§ 14. Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the A709 Lockerbie-Langholm road and the A708 Moffat-Selkirk road will not be treated in the future as principal roads for grant purposes.
§ Dr. MabonPreliminary proposals have been made to Scottish highway authorities for the composition of the future principal road system. No firm decisions will be taken until my right hon. Friend has the views of the highway authorities on these preliminary proposals.
§ Mr. MonroIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that the Selkirk and Dumfries County Councils strongly opposed this? Is he not further aware that, at a time when we are trying to encourage tourism and industry to come to these areas, it is ridiculous to be down-grading these two main roads?
§ Dr. MabonI would not like to get involved at Question Time in discussing the roads affected in Dumfriesshire, including the two roads mentioned in the hon. Gentleman's Question. I prefer to wait until such time as we are able to consider the county councils' views.