in Leicester and Leicestershire about the delay in dealing with the Leicestershire portion of the London to Yorkshire motorway; and whether he will now state what progress has been made in deciding on the route.
§ Mr. NugentI have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member in the Adjournment debate on 13th April.
§ Mr. JannerWould the hon. Gentleman explain why he is not proceeding further with this matter without delay? Did he not state in the course of that debate that he would give it early attention, and does he not think that after so many years he should be able to make up his mind about what he is going to do with regard to this road, which is so urgently needed?
§ Mr. NugentOur difficulty is that the local people are not able to make up 1275 their minds. My right hon. Friend must take into account the very different conflicting points of view of the people in the neighbourhood to the north of Leicester as to which line shall be taken. My right hon. Friend will lose no time in reaching a decision on this difficult matter and will then announce his draft proposal. We can then hear what local opinion thinks about it.
§ Mr. OsborneAs the line may pass close to my house, may I beg my hon. Friend to give full weight to the Leicestershire County Council's point of view and not let the Leicester City have its own way too much?
§ Mr. NugentI think my hon. Friend has shown the difficulty now confronting us, namely, that it is not easy to reconcile the differing points of view, and we are trying to be fair to all concerned.