§ 11. Mr. Duffyasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the A.635 and A.638 link major export industries in the West Riding with the A.1; and if he will state his plans for their early improvement.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettA.635 is a classified road for which the local highway authorities are responsible. An improvement scheme costing £330,000, for which we are making grant, is in progress now in Barnsley.
Westwards from Wakefield A.638 is also a classified road. The local highway authorities plan to improve it throughout and we have offered grant for three schemes in the current programme costing a total of £590,000. Work on one of them—in Wakefield—has begun.
Between Wakefield and A.1 A.638 is a trunk road. We have no immediate plans for its improvement. It is expected that much of the traffic from the West Riding to A.1 will use the Lancashire-Yorkshire motorway and the extended M.1 when these are completed within the next few years.
§ Mr. DuffyI am grateful for that information, but may I ask the Minister whether he is aware that these schemes 1279 deserve higher priorities because the stretches of road to which he referred are so inferior as to constitute a considerable tax on the industrial transport that uses them? Is the hon. and gallant Gentleman further aware that this cost may now be crucial to the export performance of many wool textile firms in the West Riding in view of the increasing competition which they face?
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettWe are aware of the importance of these roads, and we are aware of the importance of getting on as quickly as we can, but there are a large number of competing schemes and we do our best to get them in the right order of priority.